(G) My suspension....

About a year ago i bought some 35mm apex springs, they lowered it so that it looked standard!

Few months ago bought some 60mm jamex springs and shocks, the back looks good but the front looks a little high!

I thought only Leda made coilovers for an Uno, theyre £800ish, but Avo make some for £480!

If only i knew this before i bought the jamex ones!

Just thought id share that with you!

Well I bet I know the reason... those lowering springs would be intended for an Uno Turbo?

It's well-known that if you take Uno Turbo standard springs and fit them to an Uno 45, the Uno 45 sits higher at the front than it does on standard Uno 45 springs! The reason is pretty simple and obvious when you open the bonnet...

An original 1985 999cc FIRE engine is said to weigh 69kg (source: Car Mechanics FIRE engine clinic, December 2000). That's very light by engine standards!

On the other hand the rather solid engine (dating back to 1969) with turbocharger and everything else in the front of a Turbo (even the little things, like the brake cross-rod and bracket, the anti-roll bar, and the under-sump bar) contribute to a greater weight over the front wheels.

The stark figures in the handbook for Kerb Weight make for interesting reading.
1000cc 3dr 710kg
1000cc 5dr 720kg

1300cc 3dr 770kg
1300cc 5dr 780kg

Turbo 3dr 845kg

The weight over the back wheels is presumably little different which is why your rear springs have the desired lowering effect.

Of course all of the above is just my take on it. What do you reckon?
-Alex

hi guys,
its not about lowering and sorry for hijacking the thread but my rear suspension makes a squaeky noise when I go over potholes or when I get in the car!!It really bugs me! Are there any DIY fixes I can do!!??

Thanks

Yep i originally thought the suspension was an uno turbo one, but after discussing it with Jamex it seems the suspension is the correct one for a 1.0l.

I made that mistake with my first kit, it was suitable for all unos, so i wasnt going to make the same mistake with my second!

I think its probably due to the fact that ive got a massive sub in the boot!

It actually sits level on the road, but would just like the front a little lower... ah well.

Hi All,

I wonder if someone fitted turbo suspension before I got my 1.0 IE. The front bumber scrapes on my drive if reversing faster then about 2 MPH where both my Mk 1`s could clear it.

Drinu,

Could be a [edit: rear] suspension upper mountain has ripped through like mine (attached) replaced with a temp one from scrap yard till new part comes in (£8.88 + VAT from FIAT). All the ones in the scrap yard had all started to go so looks common?

Regards,
Louie Bee.

Louie.

The situation from the pictures above shows some real Fiat ****. These are prone to selfdestruct. I remember feeling a "thump" AFTER every speed bump.

Morten.

Strangely enough I have just cured the same problem myself today (the mountings shown above) and this was the third different Uno in a couple of months!

I recommend that everyone open their tailgate, pull off the black plastic shock top mounting covers, and try to 'waggle' the top of the shock spindle by hand. Then bounce twice on the rear ledge and watch for movement. A centimetre or so, up and down, is normal (the rubber is soft). But jerky movement, perhaps with squeaking noises, or side-to-side, is self-explanatory.

Usually I find the rubber breaks in a ring around the central boss, rather than completely separating from the steel as shown!

I'm impressed with the new price quoted... I only ever tend to use second-hand bits...

And make sure the nuts holding the mounting on are tight - I have had the mountings to the body work loose before.

Morten: I've really enjoyed substituting four-letter words for the **** in your post! 'gold' was my favourite

Louie: As I said in my message, Turbo suspension fitted to a 1.0L would make it ride higher at the front (not lower)...

Drinu: DIY fixes for rubber mounts would involve 'Araldite' I suspect, seemed to work when I ran out of replacements...

-Alex

The temp replacement mountain seems to have fixed the loud knocking (about 30 speed bumps to get to work and back). Now I’m back to just rattling exhaust and heat shield (not so bad) along with a new little squeak. The squeak I presume is the replacement mountain which starting to go. The small tare is underneath can only be seen after removing the part.

I posted in a bit of a rush, and without thinking it through liked my low front-end problem to the possibility of having turbo shocks (to stay on original subject). Maybe the car has been lowered in the past, or has accident damaged, or perhaps just because it’s a MK2?

The above price is for one mountain, but still only just over £20 for the pair. Better than £70 + VAT for a new pair of FIAT shocks (which I assumed was the problem but didn’t order).

The temp one was under £1 as I went “bit picking” at the yard. For £5 I also got a central switch bank, an oil filler cap (old one too loose), brake and clutch reservoir caps and air filter box rubber “feet”. New switch bank (no crack) lights up, and I refitted the fag lighter’s bulb (found rattling around inside dash).

Louie Bee.