Omega Owners Forum
Omega Help Area => Omega General Help => Topic started by: johnnydog on 26 August 2025, 17:04:07
-
I currently have the front suspension stripped on my 2002 3.2 Elite saloon ready for replacement with new GM struts, wishbones, drop links etc. The struts are ident LM / RP which are GM 919949 /50, with springs with two brown blobs on them (I assume are 90541754).
The bottom rubber insulator is quite perished / cracked, and I have checked t'interweb, but no one seems to supply them. I have new bump stops, top mounts / bearings etc ready to fit.
Does anyone know a source of the bottom insulator rubber?
Secondly, I have a good set of complete GM front struts that I took off a late TVP 3.2 estate with self levelling rear suspension several years ago. They were obvious recent GM replacements along with GM wishbones, drop links etc. They have the ident LP / RP which are GM 9192291 /2, which are NLS, so the EPC lists replacement part no. 919949 /50 as suitable.
However the Police springs are different - they have 5 1/2 full coils with orange / green paint blobs, where as the ones off my car have 6 coils and two brown blobs. The Police are marginally thicker but so negligible my manual vernier caliper doesn't indicate how much but I would say 0.2mm??
The question is - does anyone have any info on the colour coding on the Police front springs, and if I fit the complete Police struts, how would it affect the front end? There are obvious differences according to the minefield in the EPC, but what? I can only presume they are firmer, but without any info, who knows?
Thanks anyway.
-
Fat finger typo - the struts that came off my 3.2 are LM and RM (LH / RH), not LM / RP as I typed.
The Police ones I correctly stated are LP / RP (LH / RH) ::)
-
Febi used to do a strut assembly kit with the insulator and bump stop.
https://share.google/UT0EhzMcvoYNvt8sX
This might not be the Omega one but it should lead to the correct parts with some digging...
-
Thanks for that info - I have searched many of the spring / shock manufacturers with no success. Plenty of bump stop and gaitors in kits, but no insulators.
I have now cleaned up the Police units I took off the TVP Omega estate - the colour coding on the front springs is actually purple and green, not orange and green (they were covered in a dried mixture of oil and dirt and the car had been fitted with massive extended mudflaps as it was used in its last duty on a skid pan presumably until it had a minor impact on its front left corner).
I'll keep searching...
-
You mean the spring seats?
In which case...
https://superpro-suspension.com/au/search/product/steering-suspension/suspension/bushings/coil-spring-spacer-insulator-seat/coil-spring-spacer-insulator-seat-for-holden-monaro-v2
Monaro front struts are basically the same but attach to the hub differently. The Holden VW/X/Y/Z shares very little with the Omega, but some suspension components are interchangeable and it's a much better supported platform than the Omega B.
-
Thanks for the pointer; however the profile is not the same. These assume the spring seat in the lower cup on the strut is a flat profile where as the Omega strut has the inbuilt step to correctly locate the end of the spring coil. The Omega insulator / damper ring/ rubber seat (various names for the lower rubber that the spring sits on) is a relatively thin moulded rubber to accommodate the step, whereas the Monaro type is a flat base and I don't think they would be pliable enough to follow the profile in the cup which is quite a step.
But every avenue will be looked into, thanks..... :y
-
the monaro ones on ebay look ok ?
-
Thanks for the pointer; however the profile is not the same. These assume the spring seat in the lower cup on the strut is a flat profile where as the Omega strut has the inbuilt step to correctly locate the end of the spring coil. The Omega insulator / damper ring/ rubber seat (various names for the lower rubber that the spring sits on) is a relatively thin moulded rubber to accommodate the step, whereas the Monaro type is a flat base and I don't think they would be pliable enough to follow the profile in the cup which is quite a step.
But every avenue will be looked into, thanks..... :y
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133573911306
Complete set of OEM rather than aftermarket upgrades... Heated in a low oven/boiling water would probably facilitate assembly.
I always reused the original ones without issue regardless of the springs being used.
I should add that Monaro front struts also have a cupped lower spring seat and the springs are fundamentally interchangeable with the Omega.
-
some holden commodore and vxr8 that look similar too ??
-
An alternative, if originality is critical, would be to buy a pair of second hand complete struts and strip them down...
-
An alternative, if originality is critical, would be to buy a pair of second hand complete struts and strip them down...
