And it's a completely different car....it even goes around corners now and you don't feel like you're playing the lottery as to if you'll make it out the other side. I have to say that after riding on the same shock absorbers since it was bought in 1997-98 they proved just a tad difficult to remove, and I am aching in places I never thought I had muscles....my back feels like I've been rolling around on marbles all night...... all I can say is whoever invented WD40 and hammers .....Thank you !!! to say they needed replacing is an understatement, the rear shock absorbers could be held up and they would slowly slide to their full extent and if you tipped them up the other way they would full contract in about 20 seconds, slack to say the least, That said it only took me 3 1/2 hours to replace all four shock absorbers..... but today I am taking on the anti roll bar, theoretically it's fairly simple it's only two connectors bolted onto an iron bar with some bushings which sits between and in front of the front wheels between each axle....However this is a two and a half ton jeep we are talking about not a Nissan Micra and the anti roll bar is made of steel and is as thick as my wrist..... I am bruised to hell from the battering I gave the front and rear suspension yesterday (it's not often you bruise your palms and have spanner rash all over your knuckles is it ?) so I'm going to dose up on painkillers wait for them to kick in then "once more into the breach my friends" I'll come back in the house looking like a black and white minstrel again, but it isn't going to beat me, I'm just glad I have a fully kitted out garage complete with a full length inspection pit right next to the house.....because it's hammering down outside :)Anti roll bar is done too !!! :)
Well it's 4:00pm and the anti roll bar is properly installed instead of clattering around on one side, it turns out the garage that did it a few months ago had forgotten to fit a washer under one of the bushings which caused the nut to work it's way up through the rubber bushing destroying it and the one above it, they have been fitted properly now with new connectors and bushings and I took it for a test drive and it sticks to the road, I must say gas shock absorbers give a much better ride than hydraulic ones even 10 year old ones ;¬)
I did manage to drop one side of the anti-roll bar on my head, it's ok though the roll bar wasn't damaged in the slightest but it bloody hurt !!!! other than that it went pretty much like clockwork, it makes one hell of a difference working in an enclosed garage with a full size inspection pit, it would have taken me a lot longer and I would have been incredibly wet by the finish without it.....plus it's nice and draught free it almost makes me want to throw the towel in on IT consultancy and take up car mechanics........NOT.....I'm sending Andrea out in it to St Clears to get a bottle of wine and I'm going to soak myself to near death in a hot bath before every muscle I possess seizes up through over use........file servers and computers are much easier to fix ........I'll never complain again about them.....I promise..... despite all that it has saved me a fortune in car repairs considering Nissan in Crosshands were going to charge me £87 EACH side plus £75 an hour labour + VAT that would have been £500 to start with, not including the anti roll bar so easily £500 - £600 whereas it cost me £179 from Milners off road and a bit of my time and elbow grease and several torn muscles....worth it ? .... I think so :~)
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