I recently ventured over to Heasman Steering & Suspension for a tour of their well-renowned workshop in Sydney. Heasman’s have extensive experience with cars of all types whether it be a street car, race car or super car, they always seem to be working on the coolest of cars so I couldn’t wait to get inside and check out what they had booked in!
As I pulled into the parking lot the first thing that caught my eye was Chris’ ridiculously wide CLK 55 AMG fitted with a Sarto Racing Rocket Bunny body kit. I love how subtly aggressive this car is, perhaps it’s time to give my skyline a new look?
After pondering that thought for a few moments, I was soon greeted by Brad Heasman who gave me a tour and a run-down of what goes on throughout the facility.
Working away was Doug Heasman who was completing a suspension upgrade, custom leaf pack, custom springs and sway bars, and a more aggressive wheel alignment to this pre-delivered Police iLoad. I believe they have done around 200 of these vans now!
Heasman’s use a vast array of cutting-edge equipment, like this state-of-the-art ‘Snap-On’ computer wheel alignment machine which is the latest and most up-to-date machine in the country. With live 3D images, this machine provides all necessary live measurements with pinpoint digital accuracy. Wheel base measurements and wheel-offset position are also taken to eliminate any error in measurement and to give us readings accurate to the very last decimal.
This cutting edge machine allows for setups of all applications, whether for street, off-road or race circuit. Being digitally controlled, the computer creates the fastest readings, making the subsequent wheel alignment very precise.
Machinery aside, the workshop itself is huge, housing 15 workspace bays, allowing plenty of room to dedicate to each customers car.
As I quietly made my way around the facility the first car I came across was this 2013 model WRX which was getting equipped with the all new 3P pressure based air management system by Airlift Performance.
The factory suspension has been replaced with the new air springs.
And here technician Chris Vella is setting up the 3P system and making sure the compressor tank is linked up correctly.
Now with the flick of a switch, the owner of this WRX will be laying its front lip on the ground thanks to the installation work completed at Heasman’s.
An innovative alternative to using the above controller is the free mobile app available for iOS, and coming soon for Android devices, which communicates directly with the manifold. No additional components are required, and users receive the latest system firmware updates through the app over a Bluetooth connection.
Tucked away under the WRX, I spotted a clean set of Work Meisters which I couldn’t keep my eyes off. I’d love to see what a set of these would look like on my car.
Behind the WRX I found a dark Lamborghini Gallardo LP 560-4 Spyder which was getting lowered by having its standard Bilsteins converted to coilovers.
Apparently the LP 560-4 Spyder was made a little higher than the closed version, resulting in a rather large gap between tyres and fenders, so it made sense to have the guys at Heasman’s install new coilovers to minimise the gap.
With the wheels off, the large disc brakes and calipers are made visible and the existing suspension is removed allowing for installation work to take place.
Here you can see the new front and rear coilovers are fitted, ready for an alignment and corner balancing.
I have to confess that Lamborghini’s are my favourite super cars so I was eager to see how it would look once it was off the stands, at its new ride height.
The results are strikingly impressive and now there is no wheel gap between the top of the tyres and fenders. It never ceases to amaze me how a little bit of low can change the exterior look completely. And it’s not always all about the looks, the ability to corner balance and fine-tune your suspension with various settings for different road and track conditions gives you a whole new appreciation for what your ride is capable of, especially during cornering.
Along with the Lamborghini, this 2012 model GTR was in for a similar treatment.
R35’s come with standard Bilstein Shock Absorbers in them which is electronically adjustable however since Heasman’s is a registered Bilstein service centre, they have the ability to pull the factory Nissan shocks apart to adjust the internals. Once the conversion is complete with the fully adjustable coilover treatment, this customer will be just as happy at the track as they will be on the ride home.
Watch how Heasman’s have re-built these OEM Bilstein shocks into fully adjustable coilovers here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=S7M9cNl37I0
Remember when I said Heasman’s always have the coolest cars at their workshop? Well as I made my way outside of the facility, there was a rather petite automotive gem – this genuine Fiat Abarth 695 Esse Esse!
I peeped through the tiny window and spotted an incredibly immaculate interior sporting a wooden Abarth three spoke steering wheel, Jaeger dashboard, and the signature esse-esse script on the dash along with the 695 and Abarth badge.
This thing was neat and I can imagine the joy it would bring to be behind the wheel of one of these! Full feature on this car will be up on Heasman’s soon, so stay tuned.
Lurking around the corner was this tough Torana.
I couldn’t help but have a chuckle at this sticker: “I live with fear everyday but sometimes she lets me race”.
By the time I had finished checking out all the cars, it was almost 5pm and still a sweltering 36 degrees. Despite the heat the boys at Heasman’s continued to work away, ensuring all customers cars were looked after.
Not only is the entire team experts, but they are all passionate for cars and understand what service you require along with ensuring top quality service to get you back on the road as soon as possible. Until now, I hadn’t come across a low-car friendly workshop that did wheel alignments close to home, so I’ll definitely be taking the skyline here next!
