Gaz Gold Coil Overs With Compbrake Mounts

[VisaGTi16v 1]

Hi

 

I bought a pair of Gaz Gold front shocks in the group buy and ticked the for use with eccentric top mount box. I couldnt afford the top mounts at the time so I just got the shocks then bought a pair of Compbrake eccentric top mounts which arrived today. I just want to confirm that I have the bits in the right order before I put them on the car!

 

This is the top of the strut for starters. 1 = this is as far as the top hat will slide down to. 2 = 19.82mm thick. 3 = as far as the bottom top mount bush will slide down

 

 

This photo shows the top hat slid down as far as it will go up to point 1 in the first photo and the bush that came with the top mounts slid down as far as it will go. This bush and the nut for the top have a 20mm diameter on their face where they would slide into the RJ itself which is also 20mm give or take a 0.01mm! but would be a perfect snug fit

 

 

Option 1: So I presume this is how I fit them, use the bush, eccentric top mount sits on that and the top hat is held up against the bush by the spring. It doesnt sit on that lip as shown in the first photo, line 1 , ie

 

 

Option 2: The only other way I can see it works is if I didnt use that copper bush and just slid the top mount down against the top hat, this also seems to work but being a 20mm hole in the rose joint and the shaft is only 19.82mm then surely it will have a little slack and this cant be right? ie

 

 

So its Option 1 or is something horribly wrong? I realise I am probably being stupid but would rather be sure!

 

cheers

 

Darren

Edited June 13, 2008 by VisaGTi16v

[Jrod 7]

The spacer should be there. Not sure how much thread you have sticking out but the top nut should sit inside the actual top mount, like a top hat but upside down and threaded.

[VisaGTi16v 1]

Hi thanks for your reply. Ok so with the spacer underneath, the strut top is pretty much inline with the top of the RJ. The top nut is threaded all the way through including its sleeve bit. The sleeve is ~8mm so thats all the thread that will be holding it on as then the nut part of it obviously goes up against the RJ itself. The nut section is about 13mm high so I was thinking as a precaution, I can get the engineering lot at my work to turn it down a bit more so the sleeve is about 13mm high (and therefore that much thread being used on the strut) leaving the nut section about 8mm which should be plenty for getting tools on. Sound ok?

 

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

please continue with taking pics of all the next steps so we can make it into a fitting guide/article .

[Jrod 7]

To be honest mine looked like yours and I just put the nut on it like it was and never had problems.

[tom_m 0]

the brass spacer is needed for the PTS setup, but whether gaz designed their kit to use the spacer i'd ask them.

 

with a step machined in the damper rod i'd just be sitting the bearing on it. that much slack between the top spring pan and bearing is definitely wrong

Edited June 14, 2008 by tom_m

[VisaGTi16v 1]

Hmm I see what you are saying. With the bearing sat down on the top spring pan as you say, it looks like the top nut will just about nip up tight on the top of the RJ before its sleeve touches the step (No.2 in top photo). Without the spacer the movement is obviously restricted a bit but its probably enough. Time to contact Gaz as you suggest. I cant see any reason for them making a step in the end of the damper if they didnt want the spring pan sat on it....

 

Without the bottom spacer though, it means a bit more load on the top nut sleeve. Should be fine though as theres not much sideways load on that sleeve as the lower arm holds it.

Edited June 14, 2008 by VisaGTi16v

[jackherer 543]

I needed different nuts for using Compbrake top mounts on Leda dampers, Compbrake knew what was needed and machined them up and posted them quickly.

[cybernck 402 1 Cars]

it must be a straight fit with GAZ's own eccentric top mounts i guess .

[VisaGTi16v 1]

Going to speak to compbrake and gaz and will post as soon as I know so theres a definitive answer

[VisaGTi16v 1]

Just had compbrake on the phone, nice out of hours service, I only emailed them about 2 hours ago heh! Basically I had it right in my first photo, their lower spacer sits down on point 3 in my top photo, top mount on top, it doesnt matter that the top spring pan doesnt sit down on its lower lip, the spring will hold it up against the spacer. He was unsure why that lip was there but thinking about it, its probably to stop the spring pan coming too far down the shock if the wheel lifted off the ground and you were running really short springs so it all dropped down if not preloaded right on full shock extension. I think I will still get my work to mill down that top nut slightly. I will upload some more photos when assembled.

[Guest rs-tone]

Just had compbrake on the phone, nice out of hours service, I only emailed them about 2 hours ago heh! Basically I had it right in my first photo, their lower spacer sits down on point 3 in my top photo, top mount on top, it doesnt matter that the top spring pan doesnt sit down on its lower lip, the spring will hold it up against the spacer. He was unsure why that lip was there but thinking about it, its probably to stop the spring pan coming too far down the shock if the wheel lifted off the ground and you were running really short springs so it all dropped down if not preloaded right on full shock extension. I think I will still get my work to mill down that top nut slightly. I will upload some more photos when assembled.

 

Just turn down the top nut a little.

 

It would work fine as it is but for security a few more threads wont harm it.

 

If you need more help just ask/email again.

