Springs and things

I've done a bit more this afternoon. First of all I finally have a spanner that fits the balljoint nut so I can get a little more torque on it:



It's a handy size - a 30mm for this and the radius arm nuts, and a 24mm on the other end which fits a number of the M16 suspension nuts and bolts.

Now, let's get the anti-roll bars off



The radius arm bolts are coming out as well because now I have a press I can renew the bushes in them.

And the other side. It's hard to imagine that once upon a time this shapless mass of rust was a pin, castle nut and split pin



And here's the new stuff in situ:



I was going to just replace the bushes and ball joints, but Paddocks complete kit looked like a bit of a bargain. The only thing I have had to re use was the brackets and bushes that fasten the bar to the chassis. Mine are smaller than the ones supplied in the kit, and there isn't enough metal available to drill new holes for the larger ones. Never mind - I'll get some little ones at a later date and replace them. They'll do for now.

Now let's have a look at those radius arm bushes. Here's one being pressed out:



It needed a fair bit of pressure to shift it:



I've started on the front radius arms. Here are the old bushes getting pressed out. No pictures of the pressure gauge because they didn't put up much resistance. I've put new ones in and replaced the driver's side radius arm - no pictures because it was getting dark. More tomorrow.

Time for another update on today's activities. This was what I needed to get undone first thing this morning:



Why, I wonder, do Land Rover give you bolts which are so long? There's loads of rusty thread sticking out to get the nut past. Fortunately the impact wrench makes short work of these things now, but it used to take me ages. Here it is out of the vehicle:



And here's where it came from, still wet with Plus Gas. Now let's get the remains of the anti-roll bar mechanism out.



Pressing the old bushes out of the radius arm, I managed to get the outer jacket out at the same time. You can just see my socket embedded inside it. So I had to cut out open anyway to retrieve the socket, so not much of a time saving really. Just nice to do it all in one go:



Here's a new one going in. I'm getting good at making them go in straight first time:



All ready to go in:



Might as well do my track rod ends seeing as I have had to take it off to get the anti-roll bar out and the radius arms off. The new end has been in the shed all last winter, hence the surface rust.



And finally, here's a shot of the finished job. Just checking to make sure I've tightened everything:



And another to show off the track rod end:



A late lunch, of coffee and cakes mostly, and I was off for an experimental trundle round the countryside before it got dark to try it out. Nothings fallen off so I must have remembered to tighten everything and put the split pins in.



I've discovered what January's job will be already. With the track rod disconnected, it was apparent that the steering swivel bearings could do with renewal. Nothing's actually loose yet but they move a little too freely - none of that pre-load you lot keep trying to measure with spring balances - and there's a slight notch in the straight ahead position. So that'll be the next job. I keep wanting to save up for a re-map or an overdrive kit, but just keeping it in brakes, ball joints, bushes and springs seems to take all my money and spare time.

Finally, I thought I'd press the old rear suspension ball joint out of its bracket so I could put a new one in and it'll be all ready to go next time I need one, after another 60,000 miles or so.



I'd cut the lugs off it so the bracket was resting directly on the press bed plates and the ram on the top of the ball joint casing and started pumping. Look how far round the dial I managed to get:



The pictures blurry but you can see how far into the red bit I managed to get before the relief valve sabotaged my efforts. At that pressure the frame of the press was distorting and the bracket was bending but the ball joint wasn't coming out. If it's that much trouble I think I'll just buy another bracket next time I need one. I've distorted this one now anyway.

I am a bit confused as you mention doing the rear radius arms then fit a new ARB ?????

Also by uprating the ARBs I assume you dont do much offroading?

Those A Frame ball joints take a proper load of force to get out lol, I nearly broke the press at work getting mine out

Tuskenraider said:

I am a bit confused as you mention doing the rear radius arms then fit a new ARB ?????

Also by uprating the ARBs I assume you dont do much offroading?

Those A Frame ball joints take a proper load of force to get out lol, I nearly broke the press at work getting mine out

Click to expand...

An ARB? No, that wasn't me. Oh I see, for a moment I thought you meant a lockable diff. Maybe you mean anti-roll bars. What I've fitted is pretty much standard. It's just that the complete kit including new bars was on offer for not much more than the price of all the ball joints, bolts and bushes etc. separately. Probably just as well, because although I've not put pictures up, the old ones were wearing away where they went through the bushes on the chassis and had 'necks' to them which would have failed eventually. I've put plenty of grease on the new ones so they might last a bit longer. Yes, most of my miles are on tarmac.

I was referring to this photo and the few after it.



You are talking about take the radius arms off but thats the Anti Roll Bar

My mistake. I'll edit it. In that particular picture both of them are on their way off and I said radius arm twice rather than each one once.

How much is a polybush kit these days ? I need to do all mine
I dont have a press so think cutting ect is going to be best

chrisyleigh said:

How much is a polybush kit these days ? I need to do all mine
I dont have a press so think cutting ect is going to be best

Click to expand...

I see the cheap'n'cheerful Britpart kits are going for around £50 plus VAT, and the Floflex ones a little more. I shelled out for a Superpro kit at around £140 as looking at what people have to say about them, they seem to be the best thought of of the polybush type, and they say they're guaranteed for 36000 miles. Once the polybushes are in of course it is dead easy to change bushes so if I get 36000 miles out of mine I will be happy.

Brown said:

I see the cheap'n'cheerful Britpart kits are going for around £50 plus VAT, and the Floflex ones a little more. I shelled out for a Superpro kit at around £140 as looking at what people have to say about them, they seem to be the best thought of of the polybush type, and they say they're guaranteed for 36000 miles. Once the polybushes are in of course it is dead easy to change bushes so if I get 36000 miles out of mine I will be happy.

Click to expand...

Cheers for the reply

I bought the Floflex kit, was about £65 off ebay.

But then i wanted orange bushes