Shock/strut rebuilding

[dguy]

Shot in the dark - does anyone know of a local, or at least Canadian outfit which rebuilds Bilstein shocks & struts?

[can machine]

Try Bicknell Racing Products

117 Cushman Rd St.
Catharines, Ontario
L2M 6S9
905- 685-4291

[can machine]

Or http://www.selexsuspension.com/index.php?page=Services
 
4657, boulevard des Grandes-Prairies, Montréal (Québec), H1R 1A5

[dguy]

Thanks.

Bicknell didn't come up in any of my searches, and while Selex did the person who answered the their phone didn't give me the warm and fuzzies.

Everyone else whom I contacted more or less said the same thing, which was that only Bilstein would service them at their North American HQ which is in California.

Off to Cali they go!

[aaron88]

My understanding is that Bilstein's are amazing shocks only if you are capable of rebuilding and re-valving them yourself.  Otherwise a lot of the value is lost.

[dguy]

These unfortunately ended up being a write-off.  If they had only needed seals and an oil/nitrogen recharge it would have been fine, but the chrome on the inner tubes was too worn to re-use, and hard parts for this model of strut were no longer available.

I ended up purchasing a four-corners kit from BC Racing.  Adjustable ride height, damping, front spring preload, shortened swaybar links, and camber plates for the front struts in case extra adjustment room is needed.  C'mon spring!   

[can machine]

What car are they for?

[dguy]

I picked up a moderately track-prepped (but street legal) '01 BMW 330i in August, and I'm in the process of stripping it down to the bare essentials for a track-only car.

The interior has been reduced to just a dash, front seats, and four-point driver's harness so far.  I'll probably delete the a/c in the spring, remount the instrument panel without the dash, and upgrade the brake lines to braided s/s.  A cage, racing seats, and five-point harness will be added at some point.

...and Sacha has said "go" to transforming her '84 in to a track-only car.  Apparently we can't share.   

[can machine]

Nice, apparently the 330 is a great platform. I assume you are planning on going to Bogie with it? I have a neighbor that spends a lot of time up there instructing and racing. He has had several cars over the years currently he has some sort of open wheeled car.   

[dguy]

Yes, the Bogie track is what we have in mind.  I've done two full day sessions on it with an instructor, and was cleared to drive it solo this summer.  Sacha picked up the lines quickly her first time out; the only thing which held her back from receiving a solo sign-off is that her instructor wanted to push the envelope a little harder.

If anyone here gets the opportunity to ride the track shotgun with an experienced driver, or even drive a couple of escorted parade laps, do it.  Flat tracks such as Shannonville are fun in their own right, but a road course complete with elevation changes and blind corners takes the cake in my opinion.