 

Cheers

 

Tony

[VisaGTi16v 1]

Yer got the work lot doing it. As you say probably ok but no harm doing it a bit more

 

cheers for your help and your colleage ringing me, Brent I think his name was? The top mounts are very nice, shame they are half hidden heh

 

Darren

[mickie 3]

im in the same boat, if you dont mind me asking how much did you pay for the top mount and top cap ?

[VisaGTi16v 1]

These are assembled now, just need to fit them. The top mounts are £39+vat each from compbrake. Like with any eccentric top mount, you need to have a long enough thread on the strut, Gaz etc you have to specify when you buy them to have a longer thread.

[boombang 2]

Here are the bits I have for this set:

 

 

 

How I believe the setup is designed to work:

 

 

Where top of thread sits with lower top hat in:

 

 

Assembled:

 

 

How far down the top of thread sits in top nut:

 

 

The top nut, shows just how little of the thread is engaged - realistically only the thin part:

 

 

Alternative setup which I believe is wrong but somehow makes more sense - the inner bearing sits as sleeve down onto the bronze washer onto the top spring pan. Top nut then sits inside and locks it down.

This however does mean that the top nut is fully threaded, and can mark for visibility:

 

 

Assembled:

 

 

 

 

My issues with the top setup is that not much top nut thread is engaged, you cannot mark or view the thread vs top nut so cannot see if coming undone.

 

The lower setup still means bearing is sleeved and locked, plus thread protrudes.

 

I know I've basically written the same as before, but the below is rather interesting:

 

 

When this kit first arrived, it came with an incorrect set of topmounts. With these on, the end of the thread came to the top of the top nut - so could have been marked and was fully engaged.

 

Curious thing is simply that the 205 topmount bearings seem to be thicker and won't work in the same configuration.

Edited December 13, 2008 by boombang

[VisaGTi16v 1]

From about 18 conversations with them, how you have it in the first one is right so im told. I didnt get that single washer bit with mine so no idea where thats come from. I got my engineering sister company to turn down the top nut so I get about 10mm of thread in it which is sufficient.

 

It doesnt surprise me that it was sent wrong, I had that with my rj lower arms from them and my top mounts. They were missing these thin circlips that hold the bearing in and without them there was a clunk. I then got them to send me some after they agreed they had been assembled wrong. The ones that were sent were too thick....I gave up with compbrake at that point and will never buy from them again. I had my work mill out the top mounts about 0.2mm so that the supplied clips would fit

[boombang 2]

Might nip down to Gaz this week with them and see what they say, off work Monday so should get a chance. Just can't work out how the setup was fine on the other topmounts. I'll also give Neal @ DES a bell, as he has a set of the Gaz bits on another set of topmounts which are on Martin Wick's car. Will also point Martin this way and see if he has any pics.

 

The Gaz mounts look very much like Compbrake ones, which might explain why mine look to be same as yours.

[midnight motorsport 0]

Here are the bits I have for this set:

 

 

 

How I believe the setup is designed to work:

 

 

Where top of thread sits with lower top hat in:

 

 

Assembled:

 

 

How far down the top of thread sits in top nut:

 

 

The top nut, shows just how little of the thread is engaged - realistically only the thin part:

 

 

Alternative setup which I believe is wrong but somehow makes more sense - the inner bearing sits as sleeve down onto the bronze washer onto the top spring pan. Top nut then sits inside and locks it down.

This however does mean that the top nut is fully threaded, and can mark for visibility:

 

 

Assembled:

 

 

 

 

My issues with the top setup is that not much top nut thread is engaged, you cannot mark or view the thread vs top nut so cannot see if coming undone.

 

The lower setup still means bearing is sleeved and locked, plus thread protrudes.

 

I know I've basically written the same as before, but the below is rather interesting:

 

 

When this kit first arrived, it came with an incorrect set of topmounts. With these on, the end of the thread came to the top of the top nut - so could have been marked and was fully engaged.

 

Curious thing is simply that the 205 topmount bearings seem to be thicker and won't work in the same configuration.

 

looking at your photos, the ones without the top hat spacer at the bottom, and just the shim between the spring platform and top mount,(the last photos) is the correct fitment for this set up,

i agree that there is not enough thread in the top nut, in the first photos, i would never run any of our race cars like that, and if the top mount spacers were incorrect,( ie missmatched parts) i would machine them, or make new ones, so that the thread was level with the top of the nut, at least.

sorry to go on a bit, but just trying to get the point accross, the last photos look 100% correct to me

and if a car came in with top mounts like in the first pics, i would def be removing them and fixing the prob!!!

 

hope this helps, cheers

Edited December 13, 2008 by midnight motorsport

[SPGTi 2]

Might nip down to Gaz this week with them and see what they say, off work Monday so should get a chance. Just can't work out how the setup was fine on the other topmounts. I'll also give Neal @ DES a bell, as he has a set of the Gaz bits on another set of topmounts which are on Martin Wick's car. Will also point Martin this way and see if he has any pics.

 

The Gaz mounts look very much like Compbrake ones, which might explain why mine look to be same as yours.

 

 

PM Stew205 before you spend any money

 

On the subject of Compbrake, I don't know how a company can sell items for a specific setup and then the technical advice is "get them machined so they fit properly". Rs tone, I await your comments.

 

ex compbrake customer

 

Steve