1. Front Suspension Dismantling
Lotus Esprit S3
Front Suspension Dismantling

2. Picture shows nearside suspension prior to dismantling
Picture shows nearside suspension prior to dismantling. The car is resting on axle stands positioned under the crossmember. A wooden packing piece is used to protect the chassis – just visible to the right of the steering rack boot.
The anti-roll bar has already been detached from the chassis and opposite suspension link.
DAMPER TOP MOUNT
WISHBONE PIVOT
SPRING &
DAMPER
WISHBONE
STEERING
RACK
TOP
BALLJOINT
ANTI-ROLL
BAR
BRAKE
DISC
HUB
BRAKE
BACKPLATE
BRAKE
CALIPER
HUB NUT
DUST CAP

3. Prise off the steel cap that protects the bearings from dirt ingress…

4. With the split pin removed, the hub nut can be undone.
It should not be tight.

5. On this car, the braking system had already been drained and new
flexible hoses were to be fitted. Here, the rigid line coupling is undone
with a 13mm spanner to allow…

6. … the flexible line to be detached from the chassis bracket.
A 15mm and a 17mm spanner will be required.

7. The flexible line can be detached from the brake caliper in the same
manner. Use a 19mm spanner or socket to loosen and remove the
two bolts securing the caliper to its mounting, and remove the caliper.

8. With the caliper removed, the
hub nut can be removed to
allow the hub and brake disc to
be lifted off.
The inner grease seal has been
prised from its recess…

9. … and here the bolts that
secure the brake backplate
are being removed with a
13mm spanner.

10. Removal of the two lower
bolts (14mm) allows the brake
backplate and the steering arm
to be removed.
The front bolt has a nut on the
back…

11. … and will require the Nyloc to be held whilst the bolt is undone.

12. With the backplate and steering arm removed, the brake caliper
mounting plate can be lifted off. This method saves having to disturb
the track rod end if it does not need replacing.

13. Remove the trunnion mounting nut and bolt…

14. …and the two bolts that clamp
the top wishbone to the top
balljoint (not shown but
should be obvious).
Then the upright can be lifted
away from the lower link.
The trolley jack is easing the
load off the trunnion and top
balljoint mounts to make
extracting the bolts easier.

15. With the trunnion out of the way, it is now possible to gain access to
the anti-roll bar end nut (a Nyloc) with a 19mm spanner.
It may well be fairly seized.

16. On this ARB the rubber bushes are completely wrecked. Note the
two washers (one with a tapered side to the centre hole) and the
distance piece (tube) through the centre of the bushes. It is also
possible to make out a crack in the Nyloc nut…!

17. Loosen the upper and lower
damper mountings, then install
a pair of spring compressors
(not visible here).
The spring can then be
compressed…

18. Once the spring is under a
degree of compression,
remove the damper top
mounting nuts and bushes,
prise the damper out of its
upper mounting and compress
it down into the spring.
Picture shows a large spanner
being used as a lever to push
the damper down.

19. With the spring and damper
disengaged from their top
mountings, the spring can
be simply lifted off the
lower link.
Removal of the damper lower
mounting nut and bolt will
allow the damper to be
extracted from the link.
Note that although there is a
rubber spring seat in the top
mounting, the lower end of
the spring sits directly on
the lower link platform.

20. Removal of the pivot bolt
and nut will allow the lower
link to be removed
from its mounting.
Similarly, the two halves of
the top wishbone can be
removed once their pivot
stud is extracted. The bodyshell
has holes in the foot-
wells to allow access for
sockets, drifts etc.
Note that the pivots may well
be rusted into the bushes
and/or the chassis.