Near side A frame required - urgently
Discussion
So 390SE is in for diff rebuild and the garage has found that the near side A frame has been plated due to corrosion and the suspension bush melted due to the proximity of the welding. Officially no suspension part should be welded as this is an MOT failure, I'm told?
Anyone got a spare near side A frame they are willing to part with for a suitable exchange of cash? I've tried Douglas valley and they do not have any in, only the earlier trailing arms.
Anyone got a spare near side A frame they are willing to part with for a suitable exchange of cash? I've tried Douglas valley and they do not have any in, only the earlier trailing arms.
Try Adrian Venn as he may have a spare available on exchange.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/adrianvenn/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/adrianvenn/
Hi Keith...That sounds a bit of a nightmare....Is it the lower rear wishbone you need.....You could give Bell hill garage a call to see if they have any....Or call Richard Thorpe and see if he has anything...
Bell hill
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
RT
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Bell hill
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
RT
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Thanks for the replies. Just spoke to Richard Thorpe and he does offer a full repair service on the suspension arm. He did say that he's introducing a brand new arm later in the year which is good news.
I'll get the Wedge back, strip the arm off and send it up to RT to have it properly repaired, unless someone has a spare I can purchase?
Cheers.
I'll get the Wedge back, strip the arm off and send it up to RT to have it properly repaired, unless someone has a spare I can purchase?
Cheers.
KKson said:
SOfficially no suspension part should be welded as this is an MOT failure, I'm told?
Obviously your source is talking b
ks, the A frame arms are made by welding together about 6 pipes. and the shock absorbers have welds in them too, The front wishbones have welded pipe inserts. And they were made by Ford for a million cortinas.For those with trailing arms, these are welded together too. The hub carriers are welded up from smaller parts.
Adam, what he said was that suspension parts should not be subjected to heat treatment? The issue is there's a bloody ugly patch just welded over a hole in one of the various tubes plus one melted suspension bush right next to it, despite the Wedge having a clean MOT last August? I'm sure that had it been cut out and repaired correctly then there would be no issues. He's dropped the diff to sort out all seals (yes I couldn't be ar**d doing it) and I should get it back at the end of the week. I'll have a good look at how ugly it looks then. As you say it's only a selection of welded metal tubes so as long as it's repaired correctly there shouldn't be an issue. Richard Thorpe also confirmed that welding of the A frame is not an issue.
So this evening I had a look at long last to the A frame "bodge". It's not one of the cross bars that's been plated but right on the bush housing. I'm guessing that there must have been a crack in it so a plate was welded in place, but they left the bush there so it's melted and generally f**ked. The bolts into the hub are totally seized so I'll try the old WD40 but if no joy I'll remove the entire hub and see if my local garage can get the bolts moving. The A frame to diff cradle bolts are fine due to the recent diff rebuild.
Spoke to RT Racing and they can measure the bush housing, get a replacement to the correct dimensions machined up and then welded correctly in place.
Shocks are tidy looking coil over AVO's. The springs were tightened to an inch of death which is way too harsh for my liking so when the refurbed A frame is back I'll ease the spring and shock rates back to something more comfortable that is not likely to crack the windscreen!
Spoke to RT Racing and they can measure the bush housing, get a replacement to the correct dimensions machined up and then welded correctly in place.
Shocks are tidy looking coil over AVO's. The springs were tightened to an inch of death which is way too harsh for my liking so when the refurbed A frame is back I'll ease the spring and shock rates back to something more comfortable that is not likely to crack the windscreen!
The chassis, body and interior are all stunning. Suspension is an easy fix (it's only money!) so as soon as it drives okay I'll book the Mark Adams session to see what goes on engine wise. I did pop in the "old" ACT refurbed ECU instead of the Tornado modified unit and all was not well so the matched AFM and Tornado ECU does appear to be almost there.
When I stripped the rear end of my car, any bolts that were obstinate were dealt with by sharp application of a super-thin slitting disc in the angle grinder, then any remains came out when I pressed the bushes out.
The bushes are Imperial sizes, not Metric, so beware if RT or anyone else tries to replace that one with a Metric bush and new 12mm bolt as the bushes either side will still be Imperial and thus slack on the new bolt.
I wouldn't p155 about, frankly... go the whole hog and re-bush the whole thing. I sourced bushes that were the correct ID and OD but too long and then shortened them in the lathe.
New high-tensile bolts can be had from various online suppliers; you'll need a selection of lengths (good old TVR) up to IIRC 6.5".
The bushes are Imperial sizes, not Metric, so beware if RT or anyone else tries to replace that one with a Metric bush and new 12mm bolt as the bushes either side will still be Imperial and thus slack on the new bolt.
