The Ford Capri Laser Page

Hi Folks, that's the capri parked up for the Winter so I can start to catch up with the work needing done to keep her in tip top condition. I have noticed that she is lying pretty low at the front and I have a steering wheel shake when turning right.

I have decided it is time to give the struts a good overhaul by replacing the shocks, springs, tca's and track rod ends as well as the top mounts . Any help or advice would be great but my first question is are roller top mounts worth all the extra expense? As I don't have power steering I thought they might make my steering lighter ? Has any of you folks tried them ? Cheers Alex

They will lighten the steering a bit . I got top mounts with a bearing mounted in rubber so you get the benefit of a bearing without the harshness of a solid mount ( got em off Burton's ), I can't get past the fact that when steering the springs get wound up one way and down the other also got the bushed adjustable TCA's, and now that I have figured out how the tension or compression struts work ....get me some of that too.....and the link kit to keep the ARB.

My springs do the same when I turn the steering they also move and they also make a clunking noise . Good shout about the roller strut top bearings being to harsh I had never thought of that , so I will be getting mine from Burton.

The mounts I got are mp167
And the bush kit is mp180
Hot tip, when Burton's refer to large hole and small hole top mounts they are refering to the size of the hole in the inner guard under the bonnet that the mount bolts into ....not the size of the hole in the bearing that the strut fits thru . There are 1/2" and 5/8 struts but I think only the 5/8 applies to Capri ,1/2" is for early drum braked escorts.

Do the roller mounts affect the ride height?

Either 1/4" or about 3/4" depending on how you arrange the spacer kit on the strut.

caprikid61 wrote: ↑Mon Sep 30, 2019 1:23 pm My springs do the same when I turn the steering they also move and they also make a clunking noise

Mine used to do this. I changed the springs for brand new standard height Kilen ones, and it has been perfect since.

pbar wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 6:04 am Mine used to do this. I changed the springs for brand new standard height Kilen ones, and it has been perfect since.

Yes, I was going to say the same, it`s usually because the springs are shorter, O.E. ones locate firmly in the cups. Presumably if the roller mount is a little deeper than what you have now, this may compress the spring more and stop the knocking?

Can't see how it makes a difference what brand of spring you use they still don't rotate with the strut.Cant be a coincidence that anyone twerking or racing escorts and capris fit roller top mounts fairly early in the evolution of the build . Burton supply Gaz inserts that are made to fit strut assy's with springs that lower the ride height by 2". They limit the extended length .

Mc Tool wrote: ↑Tue Oct 01, 2019 10:20 pm Can't see how it makes a difference what brand of spring you use

I think it's more the fact that old springs are weak, compressed and less efficient. Certainly, changing mine to brand new Kilen ones made a big difference.

"Can't see how it makes a difference what brand of spring you use they still don't rotate with the strut."

No, obviously they still twist, but the O.E. length springs locate securely in the seats (as they are still under compression even when suspension is unloaded) so don`t move / make clunking noises. Shorter ones are on the threshold of compression so CAN move in their seats. That`s what we were saying.

Yeah ,springs that are to short for proper fit will move about ,wether they are made short or just sacked out, which is why I mentioned the shorter Gaz shocks....specially designed for shorter springs . I guess too that with roller top mounts springs that are on the threshold of compression would be less likely to cause issues as they are free to rotate with the strut . I. Had lovells rs2000 springs in my escort that were touch and go fitting wise (with Koni 1902 sport inserts ). A short length of 1/2 inch garden hose over each end of the spring sorted it .......but I sure wouldn't count on this working every time