To begin the process of installing the front suspension I first dressed the suspension apertures with IVA trim. The key decision was whether to line the entire hole, or simply the outward facing edges as the minimum required by the IVA test. Looking at the gap between the skin and the chassis I didn't really have a choice - the gap was too small on the bottom edge to accommodate the trim.
Once the trim was glued to the upper edges of the openings, I set about the front lower wishbone. The rear arm was slotted into position and the location bolt loosely fitted with no washers in place. I then fitted the front most bolt loosely, with washers. The key task here is to fit two chamfered washers between the chassis and the front of the wishbone, and two behind to set the correct castor angle. The chamfered edges of the washers need to face the bush in the wishbone. The difficulty arises with the tight fit of the final washer.
With the wishbone supported by an axle stand, I returned to the rear bolt, covered it in copperslip, and slid it back through the chassis hole, and then through the first two chamfered washers. Looking from above, I could see the end of the bolt appearing from the other side of the wishbone so adding another washer at that point was easy. I slid the bolt a millimetre or so forward to ensure the third washer was engaged.
The next step is to apply pressure by tightening the front bolt into the chassis - didn't want to overdo this though and risk damaging the front bush. However, it does maximise the gap in the rear mounting point. I found I could then press the chamfered edge of the fourth washer into the remaining gap. You can't get it in much farther than the edge of the washer - but the friction is sufficient to hold the washer. This allows a gentle tap or two with a deadblow hammer to move the washer correctly into position. Fine placement can be achieved by using a flat blade screwdriver, tapped by a deadblow to make the washer concentric with it's neighbour. Only very light tapping is required in these steps to manoeuvre the washer, so there's no risk of damage.
Once the rear joint is loosely tightened, the from joint can be completed in a similar manner with two chamfered washers between the chassis and the bush.
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