Fitting the Rear Suspension and Axle
It was good to have Nigel around to help fit the rear suspension and differential - it’s definitely a 2 man job. Our first step was to connect up and bleed the rear brakes (using a long brake pipe as an extension) to make sure there were no leaks under pressure. The brakes aren’t accessible with the axle in the car.
The owners manual considered it perfectly reasonable to remove and replace the rear axle with the suspension in place, so we fitted the suspension first then wiggled the weighty axle into the remaining space. It wasn’t all that easy. The driveshafts foul the de Dion tube with the suspension on full droop, and there was only just enough clearance when the axle stands were moved from the jacking points to the suspension. A nice full (heavy) fuel tank would have helped enormously.
