Project Black Dog Part 1b: H&R Cup Kit suspension installation
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With the Sir Tools spring compressor, the strut came apart easily, and the bump stop and upper spring seat and body mount were transferred to the Cup Kit strut. The instructions are very explicit that air or power tools should never be used with the compressor. As well, I find a little grease on the threaded shaft is a big help. Just be sure to store it where the grease won't attract dust and grit. I like wearing Mechanix Wear gloves when doing work like this to protect against skinned knuckles and keep the dirt out from under my fingernails.After reassembling the strut and tightening the nut, I found the upper body mount had play in it, just enough to make an irritating clunk. With the Volkswagen's generous rubber, it may not have been a problem, but I wasn't about to find out the hard way. The bearings in this car's body mounts were worn, and there was only one thing to do. Eurosport Accessories had Mk3 VR6 mounts in stock, so I upgraded. Besides being new and unworn, they use a stiffer rubber that will slightly sharpen the steering and improve the dampers' control of suspension movements. The mounts are packaged with a zip-tie holding all the separate pieces in the correct sequence and orientation. It's not obvious what that is once you've separated them; leave the second mount as it comes so you can refer to it. Conveniently for the future, the VR6 mounts use a conventional hex nut instead of the slotted round one.Reinstalling, I discovered that my Harbor Freight wrench set didn't include a 21mm, which was required by the new VR6 nut, as well as the new self-locking nut supplied by H&R for the upper mount. I was forced to use the time-honored but non-ideal method: an impact wrench. The camber-adjustment slots in the H&R Cup Kit struts exactly matched those in the stock struts. I put the knuckle somewhere in the middle of the slop, installed the stock wheels on the front and instructed the owner to get an alignment ASAP, warning him that his steering would probably feel funky until he did.When both sides are done, don't forget to reconnect the anti-roll bar end links. We'll be upgrading the front bar and adding a rear one later, so we left these stock for now, but replacing the rubber cushions with polyurethane should make the bar more effective. View Related Article
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