Hi All…xk150…just finished a rear end refurb so starting on the front…complete strip of suspension for bushes, bearings, balljoints etc…noticed that both front lower wishbone arms the round ones are bent…thought i had a major problem bug searched the forum and found its not uncommon…as im stripping it all down whats the consensus. …straighten or leave them…if straighten then do it cold on a press or heat. …cheers…Steve
Might depend on how far bent.
If only a few degrees I would try it cold in a 20 ton press.
If more than say 5 degrees, I would heat it up to orange and then the press, then slow cool.
I wouldn’t leave them as is.
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I straightened mine cold using a wood vice. My impression was that the metal was not particularly stiff. It bent back easily.
Just got all the front suspension off the car and given it a basic clean down…looking closer at the bent arm its only a round bar press fitted into the fitting at each end…one is bent a fair bit and has just pulled out about 1/4in from the fitting connected to the lower shock mount…i can see cross hatching…thinking it wouldn’t be too difficult to remove the bent bar and fit a new bar into the fittings…then just weld in position…Steve
Hi Steve,
Both mine were bent quite badly - I got some much better ones from Mike Read, but they shouldn’t be too hard to bend straight again. I think you would need to make a jig if you were going to weld new bar into the end fittings - not sure how you’d get the old ones out, either. You would need to know the exact dimensions for positioning of the fittings or you won’t improve matters.
Hi Roger…that was going to be my next question…whats the length of the bar…between the fittings…as can be seen in my photo the bar has pulled out of the fitting and you can see some of the x hatching…so even if i straighten what i have the lengths may be wrong…can anyone measure fod me please…many thanks…Steve…PS Jag spares day at Stonliegh next weekend in the UK…will have a look there as well
Hi Steve, following my pm, I thought I’d measure it now while I remember.
Measuring between inside shoulder faces of the fittings, one is 330mm, the other 332mm. So that’s 13" and 13 1/16", pretty much. The relative angles of the fittings I can’t measure easily with the suspension assembled (and not easy with it apart, I suspect…)
Right, trailer’s loaded so the Cooper S is off to the workshop now!
Roger
Thanks for the help…managed to get them both looking almost straight…appreciate the measuremente Roger…mine both came in at 333mm…put the rods inbetween two thick pieces of steel and in the press…will use them as they are and check to see if they bend…befor and after photo
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They look good enough to me. The replacements I got weren’t perfectly straight so if they sit against a steel ruler OK I’d happily use them.
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Interesting that its been such a common problem…supprised no one has made an upgraded option…Steve
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Maybe someone has, I haven’t looked. My Mustang has a similar arrangement for the lower wishbone and radius arm, and there are stock replacements and hundreds of aftermarket options with heim joints, knuckles etc. on the market.
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They are so easily straightened with a big hammer and a block of wood, why bother? Some were bent by impact, but lots of them bent by careless use of floor jacks.
You see these tension/compression struts on many, many different makes, quite often used with MacPherson struts, and it is VERY common to see them bent.
I remember with my E-Type, one was so badly bent I could not get the caster angle right, had to straighten it in a H-Frame press.
So the moral is to avoid potholes and things like that.