451 smart fortwo

Which Air Shocks to buy and how to install them

2009-01-11T08:38:26.655Z

Last August I installed a U-Haul (Curt) hitch so I could carry my Bike-E recumbent bike and eventually tow a trailer. I bought a Yakima StickUp rack because it was the least expensive one that would carry a relatively long wheelbase bike. Thule and others have similar ones. The first time I took it out at night oncoming drivers flashed their brights at me. Both the hitch and the rack are steel and together weigh much more than the aluminum factory bike rack, which wasn't yet available when I started this project. I tried a second bike and the rear bumper was an inch down. smart 450s have a headlight adjustment knob on the dash to solve this problem. I spent a few hours on Google and found nobody makes taller springs for smarts, just shorter ones. Neither Gabriel nor Monroe had a listing for a smart and their support people just recited what I already knew. I couldn't find air springs small enough for the smart coils which are about 2-3/4" ID. I bought a 4" Test-Ball at a plumbing supply. It is the same shape as an air spring bladder and its Schrader valve would stick down through the bottom spring pad. I squeezed it into the spring but it was too short to raise the car. It is made of soft rubber and probably wouldn't have lasted long in this application. You can see it in one of the attached pictures. I measured one of the standard shock absorbers and searched through the chart of extended and collapsed lengths on the Monroe web site. I found their MA805 to be very close. They fit '53-'62 Corvettes, some AMCs, some Fords and others so they are easy to get. I called Monroe to check the outside diameter, 2-3/4". My favorite auto parts store didn't stock them in Monroe but crossed them to AC Delco. The Delcos were 4" in diameter, far to big to fit. I got Monroes from someone else. They fit but came very close to the seam in the frame. I bent it down with a ball-pein and they then had plenty of clearance. The American style pin and bushings on top work fine as-is. I bought two 1/2" ID x 5/8" OD x 1-1/2 long and two 3/8" ID x 1/2" OD x 1-1/2 long steel bushings at Lowes. They fit inside each other. I drilled the inner ones to 25/64" ID to clear the standard shock bolt. I needed two 3/8" SAE washers on each side of the bushings and the whole thing fit snugly into the stock bottom bracket. The air fitting can only face straight in, which would have hit the frame, or straight out, which was about an inch from the tire. The kit supplied with the shocks has a straight hose nut which would make the hose rub the tire. The Monroe catalog showed a primitive drawing of an air line kit with elbow fittings, AK29, which I ordered and fortunately it worked perfectly. Be careful not to drop and lose the tiny o-rings when you take off the dust caps and install the air lines. Push (by hand) the elbows hard onto the fittings or they will leak. I tied the air lines up in six places by drilling 7/32" holes in the plastic skirts for the Monroe clips. I used a regular fish tape to snake the left hose across as high above the mufffler as I could. I drilled a 23/64" hole in the rear valance for the valve tee.
The first picture shows the shock tower with the original shock removed. The second one shows the frame modified. I really didn't butcher it as badly as it looks in the picture. The third one shows the shock and air lines installed.
I drove a hundred miles on them with no pressure and they are only slightly stiffer than stock. 100lb raises the rear about an inch. I will make a run with my bike on Monday.

Curt U-Haul Hitch Installation w/Pictures

2008-08-30T05:16:35.326Z

I ordered my hitch from the U-Haul website for less than $200. It was drop shipped from Curt, the manufacturer, in Wisconsin. I got it the Tuesday before last late afternoon and installed it that evening. Anyone moderately handy can do it. I had never used "reverse fishwire" technique before, but it works fine. You can preview the instructions before deciding whether to have U-Haul do it. They are in a one-page .PDF on the U-Haul site. They tell you to drill 1/2" holes but you need over 3/4" to get the carriage bolts through.

N.B: I haven't tried to do the wiring yet. My local U-Haul place says they know how.

Recommendation: Wheel Repair

2008-03-08T22:08:58.667Z

I was enjoying my new Cabrio, talking on my cell :-o and didn't see a huge pothole. The tire didn't go flat but my right front (aluminum) rim was bent.
I called my dealer but they were waiting for their first replacement wheels to arrive. They expected the price to be exorbiitantly high. The tire warrantee, which I didn't buy, only covers when you lose air.
I remembered having had all four rims straightened on my beater Quantum Syncro ten years ago. I found the place again even though they had moved and have a new name since then. I got an appointment for the next day and while I waited they straightened it so that it was indistinguishable from new! They had fabricated the adapter they needed for the three-lug wheels when a grey market smart came in last year so they were all ready for my 451.
It cost over $100. but I saved much more than that.
My son's '98 Eclipse has been a little wiggly on the highway so I sent him over there. He is happy with them also.

Here's how to reach them:
Rim & Wheel Works, Inc.
50 Sun Street
Waltham, MA 02453
rimandwheelworks@earthlink.net
www.rimandwheelworks.com
www.aftermarketwheels.com
+1-781-547-5826
+1-800-261-0495

Recommendation: Pinstriping or Murals

2008-03-08T21:39:36.779Z

I have had a triple-black Cabrio for a month. I'm glad I bought an orphan from the first shipment because my $99. number has still not come up. I ordered and still really want red so I'll eventually get a body panel fresh-up, but for now I had it striped by Keith Hanson of Stoughton, MA. +1-781-344-9166, www.hansoncustom.net . I picked it up this morning and I love it. The rain hasn't stopped yet but I took pictures anyway...
I'll post better ones when the sun comes out.

Trade Body Panels

2008-02-07T06:00:47.115Z

I heard long ago that club members in Europe traded body panels. Has anyone seen a classsified ad page for smart parts? I would like to trade black for orange. Not neccesarily right away and maybe not permamently either.