Evil Elsie wrote:

Hello,
This post is to hopefully prevent someone being in the same situation that I was in when I recently changed my Shocks and Springs.

I'd read several posts on this wonderful forum before we (my mate Gaz shared the pain with me) started. The general consensus was ' get some new Turret Rings' so I did.
I thought ' I'll make a start before Gaz gets here and do the rears as they look easy'.
Started with the OSR and managed to get the bottom shock nut off without resorting to a grinder. Unfortunately the shock was seized in the chassis top mount. I tried rotating it, wedges, pry bar and finally a 3 legged puller. Didn't want to try heat as that would the bush on the top shock and put me past the point of no return.
No movement - Not a chance so day cancelled and upper chassis mounts ordered.

The following weekend, feeling smug and prepared, we made a start.
For reasons known only to the back of my brain we decided to start with the fronts and get the bad ones out of the way first. I had to put a cutting disk through the bottom of the shock mount so we were in up to the hilt - no turning back....
Turret ring nuts all looked in good condition but studs snapped off so easily. As the wisdom states - Do Not attempt the fronts without new Turret Rings.
Turret, Shock and Spring removed.
Now here, finally, is the reason for my post - wire brushed the Spring Seat, thought 'it needs more than that's so started chipping away the rust and what started out about 5mm thick ended up about 1mm thick. It was just laminated layers of rust....
Weighed up the pros and cons - decided to fit new Springs into rotten seats to all four corners and order new seats. The rear spring seats were worse than fronts - they were actually holed.
New seats arrived and had to remove suspension from all four corners again to fit new seats. At least it came apart easily as only been fitted for a few days and Copper Greased up.

All of that was a very long winded way of advising anyone about to change their suspension to check their Spring Seats before they start. Give them a good pick and a poke - mine looked like there was plenty of meat on them but it was just laminated rust. It'll save you doing a crappy job twice...👍👍