The 'E' Type Forum

I have just managed, after much swearing and knuckle bashing to seperate all my front suspension. It is or rather was probably the worst part of the car, having been quietly rusting away for 35 years or so. Anyway, apart from a suspect broken bone in my little finger, dont ask, its all apart. However, I have a question.

In the process of stripping the lower wishbones into the three constituent parts, i have had to use the press. I am now a little concerned that if you offer up the parts again, the hole for the shockabsorber mount will not line up between the two parts of the wishbone. Has anyone else noticed this, and is it a matter of applying pressure or usuing a taper guide when reassembling? I am just concerned that if they are slightly out of line, now is the time to straighten them before they are all tarted up? Thoughts please Gents?

I stripped my suspension completely (but used heat not a press), nickel plated everything and it all slid back into place with nothing more than a light coat of copper ease.

You should not need a press for anything in the front suspension unless of course you have bent it...

Hi Andrew......As per Chris...have recently stripped & rebuilt the front end, had the parts shot blasted & zinc plated & all lined up & went together with ease.........had to remove some of the plating on the wishbone splines to ease in the torsion bars.......you may have a slightly bent arm?......all the best Steve

Hi, I am little way ahead of you on this unenviable task. Stripped the lot right down. Reaction plate out, wishbones off etc. Had to use a press to separate the wishbones and to get the shock bolt absorber out. Once cleaned up I had no trouble in reaseembling the wishbones.
Time consuming job.........
still not finished......

good lcuk

meant to say, check the splines are all clean and the torsion bars slide in ok. A small triangular file helped me with this. the comment re copper ease is good advice.

Tim

well thanks guys. It would seem to me that although I did not apply a lot of pressure through the press, there must be a slight misalignment on the lower wishbone. It will be easy enought to straigten though. A job for tomorrow. thx a lot. A