350i front ARB drop links

[Ultra Sound Guy]

Another daft question I’m afraid!
Does anyone have a picture of the Steve Heath drop link assembly?
I bought mine years ago and I think some parts have walked, just need to see how it assembles.

[KKson]

Here's a photo of mine after I refurbished them, plus a parts list if you need to make a new set.

https://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&...

[Ultra Sound Guy]

Thanks, you seem to be the source of all the answers I'm seeking at the moment!

I already found, and established , that the large rose joint assembly I have is part of it. I also found the retaining bracket and smaller rose joints but, as you can see below, the smaller rose joint has corroded badly for some reason. I'll get a couple on order.



A few supplementary questions:-
The large rose joint is a very tight fit! It will require some freezing of the ARB and a hammer to fit, did you find this?
The whole assembly seems longer than the original?
Are there any rubber/polyurethane bushes fitted?

Thanks again for being the font of all knowledge!

[KKson]

Hi, when i fitted the drop links to the 390SE it was tight getting the large rose joint on so I got a length of emery cloth and gave the ARB a really good clean up and mild abrasion which gave just enough clearance to slide the joint on with plenty of copper slip. I certainly haven't used a hammer to get them on in the past. Once I was happy with the drop link location I cut up some thick wall 25mm bore silicon hose which sandwiches the drop link either side to stop it sliding about. Bottom rose joints are cheap as chips so you would be better off buying a few new ones. Just double check the thread direction. From memory I think they were opposite threads but it's been a while.

Regarding the overall length, as long as both are identical then the ARB can rotate a little. Looking at yours however there appears to be considerably more thread on the small rose joint showing than on mine. Suggest you either try and tighten it in further or carefully cut a bit of the thread off to allow more to screw in. When you bolt it all up the two rose joints should be 90 degree opposed, and not both facing the same direction. Cheers.

[Ultra Sound Guy]

Thanks for that! Just cleaning the dust off my hands after emerying!
Are there any bushes fitted to the bottom or does it all clamp up tight?

[KKson]

On mine there were two dished washers, top and bottom of the lower bracket. It could be that at some point they weren't dished and the tightening of the bottom hex support pulled them in. The dished washers however do keep it tight and stop in sliding about. Cheers.