Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

Norway man · 2021-12-02 01:07:37

Hello there! I own a 1997 Fiat Scudo. The rear axle was corroded beyond repair, and I was looking for a replacement for quit a long time. I finally found a Citroen Jumpy (the stupid name the norwegian Citroen dealership gave the Dispatch) at the breakers with an axle in descent condition. It was a newer car (aprox. 2003), so I wasn't sure that the axle was identical, manufacturers tend to change stuff during the lifespan of a model. hmm I took the essential measurments from my old axle and measured on the donor car before removing the axle, everything looked identical. Back home I de-rusted and paited it and pressed in new bushes. The axle went on the car and fitted perfectly except... The ride hight! When unloaded, the wheels sits like the car was fully loaded. It seemed like the shocks were too short. So I went and got the measuring tape again and found that the lower shock mounting sits aprox. 15-20 mm lower on the "new" axle, compared to the old one. So I thought to my self: "Aha! I just need to get later type shocks, they are probably longer!" big_smile I went online and seached with various parts suppliers, but it seemed like the entire Scudo/Dispatch/Expert mk1 range used the same type shocks in the rear all the way from start to the end, every one I found had a max lenght of 400 mm, more or less the same as on my car. The breaker where I found the donor vehichle is quite a long way from where I live, and I'm not ever shure iif the car still exist. I do not have access to any other mk1s for comparison. So, after my long story: What shall I do? What are the differences on the rear suspension between early and later models mk1, except the position of the lower shock mounting? The top of the rear shocks tilt quite a lot bacwards, so if I move the upper mount a bit forwards I can increase the effective lenght a bit, but is this the right way to do it? Someone must have had the same problem before? Help! hmm

kenbw2 · 2021-12-02 03:44:49

Oh my god, I'm not alone in my rusty rear axle! Glad you sorted yours before you had the catastrophic failure mine had!

I didn't particularly notice this difference when I swapped mine. Mine is a 2000 model, I think the donor was a 2005? I did subsequently change my springs for a softer set, and have the redduced ride height you mention, but that was from the springs.

I might try to dig some photos out pre-axle change, post-axle change and pre-springs change to see if mine was different and I just didn't notice

Pathfinder100 · 2021-12-02 16:44:19

I gave mine a lick of Hammerite when I was doing the painting over summer. It was also rusting. Must be a common problem.

Norway man · 2021-12-06 00:45:20

I'll try to dig my old axle out of the snow one of the coming days and take more accurate measurments and photos on both the old axle and the "new" one.

kenbw2 · 2021-12-06 20:04:17

Norway man wrote:

I'll try to dig my old axle out of the snow one of the coming days

This made me laugh, it's definitely something I've ever heard anyone say before!

Norway man · 2021-12-10 17:12:45

Actually I live in the south-west of the country. We have more rain and wind than snow. But the last week or two has been colder than usual. smile

Last edited by Norway man (2021-12-10 17:13:16)

Norway man · 2021-12-10 17:37:58

These photos are of my old axle. They show that the damper mount is aprox. 65mm from the top of the reinforcment and 140mm from the axle.

These photos show the "new" axle on the car. They show that the damper mount here is aprox 95mm from the top, and 155 from the axle. This means that the damper now sits 30mm lower, and 15mm forward. So, if the dampers are the same on both new and the old mk1's (witch the parts no's suggest), the top mounts must have been altered on newer cars. I didn't manage to get a good photo of the top mount, but the distance from the rear crossmember to damper mount is aprox 520mm. I wonder if someone with a post-facelift mk1 wold like to measure this on their car?

Last edited by Norway man (2021-12-10 17:46:04)

Norway man · 2022-03-10 15:02:30

Update! I just found out that vehicles made up to 09.1997 has slightly shorter dampers in the rear. The old ones are 370mm, the newer ones are 400mm. Mine is a 1997, so it is likely that it is of the older ones. I wish I knew this before I crawled under my van and welded in new brackets for the top dampermounts...

OAT · 2022-03-10 19:54:49

Interesting, thanks for posting updates.

Mine is I believe built 97, first reg 98.

Norway man · 2022-03-12 10:51:22

OAT wrote:

Interesting, thanks for posting updates.
Mine is I believe built 97, first reg 98.

It doesn't really matter, unless you need to replace the axle. The vehicles you find at the breakers will most likely be post-97. Most parts suppliers don't even carry the older, short dampers. I did find it funny that mine dampers couldn't be streched out to 400 mm.

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#1 2021-12-02 01:07:37

Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#2 2021-12-02 03:44:49

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#3 2021-12-02 16:44:19

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#4 2021-12-06 00:45:20

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#5 2021-12-06 20:04:17

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#6 2021-12-10 17:12:45

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#7 2021-12-10 17:37:58

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#8 2022-03-10 15:02:30

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#9 2022-03-10 19:54:49

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

#10 2022-03-12 10:51:22

Re: Different rear axle on early and late mk1s?

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