Today turned out to be the most productive day I've had in quite a while.
About 10 years ago I "rescued" a couple of trough planters and built a tiered display for them out of off cuts of decking. Last year I noticed a fair amount of rot in the timber so knew something would have to be done this year. I decided to dismantle most of it and rebuild using some of the timber I've got stored for a "rainy day". Getting the rusty screws out of the bits of wood I wanted to reuse without damaging the wood was what took the most time then cutting back to good wood and letting in new bits and replacing the bracing. Started around 10am and finished approx 3pm. Looks pretty good I think:
On reflection I'd have probably been better to just scrap the lot and make a new one but I think what I've got now should do a few more years and I got a lot of satisfaction out of doing it!
I also have 3 half whisky barrels which I use as planters and they are also in poor condition but I don't think I'll try to repair them.
By the time I'd painted it, filled the troughs with compost, planted the plants and tidied away my tools it was coming on for 4.30 pm and I was feeling pretty tired. Then the internal door from the garage to the house opened and Mrs J said "Patrick's at the door, he's got car problems, it's gone "twang". I like Patrick, he's a fireman and lives 3 doors up the street from me - gave me a lot of cost cutting info when the new law about fire alarms came in and came round and showed me the best places to site the alarms. So I went up the street with him to his house and right away I could see that his old Mercedes looked to be sitting down at the N/S/R. I'd already decided that a broken spring was most likely from what he was describing to me as we walked up the street. Anyway a quick look under the rear didn't really confirm anything apart from that the N/S/R spring looked absolutely fine. "It made the "Twang" as I reversed out over the pavement onto the road" he said - so I'm thinking, there would have been a fair amount of suspension movement doing that. "I'm sure the "Twang" was from the driver side rear he said. Ok, let's take a look. At first glance all seemed well but then I realized the distance from one coil to the next was greater than on the N/S so it looked like a spring which was a bit extended. That's strange.
The rear suspension on these is independent with the bottom of the spring located in a recessed spring pan - so you can't see the bottom couple of spring coils. The top of the spring looked fine. Ok, break out the trolley jack, Patrick carried it down the street (I'm no fool and he's young and fit!) His driveway is block paved so more than stable enough for jacking although the joints in the pavers is annoying. Located the jack - difficult because of the plastic undertrays all over the place - and got to work with my very old 14 inch Britool powerbar. Damn, not a hope, had to nip home and get "big bertha", who is a 600mm Clarke Pro power bar (Machine Mart's best, and very good it is too) Had to stand on the handle to break the bolts loose!
Oh well, that has to be the worst over doesn't it? But no! The wheel is not for moving off the hub! seized solid with corrosion - the usual of course, alloy wheels on steel hubs. Took a bit over 10 minutes with a club hammer and a bit of 2by4 to protect the wheel. It gave up in the end but it was a stubborn one. Foolishly perhaps, I've said I'll help him get the other 3 off at some time in the summer and clean up the corrosion before refitting with some ceramic anti seize grease - I may live to regret that. Anyway, once the wheel was off it could be seen the last few inches of the spring had broken off and was now lodged in the bottom of the spring cup. But hold on, you'd thing that would let the car ride lower on that corner wouldn't you? Usually it will too, but, unfortunately for him, in this instance the bottom of the spring, now missing about half a turn, has moved in the spring pan and is sitting on the rim of the pan rather than in it thus pushing the body up an inch or so compared to where it would be if the spring was properly located in the pan recess.
So, new spring needed and, sorry fella, but I'm now to old and decrepit to do it for you. Looks like you could probably do it by taking the inner arm pivot bolt out and letting the arm swing down on the hub - if there's not too much spring extension. That inner pivot looks like it's a camber adjusting scroll bolt too and it's a steel sleeved rubber "metalastic" type bush on a pretty old car - bet it's rusted in? Been caught out too often with this sort of thing, only too pleased to make it someone else's problem!
Luckily Patrick wasn't expecting me to offer to do it and was delighted to know exactly what was wrong and what it might take to sort it out. Also took my advice not to drive the car as, if the spring jumped right out of the lower arm, that jagged broken end is just waiting to go through the tyre sidewall!
I've suggested a couple of the small garages in the area who I know won't rip him off but he tells me he's been using "Click Mechanic" for repairs to his wife's elderly Kia and they've been very good so he's going to try them for this. I'd not heard of them but I think it's maybe a franchised mobile mechanic type setup? I'll be asking him how it pans out when I do those wheels soon. I'm worried that a repair like this on a vehicle with the three pointed star on it's bonnet may be a license to print money? Anyway, time will tell.