I wouldn't p155 about, frankly... go the whole hog and re-bush the whole thing. I sourced bushes that were the correct ID and OD but too long and then shortened them in the lathe.
New high-tensile bolts can be had from various online suppliers; you'll need a selection of lengths (good old TVR) up to IIRC 6.5".
Wedg1e said:
When I stripped the rear end of my car, any bolts that were obstinate were dealt with by sharp application of a super-thin slitting disc in the angle grinder, then any remains came out when I pressed the bushes out.
The bushes are Imperial sizes, not Metric, so beware if RT or anyone else tries to replace that one with a Metric bush and new 12mm bolt as the bushes either side will still be Imperial and thus slack on the new bolt.
I wouldn't p155 about, frankly... go the whole hog and re-bush the whole thing. I sourced bushes that were the correct ID and OD but too long and then shortened them in the lathe.
New high-tensile bolts can be had from various online suppliers; you'll need a selection of lengths (good old TVR) up to IIRC 6.5".
Hi Ian, the whole rear end is already polybushed so RT are going to fit new ones to the A frame. Richard said that they will measure the existing buggered steel bush carrier and then machine an exact copy dimensionally and then weld that back in place.The bushes are Imperial sizes, not Metric, so beware if RT or anyone else tries to replace that one with a Metric bush and new 12mm bolt as the bushes either side will still be Imperial and thus slack on the new bolt.
I wouldn't p155 about, frankly... go the whole hog and re-bush the whole thing. I sourced bushes that were the correct ID and OD but too long and then shortened them in the lathe.
New high-tensile bolts can be had from various online suppliers; you'll need a selection of lengths (good old TVR) up to IIRC 6.5".
Managed to get the whole A frame off the car, complete with hub, drive shaft and shock. With a bit of gentle heat on the old bushes I got the A frame separated from the hub but one of the bolts is well and truly corroded into the hub. I tried my longest socket set extension bar and all it did was bend! I've left it soaking in WD40 but I'm not confident it will shift so might have to get the garage to get some serious heat on it but I'm mindful that I don't want to damage the wheel bearing and ideally I don't want to remove the hub assembly. Still at least I can send the A frame off for refurb and I've got a couple of weeks to try and get the bolt out of the hub. Anyone got any top tips to getting bolts moving?
Just 2 cents but I started to say WD40 is not really a penetrating oil but then found this on their web site's fun facts:
"Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40® stands for Water Displacement, WD-40® Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal."
That said, there is a lot of antidotal evidence over here that other 'specialized' penetrating liquids work better at penetrating. Grady
"Fact: While the “W-D” in WD-40® stands for Water Displacement, WD-40® Multi-Use Product is a unique, special blend of lubricants. The product’s formulation also contains anti-corrosion agents and ingredients for penetration, water displacement and soil removal."
That said, there is a lot of antidotal evidence over here that other 'specialized' penetrating liquids work better at penetrating. Grady
Hi Keith...You could try some of this stuff...I have seen it in action and it works...I had a tin until i left it at a friends garage... 
Deblock oil
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
It can be expensive, Here is a slightly cheaper price but its all about the same...
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Deblock oil
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
It can be expensive, Here is a slightly cheaper price but its all about the same...
https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=...
Edited by mrzigazaga on Wednesday 6th April 23:13
Still struggling with getting the bloody bolts undone. Shorter bolt in the hub is still totally seized in. I bought a can of "freeze yer nuts off" (I joke not!). It's supposed to chill the bolt to minus 30C and free it up, but made no difference. I tried heating it up as hot as I dare but also no luck.
I did manage to get the longer shock mount bolt apart but the shock steel insert was totally seized on so I had to cut it off, so I'll be needing a new insert 1/2" ID and 3/4" OD. Anyone got any ideas where you can source these from?
Bolt wise I have ordered a full set of replacement high tensile bolts at the right lengths. Bought these from Westfield Fasteners. Easy website to find what you need http://www.westfieldfasteners.co.uk/
I'll order a can of the Deblock oil to give that a try. If no joy then it angle grinder time and cobalt drill bit!
I did manage to get the longer shock mount bolt apart but the shock steel insert was totally seized on so I had to cut it off, so I'll be needing a new insert 1/2" ID and 3/4" OD. Anyone got any ideas where you can source these from?
Bolt wise I have ordered a full set of replacement high tensile bolts at the right lengths. Bought these from Westfield Fasteners. Easy website to find what you need http://www.westfieldfasteners.co.uk/
I'll order a can of the Deblock oil to give that a try. If no joy then it angle grinder time and cobalt drill bit!
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