Drop links: everyone's favourite!

[clf]

Originally Posted by COLVERT

As you say--I think---Lateral thinking and preplanning can nearly always save time and money---and gashed knuckles.--

Not sure about saving time in this instance though ..... but yes lateral or perhaps alternative practice? With practice being the operative word.

Thinking about (and discussing) it, only to dismiss both practical and accepted practice, before even gaining personal practical experience is just ridiculous in this application.

Forward planning too, also helps. Doing a number of jobs in the one area can mean it beneficial to do one large job for thoroughness. Perhaps a subframe refurb whilst most of the components are out?

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[alanaslan]

I knew I had seen a link to this topic at last I have found it. Sadly drop links is what drop links are. Back in the distant past I bought a set of drop link spanners. I think it was from Frost they were a company who sold quality stuff for classic car repairers. ie engine enamel paint that was nice and thick so that an engine coated with three coats really looked the part. A very deep thick solid colour, lots and lots of pigment, they also sold the full range of Dinitrol products. and a very diverse range of specialist tools from suspension cone compressors to thread gauge plates to specialist access spanners. One of their special offers was for a set of drop link spanners. I duly ordered the spanners and also a set of crows feet spanners a set of thread gauge plates and a set of standard thread gauges to round the order up to a totally obscene amount I had added on a set of easyouts I think the whole lot came to about £200 by the time the excise man got his cut. most of the tools were American made the drop link spanners looked like my home made ones but were to a much higher finish. A set of spanners with different angled cranks either end each spanner had two ends both of which were the same size and the spanners covered most of the common sizes in which drop links came in. As I remember the metric spanners were twice the price of the imperial ones, and there was one size missing that I could relay have used on a cat a few years back seem to remember it being 18mm though I am not certain. the thickness of these spanners was just s nats whisker over 2.4mm whilst the jaw surround was not much over 4mm. they were made from Nymonic plate which was what gave them their strength whilst allowing them to be incredibly thin. whilst being incredibly strong.
For the man with the problem of fitting a spanner in on the shank of the drop link today the cheep option is to grind down the thickness of a suitable spanner on the bench grinder until the spanner fits easily on the flats of the link pin with out damaging the rubber boot. I have also seen kits where they have a selection of boots which are cut open in a straight line these you popped around the offending joint then applied a glue down the face of the cut edge when the two edges touched they were permanently stuck in that position, I guess it was a case of each to their own.
Sadly, there is no easy way to do this job you pick which ever method you prefer and Bob's your Auntie.

Best of luck to every one doing this job.
Alan

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by clf

... not by asking the question, dismissing qualified reason before even attempting it.

Originally Posted by clf

... only to dismiss both practical and accepted practice, before even gaining personal practical experience is just ridiculous in this application.

Alan; if you would like to point out where you think I did this I will give you the explanation.

Originally Posted by clf

I will certainly look at the method you have described, however, I would be wary of damaging the bolts that hold the ARB brackets onto the subframe .

Why would you be wary specifically of this? New ones are available from Land Rover parts departments and Rimmer Bros: FS 108256.

Simon

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by alanaslan

For the man with the problem of fitting a spanner in on the shank of the drop link today the cheep option is to grind down the thickness of a suitable spanner on the bench grinder until the spanner fits easily on the flats of the link pin with out damaging the rubber boot.

Agreed Alan and that's the method which Arctic devised. But isn't it ridiculous that this is even necessary when the flats could have been kept at their original size and a standard spanner used!

Originally Posted by alanaslan

I have also seen kits where they have a selection of boots which are cut open in a straight line these you popped around the offending joint then applied a glue down the face of the cut edge when the two edges touched they were permanently stuck in that position ...

That's one of those things which sounds smart in theory but, having renewed a couple of boots (on the lower suspension arm), it would be impossible not to contaminate the cut edge with the grease in the joint. Also it would have to be remarkable glue to withstand the constant flexion which the drop links have to contend with.

Simon

[clf]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Alan; if you would like to point out where you think I did this I will give you the explanation.



Why would you be wary specifically of this? New ones are available from Land Rover parts departments and Rimmer Bros: FS 108256.



Simon

I will let you go back through this thread to see your refusal to accept alternative practices and other engineered solutions. As you stated somewhere in it, youhave the time.

As far as the bolts go, I know they are replaceable, but a snapped bolt in the subframe would be inconvenient to say the least.

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[alanaslan]

Originally Posted by Arctic

Hi Simon.
I have changed out dozens of drop links and not once have i ever tightened the bottom ball joint with the car lowered onto its wheels, also i have never ever had any trouble lining up the bottom ball joint to the roll bar, all you need to do is push down on the roll bar, it's really simple therefore i can not understand the above.

