Adjusting the front Konis

[Olli]

Guys,

I need to increase my front ride height. It settled 3/4" overnight. What is the trick to turning the adjusting collar? The threaded sleeve keeps turning with it. I tried to hold the sleeve with my hand but that proved not to work. Yes, I jacked the chassis up to take the weight off of the spring. But it seems as if the collar can't overcome the force of the compressed spring which is acting upon it. There really isn't a lot of room to use a coilover wrench at the front of the HR. Any suggestions?

Olli

[tcoon]

Be sure the Allen screw locking the collar is loosened. Jack up the car to get the weight off the springs. Hold the sleeve with one hand and turn the collar with the other. Ride height should be very close with the sleeve and collar bottomed out in the spring. Final adjustment a few turns from there. You should not need a spring compressor or anything.

[1fastsedan]

Spanner wrenches. Did you put the shocks in "upside down" with adjuster at the top? Is the chassis up with the wheel fully hanging?

[Olli]

Wheel in the air, allen set screw out. Initial install with the adjusting collar tight to the spring did yield good ride height, but it settled 3/4" so I need a few more turns of the collar. The sleeve just turns with the collar.

Olli

[65 Cobra Dude]

Olli,

I use a strap wrench to hold the collar. Any autoparts store carries them and they are pretty cheap. It's basically an adjustable flexible strap that pinches in the handle and holds the collar.

Henry

[Olli]

Henry, I actually gave a strap wrench a quick try. I couldn't get it in that tight area very well. I will give it a go again but this time I will get my overflow tank out of the way for a little extra room.

Olli

[ehansen007]

Something sure isn't right. Those collar/adjusters should slide very easily when the car is jacked up with no pressure on them. Double check the set screw and see if it's binding or if it's rubbing on something.

[Tim Whittaker]

A little lubrication between the spring and the adjuster and on the threads is what it took on my last Cobra build. Breeze actually sells a washer bearing for smoother spring operation and it woks well too.

[Olli]

Well Tim, we are on the same page. I ordered the washer bearings and some Loctite wicking compound from Breeze Monday morning. I should have them tomorrow.

Olli

[Tim Whittaker]

For those not familiar with these bearings, not only do they make adjustment easier but when you think about it, every time the spring moves from compression to rebound, the spring wants to "wind up " or "unwind" as a natural tendency. The bearings allow it do do so without restriction. It's basically a needle bearing thrust washer.

[CHOTIS BILL]

I put some bearings under the springs on my race car and you could see the difference on the data and I had to increase the compression damping in the shocks.

Bill Lomenick

[Olli]

The thrust washers from Breeze and some anti-seize made a night and day difference in making the adjustments.

Olli

[Cfehrenb]

Resurrecting an old thread. It doesn't seem that Breeze carries these thrust washers any longer (from the searches I conducted). Any other suggestions on where I find washer bearings for smoother adjusting of the Konis?
Craig F

[Jeff Kleiner]

Craig,
No need...just raise the car so that there is no spring pressure on the adjuster rings.

Jeff