Drop links: everyone's favourite!

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Hi David,

I thought you'd like to know that I've found out the reason for this. With the road spring relaxed and the hub hanging under its own weight, the anti-roll bar link bottom balljoint pin is 3 cm lower than the hole in the anti-roll bar.

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.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by Mike Noc

Are you joking Simon, or don't you understand how anti roll bars work?

No, I'm not joking Mike and I do understand how anti-roll bars work. Do you? I'm sorry but your remark is flippant rather than helpful to forum members.

Originally Posted by Arctic

... all you need to do is push down on the roll bar ...

Hi Steve,
We know that the anti-roll bar is fixed to the subframe at the two saddle clamps and, by definition, it is designed to be a rigid device. I know that you are writing from experience so you must have had to apply considerable force to force the eye of the anti-roll bar through 3 cm. I used a jack to raise the hub instead.

Edit, later the same day.
I've just done the other side and had forgotten that I'd temporarily supported the anti-roll bar on blocks in order to reconnect the saddle clamps (to renew the suspension arm rear bushes). On this side I could push the bar down by the necessary 1 cm but you get better control by jacking the hub/strut assembly up instead.

Simon

[Arctic]

Originally Posted by SD1too

No, I'm not joking Mike and I do understand how anti-roll bars work. Do you? I'm sorry but your remark is flippant rather than helpful to forum members.

Hi Simon.
Depends on how strong you are you could always use a bar between the front subframe and roll bar but yes quite an easy job to change a pair of drop links 45 minutes maybe.

[Mike Noc]

Originally Posted by SD1too

No, I'm not joking Mike and I do understand how anti-roll bars work. Do you? I'm sorry but your remark is flippant rather than helpful to forum members.
Simon

The best, and safest way to replace droplinks is to jack either the front or rear of the car up and place it on axle stands or other means of support.

Anti roll bars are torsion springs, and like any other spring you should never work on them under tension, which is exactly what you are doing leaving the opposite wheel under load. With coil springs you need compressors and with torsion springs you just need to equalise the turning moment at each end.

Originally Posted by SD1too

Hi David,

I thought you'd like to know that I've found out the reason for this. With the road spring relaxed and the hub hanging under its own weight, the anti-roll bar link bottom balljoint pin is 3 cm lower than the hole in the anti-roll bar. It simply cannot be fitted unless the road spring is partially compressed by some means.

Simon

This would not be the reason MG Rover gave the advice they did. RAVE wasn't written for back street mechanics, it was compiled to assist dealerships in maintaining their customers' cars. If you had poked your head round the door of a dealership workshop back in the day you would have seen droplinks being replaced with the car on either a two or four post lift.

They would never have done what you did, and if any forum members are taking on this job I repeat, do it the safe way and relieve all the tension in the anti roll bar before dismantling anything.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by Mike Noc

The best, and safest way to replace droplinks is to jack either the front or rear of the car up and place it on axle stands or other means of support.
Anti roll bars are torsion springs, and like any other spring you should never work on them under tension, which is exactly what you are doing leaving the opposite wheel under load.

You've made two assumptions there Mike, both of which are incorrect. It's a wise move to read a member's whole thread to familiarise yourself with the detail before rushing in with all guns blazing.

[clf]

Originally Posted by SD1too

I'm sorry but your remark is flippant rather than helpful to forum members.


Simon

Originally Posted by SD1too

It's a wise move to read a member's whole thread to familiarise yourself with the detail before rushing in with all guns blazing.

I am dumbfounded. This thread would take longer to read than actually do the task and if I was new to doing such tasks, I would have been put off doing it myself.

I feel placing the How To HERE will help others not to be dissuaded from doing a simple job.

[SD1too]

Originally Posted by clf

I feel placing the How To HERE will help others not to be dissuaded from doing a simple job.

Alan, I'm beginning to believe that you haven't replaced an anti-roll bar link on a 75/ZT yourself. Have you? Any job that requires grinding down spanners and shortening badly designed parts cannot be described as "simple".

Also, Steve's guide deals with removal of the original, now obsolete, link. Dealing with the later parts, which many cars will now have, is a lot harder due to the factors I listed in post number 1!

Simon

[Mike Noc]

Originally Posted by SD1too

You've made two assumptions there Mike, both of which are incorrect. It's a wise move to read a member's whole thread to familiarise yourself with the detail before rushing in with all guns blazing.

Originally Posted by SD1too

Alan, I'm beginning to believe that you haven't replaced an anti-roll bar link on a 75/ZT yourself. Have you? Simon

Originally Posted by clf

When I have done mine, I turned the wheel/hub in the direction of the side I am working on....

Simon it's a wise move to read the whole of your own thread to familiarise yourself with the detail before rushing in.

Well I have changed a fair few droplinks over the years and like Alan am dumbfounded. It is basic fitting work and a simple enough job but like any job you either need to have the right tools for it, or modify what you already have. The cheapest of cycle spanners will work fine as you only need to overcome the force of the Nyloc when tightening the top nut. If the old top link is seized it can be cut off with a bit of care using a Dremmel in a couple of minutes.

As for getting original parts it would appear that they are no longer available, which isn't surprising given the length of time since MGR's demise. Aftermarket manufacturers will often use generic ball joints in many applications to keep costs down.




.

[SD1too]

We all like a thread to be resolved, particularly one which has turned out to be much longer than intended.

I started this thread to ask if anyone had come across a brand of drop link which, like the original, could be removed and fitted using unmodified, standard tools. As it became clear that no-one had, I began investigating the suitability of specialist tools. I have added a summary of the result to post no. 1, for clarity.

My target audience is those club members who are experienced in car repairs but who hadn't yet needed to replace their drop links and would appreciate warning of some of the difficulties they were about to face.

To clear up a potential misunderstanding resulting from the critical comments by a very small number of contributors to my thread, the job I have being doing is not just fitting new drop links. They were an unexpected addition to a much bigger task, namely replacing two broken front springs, removing both lower arms to fit new rear bushes and new outer balljoint rubber boots, cleaning and greasing the suspension bearing and fitting a new damper dust cover. This has given me a new insight into some of the things I read on the forum about the front suspension.

Simon

[clf]

Originally Posted by SD1too

Alan, I'm beginning to believe that you haven't replaced an anti-roll bar link on a 75/ZT yourself. Have you? Any job that requires grinding down spanners and shortening badly designed parts cannot be described as "simple".

Also, Steve's guide deals with removal of the original, now obsolete, link. Dealing with the later parts, which many cars will now have, is a lot harder due to the factors I listed in post number 1!

Simon

Just a few times simon ..... front and rear.

Steve's guide also deals with how to effectively (and safely) overcome such obstacles, and with some detail, which not only instills confidence in his ability and experience, but they also instill a confidence in me, that I started to lose when I started buying more modern cars.

Some things are.not as complicated or as engineered as you might imagine. Perhaps the manufacturers you have contacted will have explained why the threads of replacements are actually as long as they are? One reason explained to me (by an agent though, not a manufacturer), was that the 'ball joints' are a universal fitment, and welded or tacked to a rod in a position for a particular vehicle. The same joint is then used in a different position for another, perhaps with a shorter rod etc.



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