Beginning the Front Suspension Rebuild While the Seasons Change

Today, I began the winter work on BB.  Some would say winter is ending but we Ohioans know better.  It was at least tolerably warm with some sun shining into the garage!  I have been told that living in a warm climate fills you with life.  I can imagine that, but would find it hard to go without the change in seasons.  Even when Winter is hard, or Summer is hot, the transformation into the nest season is always worth the discomfort.  I also think that I might like the seasons because I was born where there are some!  I often think that we tend to love what we grew up with.

One example, for me, is the bedding in German hotels.  I find it almost impossible to sleep because they usually have only a fitted sheet and a feather stuffed comforter.  I am always either freezing or sweating and end up waking up frequently to move the comforter up and down.  I was complaining about this to a colleague, who had grown up in England, and he said that he found the bedding refreshing and had a similar set-up at home.  We love what we grew up with!

In any case, in Ohio, Autocross starts in April, so one must prepare one's car in the Winter!

I've started that process and feel on a good path.  I found some parts far more worn than I suspected and some that I knew had passed on!

These steering rack boots, for example, I found to have split in Summer last year.

This bolt, nestled snuggly beneath the driver's side coil spring, I just found today!  I'm really not sure how that's possible but it's obviously been there for years.  I guess all things are possible in cars, since they see so many crazy events that no proving ground could ever predict every failure.

Here are a few other parts and their replacements: