In case you don’t have the manual.
That picture showed the tool the factory boys used for consistency on thousands of chassis, but anything you can come up with that does the same measurement is fine. I just used a measuring tape.
That picture showed the tool the factory boys used for consistency on thousands of chassis, but anything you can come up with that does the same measurement is fine. I just used a measuring tape.
Thank you Rob and Steve. I do have a manual, but it’s a really bad copy and I find myself getting frustrated while reading it. It’s time I get a better copy. It appears that the tool is a mock shock absorber. It seems easy enough to fashion. Thank you again.
I have my front suspension parts on order, so hopefully next week I’ll report in… or ask more dumb questions.
john
Hi Rob, while waiting for parts, l’ve been taking the front suspension apart. Now got to the lower front wishbone lever, the nut is off but I can’t shift it from the lower rear wishbone lever. The bracket C3058 seems to be firmly stuck on the pin. Tried a crow bar and a hammer but don’t want to break anything. I can, just about, move the anti roll bar bracket. Any ideas ? Mike
The shaft is rusted inside the hole. First clean off any rust you can with a wire brush. Then heat up the wishbone with a propane torch. The idea is to expand it so the hole is a bit larger than the shaft. Then spray in some penetrating oil. Use a box wrench on the shaft to you don’t ruin any of the hex points. It may take a week of doing this every day. If that doesn’t work, you may need an oxy/acetylene torch to get it hotter.
Thanks Rob, I expect heat might work but you’re confusing me, the nut is off so there’s nothing hex to use a wrench on. Unless you mean on the other side of the main wishbone lever which is the shock absorber lower mount but, I don’t see how that would help ?
Hi Mike…done this same job only a few months ago…heat and penetrating oil…do you already have the other end loose…you will need it to be…and i had the wishbone off the car on the bench…Steve…ps i couldnt get the shock mount bolt/shaft out…so left in in place
Yes, I mean the hex on the other side. It is one long shaft with the hex in the middle.
BTW don’t be tempted to hammer on the threaded end.
You can put the box wrench on the hex and hammer on the wrench. There are even wrenches made for that purpose. Or put a long pipe on it as a cheater bar.
Thanks Rob and Steve, I wasn’t sure if the shock absorber pin and the wishbone bolt were all the same part. Now I know they are although, as you see in my photo, the shock absorber is held in place with a small bolt in the end of the pin, not with a split pin though a hole in it. My RHD coupe was built at the end of 1953, maybe there were a few minor changes.
Yes, Steve, the other end is undone but still in place with poly bushes.
I didn’t know how old all the bushes were and was surprised to find they are poly but, they are not a tight fit on the pins so they just move freely on them which doesn’t seem right to me.
I’m replacing them with rubber, which are a tight fit so the rubber does it’s job.
That’s interesting, but it is not a factory change, the split cotter pins continued on the 140/150. No doubt somebody thought the split cotter pins were not good enough and made that modification.
I did a similar thing with my rear shock links.
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Mike, I hope I am understanding your issue here. I just recently took apart my entire suspension. In my case, that lower link would not move until at least the outer rubber bush (cone) was out.
john
Hi John…were the 120 wishbone bushes metalastik so rubber with a bonded inner sleeve/top hat metal…or just plain rubber…the 150 bushes are metalastic bonded type…i had a real problem getting mine out and had to chisel the inner bonded sleeve to get it off…cheers…Steve
If they’re Metalastik, and I suspect they are on the 120 (my car’s a 140), I do the job in a vice by burning the rubber out with a MAPP torch and then very carefully dissecting off the remaining steel sleeve by cutting with a hacksaw until I can get grips on it to ‘peel’ it off the shaft. The shaft has very fine splines on it to grip the bush and stop it rotating. You need everything loose to dismantle the tie-rod, as the forces holding it at the front end are not in line with the axis of the pin.
The nut replacing the split pin for the shock absorber is definitely not original, but if it’s strong enough it’s a good idea. I was almost tempted to cut a thread on that shaft myself, as it is really difficult to compress the new rubber bushes far enough to allow the fitting of the washer and a new split pin when reassembling. I ended up removing the parts to compress the shock absorber bushes and washer in a hydraulic press to get the new pin in. Healeys, Triumphs etc. of the period all used a slotted nut or similar for this job, making it so much easier - the XK is the first car I’ve come across to use split pins, apart from my old Series 2A Land Rover. But then, it’s the oldest car I’ve restored, apart from my Riley - and that has André Hartfords, so no split pins or nuts involved.
Thanks everyone, I hope I’m not boring you all, at 74 I’m new to this game.
Just to refresh, I’m trying to replace the front suspension bushes ( currently poly which don’t seem right to me )
and all the ball joint gaiters. ( some were split, some without locking wire, one just not fitted properly. )
I’m fitting metalastic rubber bushes, top arms not a problem as the poly ones were a loose fit on the shafts !
I suspect the lower ones are the same.
Current issue, apart from the lower front wishbone being stubborn, is my concerns about the torsion bar.
With the lower wishbone jacked up a bit, I can loosen, and hopefully remove, the smaller bolt holding the torsion bar muff.
Then, with the jack removed so the lower wishbone assembly is unsupported, I have loosened the large bolt holding the muff.
I have not done anything at the adjustment end of the torsion bar. I have marked the torsion bar and muff.
NOW, what I need to be sure of is that the torsion bar will, in this situation, have no tension so that
if I take out the muff bolts there will be no “spring” to contend with.
AND, I guess, if that’s all ok and the muff ’taps’ off the torsion bar, it will need supporting so it doesn’t just drop on the floor !
Then can I get to all the lower bushes ? Hopefully without taking off the lower wishbone shaft, or is that advisable anyway ?
Mike
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Hi Mike…you really should follow the instructions in the service manual…also in my opinion the reason your struggling to remove the tie rod is becaus its much easier with the wishbone on the bench…Steve
Mike, presuming that the car is resting on something else like jack stands or whatever, you can take away that scissors jack now. The lower wishbone will swing down to the point where there is no tension on the torsion bar. Then you can take the muff off.
In theory you can get the bushings off with some persuasive tools, maybe chisel and hammer. Easier on the workbench, but possible on the car. You may find the remnants of metal sleeves, which can be chiseled off.
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Steve H, mine were Metalastic. Are these the originals? I had a very hard time removing them unti I learned the trick. As shown in Rob’s picture, if you bend the metal flanges of the metal sleeve 180 degrees apart, you can grab the sleeve with vise grips and then rotate the bushing outward.
john
Thanks again Rob
Once I get the swing arms and the muff off I hope there won’t be a problem getting the bushes off,
as they are poly bushes and I think they are loose on the shafts, unlike the rubber ones that should be a tight fit.
The car is on a scissor lift so the car is 4 feet up and comfortable to work on the suspension but not so good to work under the car.
Mike
Mike
Before removing the lower susp. shaft make sure you identify it clearly for the install procedure as Forward and Rear as the mounting supports are different thicknesses.
Two of the four securing bolts are shoulder bolts and they will be seized onto the shaft. I had to use a floor jack to push the bolts out so that I can remove the lower shaft.
The rear torsion bar adj, does not have to be touched. and torsion bar can stay in place while you carry out the bush repair.
Just do one side at a time so lower susp. shafts do not get mixed up.
Thanks Rob and everyone, all helpful. Front suspension work all done, now for the rear. I might be asking questions soon !