Slightly Weird Bilstein Rears

[Rippthrough 98]

I've just had a mate drop some supposed 205 tarmac Bilstein rears in for a dyno check - he won them on ebay last week for pittance and wants them checked before they go on the car as they look fairly old and abused.

Anyway, I thought they looked rather suspect as they seemed quite long, so I got the measuring tape out and:

 

a ) The closed eye-to-eye length is 10.5"

b ) They're adjustable through a clicker on top of the piston rod.

 

Anyone with one of the old Bilstien catalogues know what they fit? There's a part number stamped on but it's a little hard to make out, I think its BE5-6220-T5.

 

 

Now, that to me is one of the 5100/5200 series, although I didn't think they had adjusters, but I'm pretty sure if they were fitted, the shock would bottom out before it hit the bumpstops - anyone know the closed length of a stock 205/309 shock?

Seem more like they were on a jacked up gravel/forest car to me?

Edited September 4, 2009 by Rippthrough

[jimistdt 1]

I make a compressed std 1.6 damper to be 240mm bolt centre to centre if that helps.

[Rippthrough 98]

Cheers Jim, I thought it was somewhere around that but I haven't got my measurements to hand - thought perhaps I was remembering it as an inch shorter than it was!

 

Certainly don't fit a standard car then.

[welshpug 1,655]

ask Miles for Bilstein info

 

205 uses same length as a 306 damper, the pug ones I have lying about which IIRC were off a late basic 309 are 246mm c-c, and the Black Bilstein BNE1931 (urghhh....) are 240mm

[Rippthrough 98]

ask Miles for Bilstein info

 

205 uses same length as a 306 damper, the pug ones I have lying about which IIRC were off a late basic 309 are 246mm c-c, and the Black Bilstein BNE1931 (urghhh....) are 240mm

 

I've just found my measurements for the foxes out @ 240mm closed, so what these were actually intended for I don't know, they lose you over 2 inches of travel

[welshpug 1,655]

have you checked the bolt hole sizes?

[Rippthrough 98]

12mm and 14.2mm

[welshpug 1,655]

I googled the part number, haven't found a direct match but the closest numbers are from the 5100 and 5125 Series Offroad units.

[Rippthrough 98]

I googled the part number, haven't found a direct match but the closest numbers are from the 5100 and 5125 Series Offroad units.

 

 

They do look like a set of 5125's, must have been some someone's adapted and they've got shifted about with people thinking they were group n billy's or similar then.

[Rippthrough 98]

Aha, the mystery unravels - apparently there's some machined ally brackets that he's got with them that clamp around the damper mount point and the trailing arm, so the shocks extend past the original bolt.

 

Though I was going to have to upset him and tell him they won't fit!

[welshpug 1,655]

sounds a bit like what Colin satchel does