note: I understand if you don't want to read through this... I'm not going to do so myself. But, there is a real question about springs at the end that if you could just skip down to and help me out with, I'd sure appreciate it. Thanks so much!

Man I hate it when things don't go like they should...

plan for the day.. simple enough. Replace broken rear rear brake line. Don't ask about that. While in there, replace rear shocks, and put in overload springs. All used parts but in good shape.

man..

start with brake line. Tried to get one off a donor car. Couldn't get it off the caliper, so I took the caliper with line attached. Figured I could easily get that line off when I got it to the workbench. Nope. successfully rounded off that 11mm fitting completely.

plan two... a second donor car. Got that brake line off fine. Back in business... as if. Go to put it on (after re-securing the car on jack stands.. it having fallen off the first time, thrashing the spare tire well on my yet to be placed jack stand), but realize the bleed valve on my caliper is broken (same incident as the brake line.. don't ask). Not a biggie, says I. Off with the caliper, in with the easy out. Easy out breaks off in the bleeder. Grrr....

So, back to that caliper I happened to have in front of me... you know. The one with the permanently stuck and rounded off 11mm brake line fitting still attached. Well, thinks I.. I've got the other brake line, so I don't need this attached one that's already wrecked with the rounded off 11mm fitting. So, I break the line off, hammer a 12 point 9mm socket over the rounded fitting, and off it comes. No problem. Back in business. From there, the brake line project went pretty much smooth as silk, and I guess I shoulda just left well enough alone and put the tires back on.

But no.. not me.

So I start in on the shocks and springs. Simple stuff... for someone that's done it perhaps. I'm not that someone. Never done shocks or springs on a 240. Woulda been straight forward I suppose were I not already really frustrated... but I went ahead. Realized late that the sway bar on one side was hung on the exhaust, not allowing the spring to fully decompress and be removed. Then, after pulling the exhaust hangers in back, remembered that there is indeed a sway bar back there... hence, gotta undo both sides... *sigh*

So, I did get the springs and shocks out. Then realized that the replacement shocks I got were not the right ones. Wrong lower mount. So.. back to the donor car for it's set of KYBs.

Then theres the springs....I've had this set of overload springs waiting. Now that the old springs are sitting next to my new/used overloads, it's pretty obvious the overload springs are shorter by a couple inches. They are obviously stiffer, so I guess shorter is to be expected to retain near stock ride height... but could someone please confirm that for me?

In the end, I'm just glad neither of the donor cars, or mine fell on me... so it was a good day. Sorry to vent... I'm ready for a drink.. back to it another day.



--
-Matt I ♥ my ♂