Wheel alignment

[Andy Moltu]

While replacing the diff bridge I too the opportunity to replace the trailing arm bushes. Oddly they were new one side but not the other. No idea why as no evidence of damage on the trailing arm and a minor repair to the n/s chassis the only thing to find. However there was a huge disparity between the number of shims. In the absence of evidence of damage to the chassis I decided to put the shims back with an equal number all round. Just got round to checking the tracking and it is a fraction of a degree (10 seconds toe in) which is pretty much as it it should be AFIK pending the chance to have a 4 wheel alignment done.

The more I work on the car the more I am convinced the previous owner (or his mechanic) was thick, lazy or stupid.

Sundays finding: when I took the door cards off to put the springs behind the door cards i discovered the door handles were held on by wood screws!

Another one which was even more bizarre was the thermostat housing cover mounted upside down. The top hose never looked right and I stared at it times wondering what the angle looked wrong. Until someone else spotted the obvious.

Suspension bolts left loose, not too loose as to be dangerous but nevertheless just badly done.

Not to mention the metric bell housing bolts. The list of silly, sloppy errors continues. 

Hopefully running out of niggles to sort.

 

[RogerH]

Hi Andy,

If all the TA shims came out of one side could it have been to give the correct wheel base compared to the other side.?

 

Roger

 

[Andy Moltu]

I thought of that too but the pattern was symetrical effectively giving too much toe out (or in) with an equal amout on both sides so I doubt it had ever/recently undergone 4 wheel alignment.

My suspicion is that someone had just been incompetent. Or they had tried to align it with knackered bushes.  The through bolt on one side was on the wrong way preventing removal so either had been like that since it was built or more likely when the body may have been off or at least the sills off.

Taking them apart was fun with a hack saw given the copious amonts of black Waxoyl sparyed literally everywhere on the underbody.

[stuart]

48 minutes ago, Andy Moltu said:

  The through bolt on one side was on the wrong way preventing removal so either had been like that since it was built or more likely when the body may have been off or at least the sills off.

 

They were fitted that way from the factory as a fail safe so they couldnt drop out if the nut ever came undone.

Stuart.

[Andy Moltu]

Thanks Stuart.

That would explain the n/s but the o/s must have been replaced at some time then.

[stuart]

16 minutes ago, Andy Moltu said:

Thanks Stuart.

That would explain the n/s but the o/s must have been replaced at some time then.

Yes most people fit them the other way in the mistaken belief that it will be easier to remove the next time having just fitted poly bushes that are never going to need replacing in their lifetime.

Stuart.