The Webmaster Zone

Did some more work on the car today while the weather lasts. There was a "clonk" coming from the rear right-hand (passenger) side which I assumed was due to the new leaf spring pads "settling in" and consequently the nuts on the U-bolts simply needing to be tightened. However, on inspection the pads appeared to already be cracking, and I had heard good things about the additional positive location of the rear axle by the Prothane (urethane) bushings, so I installed them instead. Getting the old nuts off was easy because I had giving the exposed threads of the U-bolt a good wiping of grease when I had assembled it to prevent rusting. Test drive results: It might be my imagination but it seems like the car feels like it is sticking to the road better when going over rough spots, and also on high rpm take-offs the wheels don't hop as much. But, I think most of the clunking was my tire irons in the trunk. I'm clearing out the boot to dry it off and wire brush some of the rust out so I'll take it for a test drive tomorrow and find out if it's really gone for good. I also took a look at two other things, first why the new handbrake wasn't braking very well. Turns out I strung one of the wires around the wrong way, but that wasn't the reason. I reset the brake adjusters and that did the trick - it seems the new brake shoes wear down fairly quickly when you first put them in. Then I took a look at the mounting flange on my rims - apparently there is a local shop that will machine a small amount of material off to increase the offset (place the rim into the wheel well further). It is very thick so I think it will be OK but of course I'll consult a professional before proceeding.