Tough Nut

[clarenceboddiger]

I've spent today removing the "Hockey stick part of the exhausts" and trying to get the nut on the chassis side of the Offside engine mounting undone.After 2 hours on the same nut I have given up,I can get a cranked ring spanner on to move it a few degrees but not enough to allow the spanner back on for another part turn,no chance with a socket,and an open end gives the same problem as the ring spanner. These must be put on before the body,unless I'm missing something obvious.Its a 17mm,just in case it shouldn't be.
The bottom of the plate on the chassis has a plate across it for strength,presumably,I am considering cutting this plate out enough to access from below unless someone can tell me they have got this undone and if so how,weired shaped spanner?? special tool,Voodoo.


I have tried jamming the ring spanner on and using a chain wrench on the rubber part of the mounting ,its seems solid.

Edited by clarenceboddiger on Sunday 10th September 18:22

[GreenV8S]

I've had some places in the past where I had to turn an open ender over every time top let me get half a flat on it. Your ring spanner is presumably a 12 pointer so if you can't even get a 12th of a turn on it must be *really* restricted. I've got some nice 72 point ratchet ring spanners which would solve the problem, the head is only slightly bigger than a plain solid ring spanner so unless space is really tight that might be something to try.

[clarenceboddiger]

I will give the 72 point tools a look at,thanks.Now you've mentioned that,I think I will also have a look at the Clickless ratchet type (if they do them on spanners)I recently bought a small ratchet that uses this mechanism and it is absolutely brilliant in restricted places where a normal ratchet would not make a 1 click turn,or will turn but the nut is too slack to operate the pawls (I think they work via rollers in a ramp,similar to the clutch mechanism on Honda 50 Mopeds).

Edited by clarenceboddiger on Sunday 10th September 18:53

[ijbd]

if a ringspanner fits, a pipewrench should fit. Or is the pipe too high?
There are also thinwalled sockets. Thinner than the ring of a ringspanner.

mvg Boudewijn

[clarenceboddiger]

Done it!!!!!!!!
Greenv8s gave me an idea with the suggestion of more points in the ring.Thanks again!!,I managed to borrow 4 different 17mm ring spanners from friends.The Britool (CM17 Stamping) one has the points in a different position to all the others including Draper,Elora,Hilka.I managed to get a minute turn with my original spanner then used the Britool spanner to do the same and kept alternating between the two ring spanners.
Once the nylock part had cleared the rusty thread the nut jammed solid on it and I was unable to stop the engine mounting from turning (theres only half the rubber left) fortunately there was now enough room on the engine side of the chassis plate to get a junior hacksaw in and cut through the stud.I now intend to put the engine bracket back up in the space above where it rests,feed the new mounting rubber up and drop it into the chassis bracket,drop the engine bracket onto the top of the mounting rubber and finally bolt the bracket back to the engine block.I think this is the only way I can do this renewal without removing lots of parts and having to jack the engine right up high against the body.

[GreenV8S]

Wow, that was a good bit of lateral thinking! I can't take any credit for that, but well done for the idea and for sorting it out in the end.

[clarenceboddiger]

New engine mounting is on,It needed a few shims and takes bloody ages to tighten at about 3-5 degrees per spanner .
If anyone is tackling this job is worth noting that both Britool and Kamasa have have their "stars" cut out in the same way,ie different to draper and the others also you will need an old 17m combination spaner (50p at car bootsales)cut in half to tighten the nut on the top of the engine mounting.The engine does not foul anything but the exhaust hockey sticks need to be off.

PS once the rubber mounting is in place between the engine and chassis brackets,bolt the engine bracket back to the block before tightening the 2 nuts on the rubber mounting's studs,you will struggle to locate the holes otherwise as the new rubbers are not pliable.

Edited by clarenceboddiger on Sunday 17th September 07:53

[Mr Plow]

Good news that you have it back together, can I ask how much clearance you have between the sump and the Anti roll bar, I have changed my engine mounts, but still haven't got a get deal of clearance between the two?

[clarenceboddiger]

I reckon about 25mm clearance,however I did have to put about 6-8mm of shims on the mounting as the one I bought was thinner than the original. I noticed whilst doing it that the chassis mounting plate has a vertical slot in it as opposed to a round hole if yours is like this maybe you could fit a thicker mounting (assuming your current ones are at the bottom of the slots)
I bought the EM670 from the following company for about £8.00 ea delivered
www.southwalesprops.co.uk/propshaf

If I was buying again I'd obviously get the thicker ones.If you want to try just raising yours up the slot and shimming both sides of the rubber I have plenty of 50mm Dia slotted Shims which you can have(saves taking the mounting off) again just check the position of the studs through the brackets if they are low down you have room for shims.Let me know if you want to try the shims.