Elmer Fudd Posted January 31, 2022 Report Share Posted January 31, 2022 Hi peeps Just bought a set of Bilstein b4 shocks due to the old ones being a bit knackered, do I need to purchase anything else as a matter of course ie top mounts etc, or should it be good to go? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 31, 2022 Report Share Posted January 31, 2022 (edited) You can do just the shocks, however given the amount of work it is worth doing the top mounts whilst you are in there and there is a good chance the bump stops could be perished too. You could well need to cut one or more of the drop links to get the old struts out, heat is really your best friend in doing this. If they haven't been changed before have a good look at your coffin arms, and on the rear at least you can bet on the camber and toe adjustment bolts being seized into the coffin arm and toe link bushes bushes, so tracking it up after changing the shocks could be a challenge. And then when you've pout it back together if there are still any rattles or knocks, it will likely be the tuning forks.... Guess what I'm saying is that it is unlikely your spend will stop at just 4 shocks. I found a broken front spring in April 2020 and by the time I'd had an MOT ad service both advising coffin arm bushes were perished and the left rear shock was leaking a bit I ended up spending around £1400 on parts alone and the replacement Konis were a bit cheaper than B4s! The car is fantastic now though. Edited January 31, 2022 by ½cwt 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted January 31, 2022 Report Share Posted January 31, 2022 Similar story with mine. Creaks and odd noises and a broken spring forced a suspension refresh and once you’ve committed to replacing a shock, pretty much all the parts around there need doing as they’re either knackered as well (e.g. top mounts) or you damage them getting parts off (e.g. coffin arms). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted January 31, 2022 Report Share Posted January 31, 2022 Here is a list of the parts that I replaced when doing the suspension refresh. Probably didn't need to replace some of the fittings, was just my personal choice. Front:- Control arm (coffin arm) 2 996 341 053 17 Lock nut M 12 X 1,5 (22) 999 084 449 09 Hexagon-head bolt M 12 X 1,5 X 95 (4) 2 900 378 165 01 Lock nut M 12 X 1,5 (5) 2 999 084 445 01 Diagonal arm (tuning fork) 2 996 341 053 07 Hexagon-head bolt M 14 X 1,5 X 110 (7) 2 900 378 329 01 Hexagon-head bolt M 14 X 1,5 X 73 (11) 2 900 378 135 01 Hexagon nut M 14 X 1,5 (12) 2 900 380 012 01 OE Top Mount (3) 2 997 343 018 01 OE Top Mount Bearing (11) 2 996 343 515 05 OE Bump Stop (9) 2 996 343 301 02 OE Steam Washer Suspension (2) 2 996 343 513 00 Koni Special Active Front 2 H&R M030 Lowering Springs Set 1 Hexagon nut M8 6 999 084 447 01 Compensating plate 3,0 MM (5) 2 996 343 511 00 Support ring (4) 2 996 343 517 01 Angular-contact bearing (2) 2 999 053 041 03 Speed sensor - ABS (3) 2 996 606 406 00 Inner track rod (6) 2 996 347 322 03 Outer track rod (8) 2 996 347 131 03 Bellows for Steering gear (2) 2 996 347 191 04 Rear:- Qty. OEM Part No. Koni Special Active Rear 2 Stabiliser mounting (5) Left 1 996 343 069 04 Stabiliser mounting (5) Right 1 996 343 070 04 Diagonal arm (8) tuning fork rear 2 986 331 043 07 Control arm (9) coffin arm 2 996 341 053 17 Track rod Rear (17) 2 996 331 045 12 Eccentric screw M 12 X 105 (12) 2 996 331 217 05 Lock nut M 12 X 1,5 (14), (20) 4 999 084 445 09 eccentric screw M 12 X 83 (18) 2 997 331 217 02 Nut lock 1 986 331 023 00 Stabiliser mounting 18,7 MM (2) 2 996 333 792 24 Powder Coating ARB 1 4 Wheel Alignment @ OPC Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted January 31, 2022 Report Share Posted January 31, 2022 Wow @Sanky that is a most impressive list! It is a fair representation, although as you say some items don't need to be done for suspension only such as steering track rods and various bolts, washers etc can be reused if you don't have to cut them. Plus there are good after market options such as Spyder Performance, Meyle or TRW for various parts. I did a test with my local OPC parts manager for just the suspension with all the arms, shocks, top mounts etc and we stopped when we got to over £3000 and the list was similar to above. I daren't keep that much detail it would scare me. All the receipts get put in the history folder with the fitting date noted on them 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted January 31, 2022 Report Share Posted January 31, 2022 It’s true didn’t need to do some of the bits, but whilst I was in there made sense to. like the front wheel bearings. Did all this in the first lockdown, so wasn’t really doing much else. (Time well spent 🤣) I do like a spreadsheet for seeing what I’m spending and where. