Hi
500ml would do amply. I think Dinitrol is miles better and this can be had from frost.co.uk
I used 1.5 300 ml cans of wax after 1 x 750 ml can of zinc based primer and 2X cans of back paint. Simple job with drill and wire brushes various but wear goggles and a hat!! Good luck

Dervdrain said:

Does anyone have a workshop page or link for removal of the rear axle or failing that a step by step?

Click to expand...

Jack up car. Trolley jack under centre of rear axle. Chocks under front wheels. Axle stands under rear sill jacking points. I don't have slotted stand tops so use 1" x 2" timbers to spread load under inner sills.

Remove both rear wheels.

Put cling film under the brake fluid reservoir lid and refit the lid.

Inside the car remove the enter console cover and disconnect he hand brake cables. Feed cable ends out of the car through the floor.

Under car -

Unclip the hand brake cables from under body.

Unscrew the brake bundy pipes at the front of the rear axle adjacent to the pivot brackets and disconnect the brake hoses (clipped). If you have them, cap over the bundy pipe ends, but sealing the master cylinder lid will limit fluid loss.

Unplug the ABS wires adjacent to the pivot brackets.

The axle controls are now disconnected from the car

Remove the rear shocks bottom bolts. Leave shock tops fitted. The axle will drop allowing the springs to be taken away. If you wish unbolt the shock tops.
When refitting fit the shock - fit top bolts first. They have self cleaning threads so are easy to get cross-threaded. Take care they are running properly before spannering.

Put trolley jack under axle mid line and remove two bolts from each pivot bracket. Leave the easiest to access bolts in place. Make sure the axle really is fully disconnected. Remove the last two bolts and lower the jack.

The axle can be pulled back away from the car.

When I did mine I also removed the rear hubs because I wanted to reduce the lifting weight but this was not in fact any easier. Leave it fully assembled. Much easier.

The spring pans seem to rust worst at the front about 25mm from the vertical weld line. Its likely this is where they get the most stress accelerating the inevitable corrosion. Mine looked horrible from under the car but in reality it's not bad.

Cost to have it grit blasted and zinc metal sprayed was only £80 but I fitted a nearly new 500 axle instead.

Dave

Outstanding Dave, thanks so much.

No worries.

I should add don't forget to remove the cling film from the brake reservoir, though you will be bleeding the brakes so it should be obvious. You will also need to adjust the hand brake cable. A handy trick - measure the adjuster screw and refit it to the settings before you took it apart. Or use a dab of paint or marker pen.

You will need a flare nut spanner for the brake pipe nuts. Mine is Imperial and fitted fine but check anyway before you start the job. Normal open end spanner will be unlikely to do the job.

The brake pipes are fixed with a slide-on clip. I used a large flat screw driver to lever them off. Not because they need much force but if a small driver slips I'm a wimp about hitting my hands.
It might be easier to tighten the flare nut before fitting the clip. Try both ways.

When putting the axle back - slide it under car then put the jack under and crank it up. You can then get a bolt into each side fitted loosely. Now its safe fit the other four bolts and tighten properly.

Check everything and check again at each point of no return -

Before pulling the axle off still attached brake pipes or ABS wires etc will be expensive.

Before pumping the brake pedal top up the reservoir and be sure all pipes are connected.

Hand brake may well be slack so leave the centre console off so you can test drive and adjust as needed.

Etc etc Blah. Blah.

That just adds to a very comprehensive how-to. Cheers Dave.