Front Suspension - In a little predicament!

[Mysterae]

You're telling me Advantage! Every job I do has added "challenges" that need to be overcome. You'll probably noticed I took your advice on some thick ply beneath the axle stands, cheers mate.

[Barrykearley]

It's out - well done - best of luck with finding a welder - try an agricultural fabricator shop..........they can fix anything.

Once it's been repaired. Galv spray the entire area.

Any tips on the best place to source a full rebuild kit for the front end? Bushes, springs, shocks etc?

[Mysterae]

Thanks Barry, I'll need a mobile welder to come to me as I can't move the car in it's current condition. If no one here can suggest anybody I'll have a search locally.

 

I got all my parts from SJ's but I think Bibs can sort out some stuff if I remember correctly? My shocks and springs were replaced a few years ago (Protech shocks) and are still in good condition.

 

[Barrykearley]

That's a lovely setup......

[Bibs]

Let me know what you need and I can get it at 10% off for you

[Mysterae]

I wish I had of known that at the time Bibs!

 

Barry, get your order in before you want to do the job as I believe there is a back order on the upper and lower wishbones.

[mdw]

Bibs is your man. he supplied my full springs, dampers and bushes factory set up and the discount more than covered the first few years forum membership.   I think he can do a different damper set up now as well as the factory bilsten one.

[Chillidoggy]

+1 for Bibsparts.

Well done for getting this far, Alan. You exhausted all the other sensible options as far as I could see, and looking at the bolt, you'd have still been on it at Christmas if you hadn't got the air hammer on it.

[Mysterae]

Thanks Ian, it was the last resort. I did look into drilling from inside the car out, but access is limited with the pedals, the carpet would have to be taken out, the hole big enough to see what I was doing, a really long drill would have been needed, and precision would be nil - then making the tub good again. I did get a right angled dremel attachment and some carbide bits which was really good, but thought that it would mess up the collar too much. The route I chose was actually the least destructive. I'm still surprised that the chassis gave up before the bolt. 3000 bpm FTW!

[Mysterae]

That bolt would never, ever had came out without the extreme prejudice it was served. The image below is of the bolt still inside the sleeve of the wishbone bush, I just pressed it out of the bush:

 

 

Looking past the bonded rubber you can see it is seriously bent.

 

 

Anyway, the bolt is history. Got the collar welded back on .

 

Found a great welder, thoroughly nice bloke, www.taylorweldingfabrication.co.uk if you ever need mobile welding done locally around Swindon.

 

 

All measured up, the bolt slides in and out nicely.

 

 

I think it'll be a lot stronger than before. As long as the other side doesn't go out in envy!

 

All I need to do now is clean the area up with brake cleaner to get rid of all the penetrating oil, clean up a little surface rust and then give the area a few sprays of galv spray. Then, at long last I'll be on to reassembly. 

[jonwat]

Make sure you give it a good coating of grease when you reassemble.

[Mysterae]

Indeed John, I think I've identified where I'll be putting some copper grease, but not too much of it of course!