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Fudd Posted February 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 Ok, so I've started on the o/s rear, got the camber/toe bolts out bearing nut is off and driveshaft is loose. For the life of me I can't get the coffin arm ball joint to release even with heat and a splitter, which now means I'm gonna have to change the coffin arm cos it's split the boot. Also the pinch bolt on the strut carrier won't come out even though the strut is loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 1 hour ago, Elmer Fudd said: Ok, so I've started on the o/s rear, got the camber/toe bolts out bearing nut is off and driveshaft is loose. For the life of me I can't get the coffin arm ball joint to release even with heat and a splitter, which now means I'm gonna have to change the coffin arm cos it's split the boot. Also the pinch bolt on the strut carrier won't come out even though the strut is loose. Oh the joys of the suspension refresh. A good ball joint splitter works wonders. If the drop links are seized in the strut, you may need to cut the ball joint end off. Then use a 6 sided socket with an impact gun or a breaker bar to work it loose. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 The ball joint will go with wide throat pickle fork type splitter, the lever type ones sometimes need to be wound up seriously tight to get it to pop out. The pinch bolt which connect to the roll bar: cut off the ball of the drop end to fully expose the 17mm hex. Using only a 6 point (to reduce risk of burring off) apply lots of toque with a breaker, this will eventually break the steel/aluminium corrosion. You will not shift it by hitting it alone. Really you need heat on the bolt and a good impact wrench on the 17mm hex end as well as hitting the thread end (leave the nut on to give a better striking face). This set up will get them out in about 15 mins so it still isn't quick. I had to do this on three of mine. You are at least partly lucky that the onboard bolts cane out! I had to cut all 4. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Fudd Posted February 2, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 YAY! Tis off 😁 Took a while and as you said an impact wrench for the drop link pinch bolt, and a deep socket that fitted over the ball. And also, after a couple of hard smacks with a big lump hammer and my splitter the ball joint was defeated. Now the other side 😯 Do the springs compress or are they generally OK? As long as they're not broken. Anyone know of any cheap, but good, coffin arms and drop links for sale? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 Rear springs hardly need any compression and are parallel sided so straight forward. Front springs are conical and much harder to compress. Spyder performance for coffin arms and drop links are cheap from any OEM supplier. Drop links are sided so watch out when ordering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonogt6 Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 On 1/31/2022 at 6:16 PM, Sanky said: Here is a list of the parts that I replaced when doing the suspension refresh. Probably didn't need to replace some of the fittings, was just my personal choice. Front:- Control arm (coffin arm) 2 996 341 053 17 Lock nut M 12 X 1,5 (22) 999 084 449 09 Hexagon-head bolt M 12 X 1,5 X 95 (4) 2 900 378 165 01 Lock nut M 12 X 1,5 (5) 2 999 084 445 01 Diagonal arm (tuning fork) 2 996 341 053 07 Hexagon-head bolt M 14 X 1,5 X 110 (7) 2 900 378 329 01 Hexagon-head bolt M 14 X 1,5 X 73 (11) 2 900 378 135 01 Hexagon nut M 14 X 1,5 (12) 2 900 380 012 01 OE Top Mount (3) 2 997 343 018 01 OE Top Mount Bearing (11) 2 996 343 515 05 OE Bump Stop (9) 2 996 343 301 02 OE Steam Washer Suspension (2) 2 996 343 513 00 Koni Special Active Front 2 H&R M030 Lowering Springs Set 1 Hexagon nut M8 6 999 084 447 01 Compensating plate 3,0 MM (5) 2 996 343 511 00 Support ring (4) 2 996 343 517 01 Angular-contact bearing (2) 2 999 053 041 03 Speed sensor - ABS (3) 2 996 606 406 00 Inner track rod (6) 2 996 347 322 03 Outer track rod (8) 2 996 347 131 03 Bellows for Steering gear (2) 2 996 347 191 04 Rear:- Qty. OEM Part No. Koni Special Active Rear 2 Stabiliser mounting (5) Left 1 996 343 069 04 Stabiliser mounting (5) Right 1 996 343 070 04 Diagonal arm (8) tuning fork rear 2 986 331 043 07 Control arm (9) coffin arm 2 996 341 053 17 Track rod Rear (17) 2 996 331 045 12 Eccentric screw M 12 X 105 (12) 2 996 331 217 05 Lock nut M 12 X 1,5 (14), (20) 4 999 084 445 09 eccentric screw M 12 X 83 (18) 2 997 331 217 02 Nut lock 1 986 331 023 00 Stabiliser mounting 18,7 MM (2) 2 996 333 792 24 Powder Coating ARB 1 4 Wheel Alignment @ OPC Is that all! 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 (edited) +1 on Spyder Performance for the coffin arms. I had to fit new front springs on mine as one was broken. I rebuilt the rear with the original springs, just tidied up some corrosion and peeling paint, finished with Hammerite. I got my aftermarket drop links form Autodoc which if fine if you have 8-10 days to wait, but yes per @BBB they are handed and fit the opposite diagonals of the car, i.e. front left is right rear and front right is left rear. When reassembling use some aluminium based assembly paste to help hold off corrosion for longer in future. Final tip, once it is back together and you get it tracked, make sure you re torque the camber bolts afterwards as it is virtually impossible to get the correct torque applied when doing the tacking up on a ramp. Turned mine 1½ to 2 flats with torque wrench. And don't tighten it all up on full droop, I put my jack under the hub until it