Might as well!

A few bits I had ordered from Rimmer Bros so I could get on with sorting the suspension out on UNJ had arrived during the week so, on with the work then.

Here's the two struts dismantled and more importantly you can see the difference between the standard spring and the uprated one - a bit there eh!

I re-assembled the black original sturt with the red uprated spring and the best bits of the other components and then went to put it back on the car. This isn't an easy operation for one person but I got the stut bolted in at the top although I then couldn't locate it onto the ball joint at the bottom.

Then I had a brainwave, why not lower the entire front subframe whcih would give me the clearance.

Well that wasn't going to be a goer once I had started but then I spotted another option which worked - get a small jack in between the anti-roll bar and the subframe. This easily gave me the chance to lower the track rod end so the ball joint could locate with the strut bottom - following this?

But then - but then; I spotted the ball joint rubber was split. I agonised over ignoring this but decided to go and see if I had a spare  rubber somewhere. I didn't find a spare but I did find this, given to me by my mate Paul Darbyshire some time in the past.

A roller bearing kit which is one of those "must do" modifications to a TR7 (although I never have done before) so I then had another one of those moments.

Stuff it, OK might as well then. Off with the strut again !!!

After dismantling the kit went on fine and the strut was put back together again.

Of course this means the nearside strut should be done too - Arghh!!

It's the right thing to do really because there were some spring insulators missing on the struts which I had replaced on the offside so it all ought to be balanced up.

After tidying everything away then it was off to order the insulators and two ball joint boot covers (I am bound to tear the nearside one when I take the strut off). Thing is though the postage was £7.95 or about the same as the total of the parts! Madness.

So, might as well buy something else then if the postage doesn't go up.

And that's when I remembered the Rover I bought has an aftermarket steering wheel on that I wasn't that happy about. Now Rimmers have brand new steering wheels in just one trim - the one for my car JEA :-)

£35 including VAT and the postage didn't go up - bargain!

Remember this?

Remember the split hood on UNJ?

I now have the hood back from Trevor the Trimmer who has done a very good job (photo in due course).

The thing is though, Trevor thought it would be an easy job for him as he thought it would just be a question of sewing the screen back in but that wasn't the case.

It wasn't a split, Trevor reckons someone had used a stanley knife to cut the base of the screen from the hood!

Now what is the point of that? If you want to get in the car just pull the poppers off.

Worse, this happened whilst I couldn't use the car due to health reasons and it had been on my drive so that means someone had done the deed whilst the car was under my carport at home.