I have just stripped a couple of struts off a scrapper - one lower seat rubber insulator was knackered and split in numerous places; fortunately the other one was more or less intact and is salvageable. The upper seems to survive a lot better.
It's not originality I'm after - just the correct ride height. The originals are only about 1mm thick.
-
Thanks for the pointer; however the profile is not the same. These assume the spring seat in the lower cup on the strut is a flat profile where as the Omega strut has the inbuilt step to correctly locate the end of the spring coil. The Omega insulator / damper ring/ rubber seat (various names for the lower rubber that the spring sits on) is a relatively thin moulded rubber to accommodate the step, whereas the Monaro type is a flat base and I don't think they would be pliable enough to follow the profile in the cup which is quite a step.
But every avenue will be looked into, thanks..... :y
https://www.ebay.com/itm/133573911306
Complete set of OEM rather than aftermarket upgrades... Heated in a low oven/boiling water would probably facilitate assembly.
I always reused the original ones without issue regardless of the springs being used.
I should add that Monaro front struts also have a cupped lower spring seat and the springs are fundamentally interchangeable with the Omega.
On the Omega strut, the step is built into the lower cup, and the thin flat insulator / seat sits on top following the profile without the step being fully moulded into the insulator as with the Monara ones shown above. It's difficult to see as there only a couple of pictures (and no dimensions), but if the body of the insulator is hollow to follow the step, then they may be ok if the dimensions are correct - if it is solid then they will be far too thick. A message to them may give more info.
-
Any thoughts on the spec of the Police struts I described in posts 1,2 & 4 and their suitability for my 3.2 Elite saloon?
I know I could fit them as an alternative option as complete units and try them, but others views would he appreciated first!
Ta
-
They're perfectly fine and will last longer than the lighter duty ones. Especially if you fit the plod springs too...
Elite springs are too soft for their own good.
-
Maybe. But it would still be good to know the difference in the springs from the colour coding. You would assume they are firmer, but as I was once told, you should never assume about anything.....
-
yes i'm curious too .my std cdx springs (and cd too ?) are brown/silver dot .if the elite fronts are different i'd like to know (and get some !)
-
The front springs that came off my 2002 3.2 Elite did have two brown paint blobs, but also one silver blob of paint (which I didn't notice earlier).
Being curious, I cleaned the two that I took off my scrapper 2002 3.2 Elite (which was also used by the Police, but in Leics as a Staff Officers vehicle, so it is all standard Elite spec rather than Police spec) had standard 912249 /50 LM/RM struts, and the springs had the same two brown and one silver blobs of paint.
Incidentally the front springs were all 373mm long (give or take a fraction of a mm).
-
The Elite springs are softer. The shocks are the same as Non Plod/non LSC.
There were a few later retail Omegas in Police use as they missed the cut off for the final production run so we're forced to buy retail cars from dealer stock. TVP and Scotland got pretty much the entire final production run of RHD Plod spec cars.
Can't help on the colours, my plod still had it's original springs at 265k miles, I put Irmscher springs and shocks on my 3.2 Elite estate because the originals were done at 150k. My 2.2 GLS estate got Sachs shocks and Kilen HD springs because the originals were done at 125k. My 2.2 Sport had it's original LSC suspension on it because it had only done 28k.
The other 10 or 12 cars I did suspension work on either reused the springs on the car as they were or fitted Kilen/Eibach as required by the respective owners and if the springs were reused then they went back in their original position ie left or right.
There are, AIUI, the following variations:
1. Engine type: 4 pot petrol; V6/2.2 dti; 2.5 Dti.
2. Trim: GLS/CD/CDX; Elite; LSC (Sport/MV6); Plod etc.
3. Steering wheel side: LHD made allowance for driver and battery on left side.
4. Body type, although this only affects the rear as the options become saloon/estate; self levelling/non levelling/LSC/plod
Within the above matrix there may be some crossover regarding spring lengths and weights. The end goal was consistent ride height across the board (673mm rings a bell) or LSC (15/20mm lower) regardless of axle weight ÷ 2.
Aftermarket only allows for engine; standard, lowered or HD without the nuances of trim.
Irmscher allowed only for engine and body as their springs were identified by axle weight... An Irmscher catalogue of the time would give you an idea of the spring weights.
Standard springs will firm up an Elite slightly, and should be fitted if the self levelling is deleted, and Plod springs are a sensible option on cars used for load lugging or towing.