Lower wishbone/Suspension Arm Removal
 

Just a quick question regarding removal of the lower wishbone removal.

My 75 failed it's MOT this morning on the ball joint having excessive play. I have a breaker that had the lower suspension arms replaced and only did about 5 miles before it was take off the road & I bought it.

Is it just a matter of 'breaking' the 2 ball joints and then pulling the wishbone out? or would it be better to remove the hub/spring etc. first to make it easier.

Any help would be appreciated. :D

The inner balljoint is a tapered so will need breaking, and the outer balljoint that connects to the lower part of the hub is a parallel fitting so it won't. Then it's just the two bolts that hold the rear bush on.

Easy enough as long as the bolt holding the outer balljoint comes out. You can use the weight of the car to break the inner balljoint, or if it's tight the weight of the car and a bit of shock loading, or if it's very tight both of those and some heat on the frame, or if it's tight as...... then add a bit of freezing spray to the balljoint, and if it still won't budge then more of all of the above till it does. ;)

Bit more info here as Pete has recently done his:

http://www.the75andztclub.co.uk/foru...d.php?t=129830

Mike

Thanks Mike.

Will post tomorrow to let you know how I get on..... hopefully with a couple of lower wishbones off the motor :D

Good luck Richard, it feels really good to be on this side of the job. Getting the arms out is a bit of a fiddle especially if the inner balljoint is seized as you don't want to damage it if you're reusing it. The biggest hassle is access to the bolts on the rear bushes both in removal and especially the refitting of the front bolt as you can barely get your fingers in to start threading it in. Mike's 6'' G clamp tip made it a bit easier to get things started on the refit. I didn't remove the anti roll bar clamp as that also looked a pain to access too and as i couldn't get a socket on the bolts to tighten them to 150nm as per the Haynes manual i used 2 spanners end on end to tighten them as tight as i could plus plenty of copperslip for when i may have to do them again in the year 2022!:panic:

Luckily (or not) I won't be refitting them, as some other work is needed for the MOT so will all be done by them :D
I will just be supplying the parts.

When you say 2 spanners end on end, what exactly did you do? I had a problem getting the front bolt on the rear bush off because i couldn't get enough leverage, so i ended up welding a steel bar on the end of a ring spanner, but what you describe might have avoided this.

Oh well..... 3 hours for swearing and nowt! :mad:

Who-ever fitted it must of used a windygun, I cannot move any of the nuts.

So tomorrow will be phoning round getting the bits ordered

Unfortunately the nuts and bolts can corrode and seize with age. Soaking with Plus Gas or other release oil overnight, bit of shock loading with a hammer and drift and localised heating with a blow torch can all help.

Mike

Dont be shy with it. Get agricultural with all of the above.
The wishbones get treated far worse by uk roads anyway.

I found that a 12 inch long cold chisel inserted as a bar between subframe and wishbone and then jacked up on, with lots and lots of plusgas and 3 in 1 oil eventually shifted mine. You have to use the weight of the car when you are diy'ing on the floor. Pros will use a lift and a very long suspension claw, oh well.

I went back and got angry.... And undid the 22mm nut with the aid of an 18" bar........

The one in the hub is cream crackered.... Undid the lock nut with a bit of swearing, but the bolt is big time shagged. The head of the bolt sheared off!!

Oh Bum :shrug: