[Guide] Adjusting B14 Ride Height With H&R ARBs

[andys]

Breaking this out into a separate thread as I was polluting other non/vaguely related threads, and with thanks to @foggy3061 and @Grim Reaper for their contributions on thse threads.
The gist of it is that I can only get access to one side at a time at the back due to being in a garage, and the ARB stops the hub dropping low enough to free the spring. Jacking up on the drive isn't an option as it's gravel and will sink.

So home from work tonight and straight out before eating, and immediate success! Following @foggy3061 's suggestion I parked the van on the drive and undid the 2 bolts that clamp the ARB to the wishbone underneath each side. The ARB then simply drops down out of the way. So then I wedged it back up while I reversed the van into the garage where I could jack one rear corner up and remove the wheel. Folded the ARB back down and placed a second jack below the hub while I removed the lower shock bolt. Once the shock was detached I lowered the hub down and to my surprise and joy the spring just fell out and rolled under the van. Way easier than I thought

The only tiny downside is that as it fell out quicker than I expected, I'm not sure which way up the adjuster goes. These two pictures show both ends so does the wider metal bit go at the top, or the narrower end with the plastic hood?

 

[foggy3061]

Excellent work!

It assembles like this:



From top to bottom:

Rubber isolator
Threaded boss
Adjuster ring
Adjuster ring
Nylon isolator
Spring
Lower spring seat

 

[andys]

Excellent work!

It assembles like this:

View attachment 42303

From top to bottom:

Rubber isolator
Threaded boss
Adjuster ring
Adjuster ring
Nylon isolator
Spring
Lower spring seat

Excellent thanks, just what I needed
I'm knocking it on the head for tonight as I'm hungry, but hopefully get all the back finished tomorrow night as it's all work now with no thinking so should be able to crack through. I doubt I'll get the ride height right first time though so I may well be doing this a couple of times. I'll be an expert by the time I've finished and be able to offer up my services

 

[andys]

Cracked on with this as soon as I got back, and soon had the left side done and the other side very quickly after I turned the van round. In the end it only needed two attempts to set the rear at the same 380mm from wheel centre to wheeelarch as the front, though for some reason it still looks higher at the back
I'll drive it for while and see how it goes, but there's plenty of room to go lower if needs be. Rather than count the number of turns, I decided it was more accurste to measure the thread distance on the adjusters. There was 33mm of thread showing above the adjuster rings when I started and there is 18mm showing now. That 15mm movement on the adjuster dropped the rear ride height by exactly 20mm.

So everything back together, wheels torqued up and pulled the van back onto the drive for the final easy task of bolting the ARB clamps back on. Piece of cake, couldn't have gone better, feeling very pleased with myself, in fact decidely smug...

Bolt 1 and 2 done, now on to bolt no 3. Then this...



Fu&*^%^&)*^%$%^&****^^%%^&((&^%%$%
I should have known it was all going too well

At least there was plenty of thread showing, and I tried pliers, mole grips and cutting a slot in the top to get a screwdriver in but just ended up chewing more off as the bolt is quite soft. Tested the 4th bolt hole and the bolt would only go in a very short distance before jamming up tight so it looks like the threads on that side were gummed up, my own fault for not checking first. Cleared out the thread of no. 4 with a tap and some WD40 and the bolt goes in cleanly on that side now so at least it shouldn't happen there. The annoying thing is I read that these bolts, and shock bolts, should be replaced each time and have both on order and did consider just leaving the ARB off til they arrived. Shame I didn't...

So I've ordered a set of left hand drill bits and screw extractors off Amazon and my plan is to file the end flat, centrepunch it and then hopefully remove it by drilling into it. Fingers crossed.

So my bad luck was over for today? No it wasn't, I then backed the van into the garage only to hear a bang, and then remembered I'd moved the lawn mower out of the way and forgotten to move it back. Result, one cracked rear light lens...

So that's another £34 for one of those. But just before I pressed the buy button on ebay I noticed the item says "T6/T5.1 rear light lens". Is that right, was there really no change in the rear lights?

 

[foggy3061]

Wow, that's an unlucky evening bud!

Must admit, when I torqued up those M8 clamp bolts after fitting my ARB they did feel a tad soft! Needless to say I ordered some new bolts to swap to.

By the looks of that photo, your rear arb Bush needs rotating 180° too.

 

[andys]

By the looks of that photo, your rear arb Bush needs rotating 180° too.

Really? That's how THQ fitted them!

 

[foggy3061]

Oh! I've only seen them the other way round, so the raised edges sit around the edges of the clamping plate.

Having them the way round you have probably means the raised edges have to be pinched flat into the U shape in the underside of the wishbone?

 

[andys]

Oh! I've only seen them the other way round, so the raised edges sit around the edges of the clamping plate.

Having them the way round you have probably means the raised edges have to be pinched flat into the U shape in the underside of the wishbone?

I'll have a look at the other one next time I work on it. I haven't rotated them at all, I just folded the bar down down then pushed it back up when I was finished.

 

[foggy3061]

I imagine they can fit either way round if THQ have fitted them that way.

 

[andys]

I imagine they can fit either way round if THQ have fitted them that way.

