Well FINALLY I think I'm done.
Bit of a faff waiting for a replacement front bump-stop, then ducking in and out between the showers, but the car is done and ready for Chris to collect. Wrapped it up this morning in the rain, simply because I was fed up with waiting for it to stop!
If you go back to page one you'll see Chris's initial quote. In there it mentions £768 for two front shocks alone.
Well the total parts bill, including several items they weren't going to change, has come out at £714.22.
Front end: Sachs dampers, Lemforder top mounts, Suplex springs, Febi Bilstein bump stops and Lemforder drop links. ARB bushes looked like they've been done not long ago and were in good nick, so left them. Re-used the rubber dust cover, cleaned with Autoglym bumper and trim gel which softens it back up again. Far better than the modern plastic replacements which rattle. Used new genuine BMW knuckle bolts.
Rear end: Bilstein dampers (Sachs don't supply them for the coupe any more it seems), Lemforder top mounts, Suplex springs, Febi Bilstein bump-stops with dust covers attached. ARB bushes and drop links checked and in good condition so left them alone.
Intermediate steering shaft swapped but made no difference to the very slight knock on small turns of the steering wheel. Left the 63k replacement in place rather than refit the 180k one! The garage were going to change that, as a bit of a guess, for 1200-odd quid.
Steering rack turned fully right, dust cover popped off and rack re-greased. Tornado axle grease, so should cope ok.
Rear discs removed and shoes deglazed and re-adjusted.
Headlights restored - not perfect as 180k miles have left their mark, but at least now they are chipped clear instead of chipped yellow. :roll:
One issue I couldn't resolve, dammit! The drivers side window will not one touch close despite trying every reset method known to man. There's a permanent code for Anti Jam, which none of the various software I have will clear. I'm inclined to believe it is an issue within the GM5. Chris is happy to live with it for now.
After a five mile test drive on bumpy back roads and up a tramlined section of the A11 the car feels pretty good to me.
No signs of the noise Chris reported when reversing on full lock either.
I tried to book it in with my local ex-Lotus Hunter alignment guru but he is fully booked for weeks and is away on holiday as well.
However, he did say to me that if he had done that much work he would have done a quick check just for safety's sake and sent it away, to come back 100 miles or so later once everything has properly settled in. I did say he's a perfectionist.
In the meantime I have soaked, loosened, retightened and greased every adjustment point I can think of so it should present no problems when Chris gets it done.
So there you have it. A car that was on the cusp of being sold for next to nothing, or facing a £3.5k bill is back in rude health for less than a third of that price.
Another Zed Rescued in Norfolk. 8)
Attleborough, Norfolk
Devon
