Anti roll bar

[Harryhotrod]

Has anyone got pics of ESM anti roll bar fitted

[philthehill]

Have a look at the video in the link below:-
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b2YcMi2LqBk
I have a ESM anti roll bar fitted but have modified the mountings and link to the lower suspension arms.

anti roll bar link 1.JPG (808.72 KiB) Viewed 2192 times

anti roll bar mount 222.JPG (134.84 KiB) Viewed 2192 times

I was not too happy about the way the original connection between suspension arm and anti-roll bar works so came up with the link photographed above.
The anti-roll bar mount has been doubled to spread the loading. The mount brackets are additionally held by two heavy duty riv-nuts (two per plate) inserted into the bottom of the chassis leg.
The plastic anti-roll bar bearing is additionally held with a plate which has raised nuts (threads drilled out) on the inner face which then sit in the hollows of the plastic bearing. The plate keeps the plate in place and stops the plastic bearing collapsing.

[Harryhotrod]

I like the ends you made

[Harryhotrod]

All fitted already feel the difference

[philthehill]

Well done
I hope that you fitted the plate as shown in my photo above.
https://www.merlinmotorsport.co.uk/p/an ... e-arb-mb-3
There is an inherent weakness in the way the plastic mount is secured. The cap headed bolts holding the plastic mounting bushes fret/wear/compress the plastic and the mounting can then come loose as a result.
Fitting the plate in the link above (as per my photo) removes the possibility of fretting/wear/compression so ensuring that the plastic mount is held securely at all times. You will need slightly longer bolts to suit..

[stuupnorth]

hi
any pics of the anti roll bar ends attached to the front suspension arms??
cheers

[philthehill]

stuupnorth
I will take and post some photos of the finished and fitted anti-roll bar link fittings tomorrow.
Watch this space
Phil

[stuupnorth]

cheers

[Sleeper]

... or you could reinforce the plastic fittings by filling with JBWeld prior to fitting,,,

Works a treat..

John ;-)

[philthehill]

As regards filling the voids of the plastic anti-roll bar mount block.
The several reports I have read state that the plastic bush had fretted under and around the 6mm cap headed bolts leading to failure of the mount block. Just having the head of the 6mm cap headed bolt and a spring washer is not good engineering practice as regards holding a plastic mounting block.
Having the steel plate (see link above) alleviates that fretting so reducing the chance of the mounting block failing.
Having the plate does not preclude my using J B Weld to fill the voids of the mounting block. One benefit of not having the voids is that the bearing surface between anti roll bar and mount block is increased so removing the grooved wear pattern to the anti-roll bar.
As I have fitted rose joints between the anti-roll bar and suspension arm the anti-roll bar is free to move sideways. The ESM standard fitting which attaches to and replaces the rear tie bar bolt restrains the anti roll bar. To restrain my anti roll bar I have fitted special anti roll bar clamps and large plastic washers which buffers up against the outside of the mounting block.
To get the ends of the anti-roll bar in the right position because of the Minor Mania negative camber eye bolts fitted I had to bend the rear facing arms of the anti-roll bar inwards by about 1/2" (each side).

roll bar 1.JPG (135.18 KiB) Viewed 1342 times

roll bar 2.JPG (142.47 KiB) Viewed 1342 times

[philthehill]

Photos now attached to the posting above.
There has been a slight change to the anti-roll link in that I have now fitted a 3/8" male to 5/16" female rose joint so eliminating the double threaded joining rod. This makes for more clearance.
The rose jointed link has been re-located to the rear of the suspension arm.
I have also changed the eye bolt bushes from the ex J4 Metalastic bushes to poly bushes to give a bit more articulation.
The anti-roll bar lateral movement restricting clip and large plastic washer can be seen against the anti-roll bar front mount.

[stuupnorth]

very interested in the tie bar set up
any more info on this the whole front end looks amazing very trick
any more pics of the set up
cheers

[philthehill]

Thank you for your comments.
When fitting the Minor Mania negative camber eye bolts you place the suspension arms further out from the chassis leg so allowing up to 4 degrees negative camber. This means that the original Minor tie bar is not long enough. As the factory fitted tie bar is non adjustable the caster angle is upset. Having a adjustable tie bar ensures that the caster angle can be set correctly and retained.
The front end of the tie bar has a rose joint fitted which is from a classic Mini tie bar kit.

Tie bar front mount.jpg (34.15 KiB) Viewed 1242 times

The tie bar has a R/H and L/H threaded piece in the middle to allow lateral adjustment without having to remove the tie bar.
The tie bar rear mount bracket is a Marina item. Using the Marina bracket does away with the original spacer which is between the thin arm and the Minor tie bar bracket. The Marina bracket has a much thicker base to compensate for not having the spacer.
My Minor has only been used on smooth surfaces so I would not recommend using the rose joint at the front of the tie bar if the car is to be used on rough surfaces as more strain can be imposed on the tie bar mounting bracket. For road use I would recommend a mixture of poly and rubber bushes at the front of the tie rod.
The outcomes of upgrading the anti-roll bar and front suspension are not dissimilar to the original parts fitted but they are better engineered.

[stuupnorth]

again many thanks for the pictures and the info about your set-up
and as for smooth roads in the UK some hope LOL