It wouldn't surprise me if they have fitted them wrong, it wouldn't be the only thing.

 

[Ads_Essex]

It wouldn't surprise me if they have fitted them wrong, it wouldn't be the only thing.

That may explain why you don’t rate the performance of the ARB much?

Regarding the tail lamps, T5.1 fit barn-door T6 vans and are the same shape, but the layout changes; the T6 tailgate tail lamps are not interchangeable between either an older model nor a barn-door T6.

 

[andys]

That may explain why you don’t rate the performance of the ARB much?

Regarding the tail lamps, T5.1 fit barn-door T6 vans and are the same shape, but the layout changes; the T6 tailgate tail lamps are not interchangeable between either an older model nor a barn-door T6.

Thanks, very confusing on eBay, sellers are claiming that the tailgate T5 and T6 lenses are the same and I can’t find any that look like mine. I’m going to have to stump up the £50+ for an actual T6 one off carparts4less. And even then there’s no pictures so I’m not absolutely sure they’re the same as mine.

As for the rubber bush, can’t really see the orientation having any impact on handling, it’s still clamped in tight whichever way round it’s put in?

 

[foggy3061]

As for the rubber bush, can’t really see the orientation having any impact on handling, it’s still clamped in tight whichever way round it’s put in?

It possibly will but only minimal.

The thicker side clamped between the bar and the rear arm will potentially have more movement or give than the thinner side. Plus if the raised edges of the bushes are creating a bit of a stand-off, you might give have a gap under there.

 

[Ads_Essex]

...I’m going to have to stump up the £50+ for an actual T6 one off carparts4less. And even then there’s no pictures so I’m not absolutely sure they’re the same as mine.

@Pablo has a set for sale:

For Sale - Rear Tailgate Lights

 

[andys]

@Pablo has a set for sale:

For Sale - Rear Tailgate Lights

Thanks, deal done

 

[andys]

More fail. The cobalt left-handed drill bits and screw extractors arrived so straight out after work. Smallest drill bit snapped instantly on contact (yes I did have the drill turning the correct way) so tried second smallest. This one didn't seem to be going in at all, and then also snapped. The next size up l/h bit was too big so I switched to a standard small drill bit (yes I switched the rotation back to normal) and kept drilling for as long as my arm could hold it in place - not even 2mm in and not making any progress. Then spent the best part of an hour trying every type of drill bit I could find and drilling for prolonged periods - absolutely no movement. In frustration I tried the mole grips again , but only succeeded in breaking off more little bits of the protruding bolt and there isn't much left now.

So I've got a crappy soft bolt that snaps off easily, but suddenly turns into diamond when I want to drill a hole in it. The only explanation I can think of is that the very tip of the first cobalt bit I used is embedded in the hole and resisting any further drilling. Given up for the night now cos I don't like using power tools after 8pm in consideration for other people so no further forward.

I guess if I take it somewhere they'll weld a nut to it and get it out that way, but it's not something I can do at home. With what they'll charge me for doing that, the screw extractor bits, new bolts, un-needed C spanners and socket (I didn't realise I already had them) and new jack, it would have been cheaper to pay someone else to adjust the ride height.

 

[andys]

Thinking out loud, I might take the gamble of grinding off the exposed bolt remnants level with the wishbone surface, and hope the bit I cut off contains whatever is stopping the drill.

 

[foggy3061]

More fail. The cobalt left-handed drill bits and screw extractors arrived so straight out after work. Smallest drill bit snapped instantly on contact (yes I did have the drill turning the correct way) so tried second smallest. This one didn't seem to be going in at all, and then also snapped. The next size up l/h bit was too big so I switched to a standard small drill bit (yes I switched the rotation back to normal) and kept drilling for as long as my arm could hold it in place - not even 2mm in and not making any progress. Then spent the best part of an hour trying every type of drill bit I could find and drilling for prolonged periods - absolutely no movement. In frustration I tried the mole grips again , but only succeeded in breaking off more little bits of the protruding bolt and there isn't much left now.

So I've got a crappy soft bolt that snaps off easily, but suddenly turns into diamond when I want to drill a hole in it. The only explanation I can think of is that the very tip of the first cobalt bit I used is embedded in the hole and resisting any further drilling. Given up for the night now cos I don't like using power tools after 8pm in consideration for other people so no further forward.

I guess if I take it somewhere they'll weld a nut to it and get it out that way, but it's not something I can do at home. With what they'll charge me for doing that, the screw extractor bits, new bolts, un-needed C spanners and socket (I didn't realise I already had them) and new jack, it would have been cheaper to pay someone else to adjust the ride height.

Jeez, you're not having the best luck with that rear ARB!

Thinking out loud, I might take the gamble of grinding off the exposed bolt remnants level with the wishbone surface, and hope the bit I cut off contains whatever is stopping the drill.

I think that's probably a good move. A nice flat clean cut surface should make it easier to centre punch the middle and get it drilled squarely.

 

[andys]

Jeez, you're not having the best luck with that rear ARB!

Tell me about it It’s a good job I don’t need to use the van for a couple of weeks so can take my time with all this.

 

[RedUn]

File two flats on to it so it fits a spanner snuggly, don't grind it flush whatever you do!