Recognize this shock insert?

[monkeyodeath]

Does anyone recognize the gland nut on this rear shock? It's from my S3. The suspension age and provenance is entirely unknown to me.

I'm asking because I currently don't have the proper tools to remove the nut/insert from the strut housing cleanly, and I'm trying to decide whether the strut insert is worth saving (i.e., trying to find the correct tool for removal) -- or whether it's ancient and most likely worth replacing anyhow (in which case I will make judicious use of a vise and pipe wrench).

[smo17003]

Hook Wrench or C Spanner should do the job.

Mike

[2cams70]

Looks like an original virgin strut to me. If it is, not leaking and working well it's best to leave it well alone unless you are of the opinion that other people are better than Colin Chapman at suspension calibration.

If original but worn it can be rebuilt by specialists. Please don't butcher that gland nut by using a hammer and screwdriver or pipe wrench on it. If you must remove it purchase a proper gland nut removal tool. If it really does need repair however and you aren't going racing and therefore needing a change in suspension set up it's best to send the whole thing away to a specialist and have the originals repaired rather than throwing away all the original internals and replacing them with an insert (Please quiz the specialist beforehand to ensure they actually are a specialist and that their plan of action is not just to throw away the original internals and replace them with an insert)

The strut appears to be based on an Anglia 105E strut. If so probably some hard parts such as the gland nuts are interchangeable. Valving however probably won't be as it will have been tuned originally to suit the characteristics of the Elan.

[monkeyodeath]

I am attempting to remove it because I need to remove the strut housing from the bearing retainer and re-press it into a new one (bearing retainer that is). I was under the impression that it was best to remove the strut internals before tackling this job due to the heat required but I could very well be incorrect.

As far as leaking, I noticed a bit of oil had leaked from the strut when I had it tipped on its side in my workbench but it did not appear to have been leaking when installed.

I'm not very familiar with non-gas filled struts -- is it possible for me to remove the gland nut, replace and re-fill the oil, then re-assemble (given that some amount has now leaked out)?

[h20hamelan]

Might as well source a good rebuilding service.
Your location has some of the best in the business.

[h20hamelan]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-hTNOg2weRE

[wdb]

If the correct spanner proves hard to find, I wonder if a generic one might work? Bicycle bottom brackets use similar nuts, and Park Tools makes generic spanners such as the HCW-5.

https://www.parktool.com/en-int/product ... ench-hcw-5

[JonB]

Are these shock absorber retainers available new? Mine are chewed up.

[512BB]

Josh, Unless you can find the exact tool that was used in period for those particular collars, you are wasting your time. The correct tool, I am sure, engauged in all 4 indents, and they are not very deep.

Carefully hold the top of the collar in a decent vice with say, aluminium jaws or similar, do it up tight with the strut and ali housing vertical, then twist the ali housing in the CORRECT direction and the collars will come undone.

Your struts are VERY early, and if I am not mistaken, do not have ISSUE 18 or even ISSUE 16 cast into them. Your struts pre date those housings, and hence you have the tapping hole in the strut to fill the strut up with oil. However, I would be very surprised if you still had the first type of insert still fitted to the tube, with all sorts of valves in the bottom of the insert. These were no doubt superceeded with a sealed insert because the cost of making them would have been far cheaper than the earlier inserts.

I am not sure that I would go to the trouble of having them rebuilt unless your car is of historical importance and very original throughout.

All struts are filled with oil to help with heat dissipation when the insert gets hot in operation, and will also stop the insides of the tube from rusting due to condensation if the tubes were not filled with oil. Oil will leak out of the top of the tube if it is moved much away from the vertical as it is vented for expansion.

Leslie

[monkeyodeath]

Managed to get the gland nut off without mangling it very bad, and voila -- as Leslie predicted, the strut inserts appear to be newer than the housings themselves.

Do these look like Konis? Armstrongs? Worth keeping around?

I can't find any logo or mark of provenance on the strut insert.

[2cams70]

The original innards appear to have been replaced at some stage. If they are not marked they probably aren't a quality product. Original Armstrong struts through the 60's and 70's never used inserts always separate components as far as I'm aware.

[512BB]

They look like Koni to me. Result. I have never come across a worn out one yet. I will post a picture of the instructions and you can then determine if if they are adjustable and indeed Koni. Konis are always marked with their reference number.

Leslie

[2cams70]

Doubt they are Konis - Konis are always labelled as well as stamped with identification at the bottom and aren't stepped at the top as these ones are.

[monkeyodeath]

The only markings I can make out on the shock is:

MADE IN ENGLAND

and then below it

4 D 30

[512BB]

'Original Armstrong struts through the 60's and 70's never used inserts always separate components as far as I'm aware'

That is not correct as far as the Lotus Elan rear strut and housing assembly is concerned. After the original and expensive insert that was first used in S1 and S2 Elans that I pictured above, Lotus then went on to use an insert made by Armstrong, which was non adjustable and not rebuildable. They were finished in both black and a dark red, but I am not sure if the difference in colour meant anything. I have both colours here and cannot detect any difference in operation. I do not know who made the very early inserts as there is no makers stamp on them.

Then along came Koni and offered their insert as an aftermarket part, which was far superior to the Armstrong insert, being fully adjustable for damping rate and last forever. They were never fitted by Lotus in road cars.

Having looked at the pictures that Josh posted of his inserts, I originallly thought that they were Koni, but I have changed my mind. They look exactly like the orange colour that Koni use, and that fooled me for a nanosecond

I have also checked my stock of Koni inserts and they are not the same. Koni are stamped Koni, have their reference number for that particular insert and a date stamped into the body, together with various other reference numbers. Very early Koni inserts did not have any stickers on them, then they put the triangle sticker with a picture of a damper on them, and then they went to an altogether glitzier sticker, calling it their Koni Classic.

If there is, shall we say, considerable resistance when pulling and pushing the damper rod in and out of the body of the the damper Josh, when the whole damper is in the vertical position, the units are probably in good order and will go again. But if there is minimal resistance when pulling and pushing the rod, or the top rubber seal leaks fluid when the damper is on its side, then you will have to replace.

Its very warm in here, must take off my anorac

Good luck.

Leslie