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Re: Front suspension overhaul

To: "T. .R. Dafforn" <td214@cam.ac.uk>, spitfires@autox.team.net
Subject: Re: Front suspension overhaul
From: John Hobson <goalie_john@yahoo.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 1 Oct 2001 03:35:25 -0700 (PDT)
I managed to get the worst off with white spirit, I just have grubby
fingernails now, I can live with that...

I was thinking that I could hacksaw the bolt thread down to the top of
the nut and then drill downwards into the bolt, do you think that might
work?  I tried drilling the nut from the side but the drill just kept
slipping off the nut.

Unfortunately I don't have an angle grinder, I think that's one for the
Christmas list...

Don't have a blow torch either...

How important to the car's handling is it to have good bushes on the anti
roll bar to lower wishbone link?  Mine look to be a bit worn, but it
seems that you cannot buy these parts separately and at #20 a side the
replacements are a bit pricey.  BTW i am replacing the bushes under the U
bracketon the anti-roll bar with poly bushes too.

cheers for the advice,
John


--- "T. .R. Dafforn" <td214@cam.ac.uk> wrote:
> John Hobson wrote:
> 
> > I started on my front suspension overhaul project today and succeeded
> in
> > removing the lower wishbone, sanding it down and painting it with
> > hammerite, which I later found out is a bugger to get off your hands!
> > Mental note: next time wear gloves...
> 
> Try Xylene, I think they sell thinners specially for Hammerite.
> 
> >
> >
> > The reason I have not got any further with the project is that two of
> the
> > bolts holding the top of the shock absorber in place had previously
> been
> > totally rounded off and that's where I got a bit stuck.  Do any of
> you
> > have any good ideas as to how I can remove them?
> 
> Had the same problem, Ended up part Hacksawing, part drilling the nut.
> Removed the plate without too much damage to the threads, but I thought
> it
> wasn't worth keeping, as the replacement was fairly cheap..
> 
> 
> > I am happy to consign
> > the shock top plate as toast, but if I could preserve it I would like
> to.
> >  I thought about sawing the nut off but there doesn't seem to be
> quite
> > enough space to do this.  I always seem to come up against this
> problem
> > when undertaking projects, it's very frustrating and puts me off a
> bit in
> > trying my hand at more stuff.
> >
> 
> Best way to tackle these problems is to do a bit every evening. Often
> the best
> aid to removing a corroded fixing is to spend a day thinking about, and
> then
> vent all your pent up frustrations from work on the bolt using a big
> hammer and
> an angle grinder!!
> 
> >
> > Also is there any alternative to ball joint extractors or will I have
> to
> > buy one of these to remove the ball joints from the upper wishbone
> and
> > ends of the steering rack?
> 
> undo the nut holding the track rod end to the steering arm just enough
> so that
> it protects the top of the thread, and then Whack it hard with a lump
> hammer...
> Remember to replace the nut with a new one on reassembly
> 
> >
> >
> > What size drill bit should I use to drill out the old bushings?  A
> really
> > big one that would drill most of the rubber, or one that is a little
> > bigger than the metal insert?
> 
> I just burnt them out with a blow torch, the sleeves and bushes slipped
> out
> easily. Just make sure you do it outside, lots of black smoke!
> 
> >
> >
> > This is the first big job that I have done on my car so almost
> everything
> > that I do is new to me, I'm sure that once I have done a lot of these
> > jobs once a lot of it will become second nature and I will know how
> to
> > resolve problems that I come across more easily.
> >
> 
> Front suspension rebuild is certainly a good start, and replacing the
> bushes
> with everlasting polyurethane makes a huge difference to the way the
> front end
> handles!!
> Cheers
> Tim
> 
> >
> 
> --
> Tim Dafforn
> University of Cambridge
> Structural Medicine Unit
> Cambridge Institute for Medical Research
> Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 2XY.
> UK
> Tel. (01223) 763230
> Fax. (01223) 336827
> http://smokeroom.cimr.cam.ac.uk/
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