Classic Alfa Forums

Since getting the GT I've always thought it looked a bit lower at the drivers side rear than the passenger side, thinking it probably had a weak spring or half a coil gone I kept meaning to have a look but never did make the time...

Tuesday morning on the way to work there was a clonk as I crested a humpback bridge, followed by big smoke in the mirrors

Pulled over expecting to see a broken spring after all this time of neglect. What I found though was a bit more alarming.

The bottom spring pan had completed rotted away from the strut!
Only the bracket that the anti-roll bar link mounts to stopped it causing real mayhem. The blue line shows where it should sit...

Once taken off tonight the corrosion was shocking, it must have been holding on by a thread all this time, only a very small section was clean showing it had been rusted for some time, hence the leaning to one side....
New one fitted, now sitting higher than the tyre!

As the shocks were original thus the same age I wanted to change the pair despite the passenger one looking fine..

When I got it off and stripped down though the rust had started to get into that one too, cracks and rusty strips around a 1/3 of it too!
Glad I did them both, although looking under the car it looks like I'll be welding some sills on soon too....

This ignoring of the potential problem though has cost me a decent Goodyear tyre, the spring pan grinding a groove in the sidewall
So as the title says, DON'T IGNORE THE SIGNS

Sorry kev
I thought I warned you about that I welded up mine A couple of years ago. Both let go. ,But landed on the tire. Not the wall. Still going strong. Fingers crossed

[quote="KevJTD"] as I crested a humpback bridge, followed by big smoke in the mirrors


How big was that bridge Kev?

https://youtu.be/IHihGPyxe10


Joking apart Kev, scary stuff. This is what must have scrapped so many 156, 147 and GT's as many just would not bother to replace them now on an older car.
Glad to hear you have her back up and running.

not quite that high mate

thing that hurts the most is the expense