took some weight off the axle stand then did all the torques, otherwise you will have the suspension bush rubbers twisted in the rest position and the suspension won't behave properly. Edited February 2, 2022 by ½cwt 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sanky Posted February 2, 2022 Report Share Posted February 2, 2022 Another vote for spyderperformance for the arms Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Fudd Posted February 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 (edited) Erm https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="IlDOAHy"><a href="https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[img]https://i.imgur.com/IlDOAHy.jpg[/img]https://imgur.com/IlDOAHyhttps://imgur.com/IlDOAHy [Imgur](https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy)https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="IlDOAHy"><a href="https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [img]https://i.imgur.com/IlDOAHy.jpg[/img]Can I heat the bracket up and refit the insert? it was very tight. https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy Edited February 3, 2022 by Elmer Fudd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edc Posted February 3, 2022 Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 Aren't you going to need a press to refit that? I would have though if it fit in by hand the suspension would be a bit wobbly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Fudd Posted February 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 17 minutes ago, edc said: Aren't you going to need a press to refit that? I would have though if it fit in by hand the suspension would be a bit wobbly. My neighbour has a press, freeze the insert, heat the bracket and press it back in? Or get a second hand bracket 🤔 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TROOPER88 Posted February 3, 2022 Report Share Posted February 3, 2022 1 hour ago, Elmer Fudd said: Erm https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="IlDOAHy"><a href="https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[img]https://i.imgur.com/IlDOAHy.jpg[/img]https://imgur.com/IlDOAHyhttps://imgur.com/IlDOAHy [Imgur](https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy)https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy <blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="IlDOAHy"><a href="https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy">View post on imgur.com</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script> [img]https://i.imgur.com/IlDOAHy.jpg[/img]Can I heat the bracket up and refit the insert? it was very tight. https://imgur.com/IlDOAHy Very common. A ball joint splitter will pull it off (he type you do the nut up on). And no, you. do not press them in, they are splined and will tap in with a hammer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elmer Fudd Posted February 4, 2022 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2022 The n/s coffin bolt doesn't want to come out, neither does the lower arm bolt, time to bring out the big toys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted February 4, 2022 Report Share Posted February 4, 2022 Make sure you don't damage teh sub frame, cut close to the arms and even a bit into the bush to avoid the rubber taking too much energy out of the blade motion and it will come out. I used a slightly more subtle magnetic induction heater but a propane torch should do it, try to keep the heat to the bolts only. With the recip saw (a cheap mains powered one would have been fine but Makita are good tools) you'll need a good blade for hardened steel like a Bosch Sabre as the bolts will just blunt the standard blades and it wills till take 45-60 seconds or so to cut through. Good Luck. You will soon become a Boxster Grand Master when you have completed the suspension rebuild initiation!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBB Posted February 5, 2022 Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 I didn’t use heat at all as I was worried about damaging things. I just used the recip saw and blades that are recommended above and took my time cutting accurately. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted February 5, 2022 Report Share Posted February 5, 2022 2 hours ago, BBB said: I didn’t use heat at all as I was worried about damaging things. I just used the recip saw and blades that are recommended above and took my time cutting accurately. To be fair, heat is more for the droplink bolt. Just cut the coffin arm and toe link bolts. Loosen off and remove the nut and eccentric washer to give best access for cutting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted February 9, 2022 Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 Just found this handy torque diagram on another forum so I nicked it: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
½cwt Posted February 9, 2022 Report Share Posted February 9, 2022 @Elmer FuddPM me with you email address if you want them is a data sheet format including the fixings on the uprights, dampers and top mounts not shown above. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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