refitting the front suspension turrret

rockdemon

rockdemon

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Staff member
Hi all,

Hopefully I should get this sorted tomorrow. Just wanted to check, is there a specific sort of grease for fitting front wheel bearing back on, or is normal grease fine?


Thanks

Rich
 
Me again....

When I've gone to do this the bottom joint just spins when i try and do it up, and the top one the ball joint wont go all the way into the bell crank arm. I tried putting the nut on and it wont take it down and now it wont come off again either - it's just spinning.

:roll:

Feel like i've really lost my Mojo on the car...
 
Jack up under the lower arms and that will force both of the tapers all the way in, and the load will stop the pins spinning as you tighten the nuts. You need to aim for the point where the jack is almost lifting the car, but not quite. Some of the boots on the top joints are a lot thinner than the OE ones, and make it look like the pin hasn't gone in as far as it should.
 
Also worth checking the threads on the balljoints, even if new :wink:
You haven't lost your mojo if you're still working on it Rich :)
 
rockdemon said:
Jack up under the lower arms
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Exactly what i tried. Wonder if the hole it goes into at the top is mis-shapen?
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I would have thought that if that were the case then the joint would have fallen out when it was dismantled, which certainly wasn't the case from what I remember. If that were in any way loose it would have been knocking its head off on the road, and would have shown lots of witness marks when it was dismantled.

If you can't stop the pin turning with the nut, then if the thread is in good condition, all I can think is you're not putting enough load on to hold the pin. I remember thinking the same as you when having the same problem after re-shimming the top and bottom joints on a mini way back when I was 13....... (Before I knew better.)
 
The ball joints are brand new from Wins so should be perfect. Maybe it's just me messing stuff up and not really understanding how. Going to leave it alone for now.
 
rockdemon said:
The ball joints are brand new from Wins so should be perfect. Maybe it's just me messing stuff up and not really understanding how. Going to leave it alone for now.
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Are the new nuts nylocks or castle (use a split pin to lock)? I've had trouble with nylocks having enough drag to spin the taper and solved it by using plain nut to lock the taper in, then replacing it with the nylock.

Yours
Vern
 
They are nylocs - maybe that's it... I'll have to see if i can get some correct size nuts i think...
 
so the nuts i need are 15/16 and 7/8 in diameter. Will they be just 15/16 and 7/8 UNC or UNF? And if so which?

Thanks guys...
 
rockdemon said:
so the nuts i need are 15/16 and 7/8 in diameter. Will they be just 15/16 and 7/8 UNC or UNF? And if so which?

Thanks guys...
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The size won't be the spanner size, it will be the thread size, which if they are repro joints could be Metric.
 
Standard I'd expect to be UNF, but the book, as helpful as ever, lists them as "Special Slotted Nut", which is about as much use as nothing......
 
Maybe you can reuse the old castellated nut to make up until the taper is tightened enough to stop it spinning. I have done that when making up new tapered balljoint with new nyloc nuts. That it of course if the new and old have the same threads. Regards, Barten
 
harveyp6 said:
Standard I'd expect to be UNF, but the book, as helpful as ever, lists them as "Special Slotted Nut", which is about as much use as nothing......
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They are UNF. Or were anyway. Those wrench sizes are (assumed they follow UN std) for 9/16 UNF & 5/8 UNF threads.

I think the nuts are "special" because they are shallower than the std nut. Certainly the nylocks you get now with the joints tend to be jam nuts, not full height.

Yours
Vern
 
If you are using AF spanners then most likely UNF on the threads.
I have had difficulty with Nylocs and tapers before, too, so it's quite likely you are experiencing same.
 
Still having issues with this.

I cant get it on and I cant get the nut off. Either the nut or joint threaded itself on the first attempt. I also know why... (i think...)

2014-12-14%2015.59.43.jpg



I mailed Wins and apparently these are a job lot so he couldn't tell me thread sizes or anything so I went to go and get a nut to fit the identical spare top ball joint i have. The answer was 9/16 UNF but it wouldn't screw further in than the nut had been done up in storage. I think the one I have stuck on the car has got down to this same point and threaded itself. So Forum, my question is, is the only course of action to cut the nut / taper and undo the top ball joint from the top of the turret and replace it?

Thanks,

Rich.



p.s. anybody know any classis friendly mobile mechanics in the leicestershire area that would just come and sort this for me?
 
Is that as far as the taper goes into the top arm? I'm struggling to see why jacking up under the lower arms until the weight of the car is forcing the leg upwards isn't enough to stop the taper turning. I've never experienced that.

As for someone else to cast an eye over it how about asking Stan Vaultsman as he's pretty clued up, and from what I remember pretty close to you. A fresh pair of eyes might spot something obvious.
 
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