Suspension & Interior!
August 2017
I had a great time in Monterey last week. It's always such an amazing week, with wonderful events and many rare automotive sights. I don't think I'd ever seen a Koenigsegg before, and while waiting at a light five drove past me! I heard there was a Chiron there, but I didn't see it.
The Urraco didn't make it this year. The story starts about two months ago when I drove over a speed bump in a parking lot and the back of the car just bounced up and down for a while. "That can't be right" I thought. I'd better check out the shocks.
Warning: If you have an old, rare car that you want to take to Monterey, don't start to "fix" it two months before the event, no matter how easy you think it might be. Pulling the rear strut out of the car was amazingly simple. Only five nuts hold it in. Dismantling it wasn't hard - if you have spring compressors (which I do). Finding the oil seal wasn't... oh, wait... yes it was.
Here is a rear strut assembly:
Inside the strut is the shock absorber:
And this seal is at the top. I need four of these.
I can't find the seal, and am considering options. Fortunately, Debbie from Debbie Motors says she is able to rebuild them. One-by-one I pulled out the struts, so the car is up on jack stands now.
Here is a front one. You can see the boot is torn. They all are. And there is no bumper. I assume they are supposed to have them, so I'll look into that too.
Fortunately the top mounts (all identical) seem to be in good condition. I'll have them checked out to be sure.
Since the car is out of commission for a while, I decided to get the interior redone. The seats have been tatty since I bought the car, and it's finally time to bring them up to the level of the rest of the car. The driver's seat is very worn out. The passenger seat hasn't has as much wear.
I'm sticking with the original color and fabric to keep the original look. These, and other interior parts, have been at the upholstery shop for a month now. The new leather and brown velour have arrived. I expect to see progress soon. Watch this space!
