Cone compresor needed to remove the upper arm?

[vrooom]

was told by book of the lies known as hayes manual.

Do i really need to use cone compressor to remove the upper front arm ?

If not, what are the method of removing it?

Jay

[Cooperman1]

Yes, you must have a cone compressor. Without one you can't take the load off the top arm.
Even with the cone compressed it can be a bit difficult to get the top arm out.
I bet you get a dose of 'Mini Spanner rash!'.

[vrooom]

hehe i do have it.

The left hand of front suspesion, the bolt/thread got siezed up, and snapped off after spraying them with wd40.
Oh well, replaces the rusty bits with shiney bits is better thing to do. Mini do drain your bank account, but driving it after fixing it do bring the smile on my face back

Jay

[Chuggaboom]

I don't have a cone compressor....and have never used 1....but then all my minis have had shorter/adj cones in....having said that, I don't recall have a proplem with getting things apart the 1st time around on a car with std cones in....putting them back miight be a little more akward....but by then eveything is cleaned, if not painted, so easier to handle and see whats what ???

If it s not your every day car, just start and see what happens....best way to learn/find these things out.

[plotloss]

You can do it without but it requires fashioning what is effectively a cone compressor anyway. They are well worth the investment.

Top arm can be a right pig...

[TVR Slag's BIL]

I removed and refitted my NSF trumpet and cone today with out any special tools. I did have to remove the top arm and shock but seemed very easy to do, if not taking a little more time.

[sagalout]

go on then, how do you do it without a Cone Compressor?
Said hel ooking at the oil/rust covered lump under the wheel arch, having spent weeks rebuilding the fos bodywork.

[TVR Slag's BiL]

Ok, hope I get this right.

Undo the top and bottom swivel and track rod.

Move Disk assy. out the way

Remove the shock

Remove the bottom bump stop

Undo the 2 fasteners at the front of the top arm pin (behind Rad)

Undo 11/16th? Nut on the back of the top arm pin and pull the pin out forwards outbd of the Rad.

One thing be careful of the brake pipe going through the subframe on the NSF.

Hope this helps

[sagalout]

Rriighht...I think I get that, the lower arm, track arm are to be replaced, I haven't got discs, yet, so the drums are to go, the shocks off, the bump stop isn't, yet, how do you disconnect the knuckle from the trumpet/bottom arm.
ps, I am looking at the osf at the moment and have spotted the rusty brake pipe.
pps, do I need to put hi-los on anyway, if I am using the car for road/road rally use??
ppps why didn't i get one already built!!?? Oh yes, the fun of constructing my own.
Any resemblence between the original shape and the final product is purely coincidental.....pass that hammer/welder/grinder/hammer again...

[Plotloss]

Yep can see how you can get it off (slide big pin, remove hands quickly) but how did you get it back on?

[Cooperman]

Perhaps he hasn't tried yet?!
For what it costs, a cone compressor is an absolute must for anyone intending to do serious suspension work on a Mini. The other essential tool, in my humble opinion, is a good quality flywheel puller. For years I managed with a home made one using a piece of 1/2" steel plate and some long 3/8" unf bolts with big washers, but once I paid a few quid and got the right tool it made clutch changes in situ a lot easier.
I think I'll post a few good tips on a new thread.

[sagalout]

As I understand it, if you are putting HiLos back you don't need a compressor. But as I said do I need HiLos anyway.

[Cooperman]

I don't use hi-los in either of my cars and they seem quite competitive.
To get the right height I just use washers to raise the ride height,but then I always have to raise my cars to get the necessary ground clearance on unsurfaced roads.
You all probably know my views about lowered Minis - I think it spoils their handling on all surfaces other than track-smooth tarmac. Minis have so little suspension travel without reducing it further.

[sagalout]

OK. Convinced, thats saved me some cash, I can go and buy another 4'x2' sheet of steel now, and some more welding wire and some more gas....