Oh, definitely.

Don't ask me to commit to WHICH summer, though.

Remember those battered spring cans?



Well, they now look like this...



...and this is what happens when they get that battered...


AKS400 sliders are, of course, bigger than 2cv sliders. And, of course, are the only bits which you can't get from that nice parts supplier.

Just as well these were being done by Louis Barbour, on one of his trips back to the UK, and that he happened to have a BRAND SPANKIN' NEW one to hand, eh? <phew>

If you're thinking of doing the same, it's worth checking the length - the old spring cans were 505mm long, the new ones 520mm... I'm presuming that solid-mounted cans (Ami, Acad) are longer?

The old chassis departed for pastures new today. It's going to be measured and drawn up properly, so that the differences between AK & "normal" can be ascertained for 4x4 purposes - then it may well be repaired and reused.

Adrian,
all of the large diameter cans I've got here are 505/510 mm long, regardless of whether they're fixed or floating type.

The only difference seems to be that the bronze bushing is absent in the end caps of the fixed type.

ken

<fx: buys Uncle Roy a new tape measure>

Anybody know of a source for the tierod gaiters in the larger, van/Ami, size?



There was a French supplier that somebody PMd me a while back, far from cheap, so I didn't order 'em at the time thinking I'd find another source. They don't seem to list 'em any more...

Nice day today, so working from home saw a second coat of paint on the back suspension, the recanned cans cleaned up, seam-sealed, and first coated, and the front suspension dismantled.

It's really not easy manhandling the front axle back onto the chassis, with no track-rod ends in place (they're 200+ miles away, having a little beer break) but the batteurs still on. Like wrestling an octopus.

So - on there, batteurs off, arms off, and ready to clean up and paint. Easy? No. Ryo already found the joys of batteuring 'em into submission - and these were no easier. They came eventually. The lower stud is easy enough, but the larger taper on the uppers really does grab 'em into place.

Once they had taken the hint, off with the suspension arms. As with the rears, the outer bearings made a leap for freedom eventually - except one decided to let the little rollers free, too. Bum. Still, they look even more unmarked than the rears, so they'll clean up, reassemble, and go back in.

Question... Steering rack... Do I really want to dive in there? At all? I don't want to touch the pinion. It's too low mileage, and too smooth to do so. But it'd be nice to take the front guide off to help clean & paint properly. Also, the squidgy rubbery thingy between the two trackrods is a bit second-hand looking. So... Dare I?

poke, furtle, snap, bugger!

In one of my more sober moments i seem to remember you asking about what the 'rat-look' guys used to seal their paintwork whilst preserving the patina...

This is the stuff a fair few of them use:

http://www.busnbug.com/sb_clients/busnb ... 9549070172

Alternatively, a clear Matt Laquer seems to be a popular choice too:

Yeh, I vaguely remember that, too...

Cheers, mate.