Bringing a 740 back to life

[Challo]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

I bet the steering feels a lot more positive now Chris, even if the alignment is way out! Don't forget to check-tighten the central bolt in a few days! Unless you used Loctite and the method i described before of course.

Not checked the feel as yet, had to take the Mini out for a spin.

I used Loctite as suggested so should be good to go.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Challo

Changed the bushes this morning. Quite easy compared to other repairs I have done on the car. They didn’t look too bad in terms of wear.

Got it booked in Friday to get the alignment checked. Hopefully the new bushes mean the front can get aligned properly this time.

Is that a pic of the old ones ?

[Challo]

Originally Posted by griston64

Is that a pic of the old ones ?

Yep they are the old ones I removed.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by griston64

Is that a pic of the old ones ?

What's left of them from the look of it Mark!

Not quite as bad as mine were, i can't post a pic of mine as you can't post pics of things that don't exist - all that was left were a pair of mangled spacer tubes, piles of mangled assorted washers (all at the front) to take up the slack because the rubber had long since departed.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

What's left of them from the look of it Mark!

Not quite as bad as mine were, i can't post a pic of mine as you can't post pics of things that don't exist - all that was left were a pair of mangled spacer tubes, piles of mangled assorted washers (all at the front) to take up the slack because the rubber had long since departed.

They are normally welded to the strut rod and you have to scrape them off ! I wonder if they are the originals ?

[360beast]

They're practically brand new, normally the metal that the rubber is bonded to has worn out of the rubber and has become one with the track control arm and the whole mess needs chiselling out, I've even had to beat a strut rod out of the bushes with a copper mallet a couple of times.

[Challo]

They look like they have defiantly been changed. The bolts came undone easily, and the strut rod was easy to remove.

For the sake of a few quid and an hours work made sense to change them. Hopefully that fixes the issue of not getting the alignment sorted.

[griston64]

Originally Posted by Challo

They look like they have defiantly been changed. The bolts came undone easily, and the strut rod was easy to remove.

For the sake of a few quid and an hours work made sense to change them. Hopefully that fixes the issue of not getting the alignment sorted.

Hope you didn't put cheapo rubber in as you will be changing them again in no time

[griston64]

Originally Posted by 360beast

They're practically brand new, normally the metal that the rubber is binded to has worn out of the rubber and has become one with the track control arm and the whole mess needs chiselling out, I've even had to beat a strut rod out of the bushes with a copper mallet a couple of times.

Likewise. The 25 year old ones from my current car are still sitting welded to the strut rod in the shed !

[Challo]

Originally Posted by griston64

Hope you didn't put cheapo rubber in as you will be changing them again in no time

Dave gave me a link to some, but they are cheap.