I have to agree with Arctic hear, over fifty years of working on classic cars both as a hobby and business I have probably done over a hundred drop links the most recent was last month when I replaced the front and rear drop links on the spice tourer. The method I used is the same as Arctic describes. Nothing is impossible some things are just a little more complex than others.
Alan


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[alanaslan]

Originally Posted by clf

I will let you go back through this thread to see your refusal to accept alternative practices and other engineered solutions. As you stated somewhere in it, youhave the time.

As far as the bolts go, I know they are replaceable, but a snapped bolt in the subframe would be inconvenient to say the least.

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Bolts and set screws on our cars are meant to be single use.
Where possible you should not reuse a bolt setscrew or nut, when changing subframes on 75s I always replace the subframe bolts.
And every bolt I remove I replace as a matter of course with a new one of the same or higher specification.
I see from many of the posts that the grinding of spanner’s is common place.
I have always said that design and construction engineers and those in the drawing offices should be made to work on and service the plant and buildings they design. They would make things in a very different way. Always when building anything think of the poor bloke who has to work on it after installation.
Alan


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[alanaslan]

Regardless of what method you find suits you stick with it we all have our quirks in the way we do things. For myself when I was younger my first concern was always can my oversize hands fit it that wee space. Now with age and health against me my first concern is can I get out of bed. Then can I walk with out my sticks.
Or is it going to be a wheel day.
Everybody just keep doing what you are happy with.
Happy drop link changing
P.S the best way is have someone else you trust do the job. I say this after having just having done all 4 last month. I admit I am now to old.
Alan


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[clf]

Originally Posted by alanaslan

Bolts and set screws on our cars are meant to be single use.
Where possible you should not reuse a bolt setscrew or nut, when changing subframes on 75s I always replace the subframe bolts.
And every bolt I remove I replace as a matter of course with a new one of the same or higher specification.
I see from many of the posts that the grinding of spanner’s is common place.
I have always said that design and construction engineers and those in the drawing offices should be made to work on and service the plant and buildings they design. They would make things in a very different way. Always when building anything think of the poor bloke who has to work on it after installation.
Alan


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I wasnt concerned about reusing or replacing them (I replace and still have the £72 invoice for the fastners related to the rear suspension lol). My concern, though would be the intact removal of such bolts or other fasteners, when other areas were photographed previously with a fair bit of corrosion. I did have a snapped ARB bracket bolt snap on me off the car on the rear. But it is now drilled out, with the subframe sandblasted, painted and rethreaded in the attic awaiting its service.

Design and construction engineers do their job, they are paid to make things as efficient and as inexpensive to manufacture. They are even thinking of the poor bloke who has to remove it, by designing dealer only tools and handbooks etc (RAVE and T4 in our case), they are even thinking also of the even poorer bloke who has to pay for the removal to the dealer lol.. I do get your point though, as we live in a disposable and convenience society, maintenance is no longer considered a saturday afternoon practice. Even checking tyre pressures is now considered 'not my job'.

[alanaslan]

Originally Posted by clf

I wasnt concerned about reusing or replacing them (I replace and still have the £72 invoice for the fastners related to the rear suspension lol). My concern, though would be the intact removal of such bolts or other fasteners, when other areas were photographed previously with a fair bit of corrosion. I did have a snapped ARB bracket bolt snap on me off the car on the rear. But it is now drilled out, with the subframe sandblasted, painted and rethreaded in the attic awaiting its service.

Design and construction engineers do their job, they are paid to make things as efficient and as inexpensive to manufacture. They are even thinking of the poor bloke who has to remove it, by designing dealer only tools and handbooks etc (RAVE and T4 in our case), they are even thinking also of the even poorer bloke who has to pay for the removal to the dealer lol.. I do get your point though, as we live in a disposable and convenience society, maintenance is no longer considered a saturday afternoon practice. Even checking tyre pressures is now considered 'not my job'.

Puzzled I am! Just did the Spice tourers back, Front, and brakes, the only thing needing done was one front bottom wishbone the rest was because I had most parts in stock. And if I haven’t done it when I did. I probably would need to put it into a garage when the parts failed, getting to old and frail. Don’t tell the wife I admitted it.
All the bolts for the rear subframe and top and bottom arms including the rear trailing arm and back plate bolts cost me less than £25 fifteen of that was the 4 subframe bolts to body.
When these things become a total pain is when you have to cut out sections of floor, fabricate new ones and weld the sections in exactly the right place.
I am tempted to say bring back real cars where you have a chassis and everything mounts on to its own little outrigger.
Take your point about them thinking about the service engineer. But wouldn’t you love to get your own back. Just once?
Alan


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