Morris Minor Owners Club

Rob
The biggest problem for the Minor tie bar bush is that the tie bar does not properly articulate at its front and rear end.
Because it is fixed at its rear end the tie rod has to articulate in the same arc(s) as the lower thick/thin suspension arms which loads the tie bar bushes leading to quick wear.
Having the protrusion helps to put off the day of tie bar bush replacement.
If the rear end of the tie bar was articulated the front tie bar bushes would not be subject to the same loading/wear as it is in OE form.
Because of this non articulation I modified and adapted a Mini rose jointed tied bar kit to fit my Minor.
Phil

Looks good!
Similar to the adjustable stainless steel clutch rod kits I make for the MG T-Series.
Regards
Declan

Ideally the rose joint should be at the rear of the tie bar where it attaches to the thick/thin suspension arms.

I suspect a workshop in Düsseldorf has just gone into overdrive producing another marvelous Minor upgrade.

Don

That rose-joint mod looks to be worth doing. Not very difficult or expensive for the home mechanic to fabricate, either, and naturally allows for adjustment of the caster angle. Another thing to add to the work list...

Fingolfin
If you intend to fit the rose joint kit you will need a lathe to turn a stepped washer that fits to the front face of the tie bar bracket.
The step/reduced diameter of the washer is fitted inside the tie bar bracket hole once you have removed the two cup washers from the front and back face of the tie bar bracket.
I would not recommend the use of a rose joint at the front of the tie bar if the vehicle is being used on un-made road surfaces. The rubber/poly bushes allow some variance in the fore and aft movement of the tie bar during its operating/movement arc.
Phil

That's probably sensible, Phil - some of the roads around here are more pothole than pavement. And I do occasionally drive on gravel roads, too. Still, the rose-jointed tie bars are a great idea!

Would it be practical to retain the rubber/synthetic bushes together with a rose jointed tie bars to provide some compliance for typlical driving conditions?

Don
If the rose joint is installed at the rear with the poly bushes retained at the front the best of both worlds is achieved.
All it needs is a new yoke with 3/8" tail manufacturing to contain the rose joint so replacing the existing yoke bolt.
As the existing bolt is 5/16" OD I would suggest that a 3/8" rose joint will be sufficient.
Phil

Thank you Phil.
Of course, it would be a simple matter to incorporate some tie-bar length adjustment.
I wonder whether it would be worth doing for a Minor used for not-particularly-exhuberant driving on the road.

Don

That rose joint would be right in the 'splash' zone. I've seen fancy rubber gaiters but my (limited) experience has been that water finds a way in, regardless of what you do.

JLH does an "uprated" tie bar but is quite expensive at £80.00/side.
http://www.jlhmorrisminors.co.uk/suspen ... -bars.html

It could be done a lot cheaper than that.
Regards
Declan

Declan
The only advantage with the JLH tie bar is that you can adjust the steering geometry.
It still does not get over the fact that the rear end of the tie bar is fixed to the lower suspension arms and therefore has to move in the same arc as the lower front suspension arms which may not be the same arc as required at the front.
The only way to achieve independent arc movement is to have rose or moveable joints at both ends of the tie bar.

I bought the whole Mini rose jointed tie bar package as it came with all the items I needed http://www.minispares.com/product/Class ... lassic/tie bars.aspx|Back to search .
All I had to do was remove the front end from the Minor tie bar and cut a 1/2" UNF thread on the bar. If you can make the brackets and stepped washer all that is required is a couple of 1/2" UNF female rose joints which is a lot cheaper than the full rose jointed kit.

Rob
The rose joints fitted to the front of the tie bars have rubber seals fitted and so far appear to be working at keeping the crud out.
Water ingress is not a problem as water lubricates nylon.

Don
I would suggest that fitting rose jointed tie bars to a normal road going car is not required or advised .

Phil

I made a new silicone mould and it makes life a lot easier. I also rounded off the edges on the bush. This is what the final product looks like.
Regards
Declan

Declan
That bush is looking good.

What shore hardness did you finally end up with?

Phil

Phil,
That bush was 72° shore this morning and could very well end up too hard. I won't know the final value for another few days. They take 5 ... 7 days to fully cure. I am experimenting with the mixing ratios. The PUR resin I am using is rated at 40 ... 70° shore A.

Regards
Declan

Declan
Many thanks for the reply.

Phil

Phil,
Would I be correct in assuming that the front bush is without the protrusion or could I use the same mould?
Regards
Declan

Declan
Both front and rear bushes are the same Pt No: ACA5264.
The protrusion of both near equates to the thickness of the tie bar bracket which is 8mm.
So to answer your question the same mold can be used for both bushes and it is important for the reasons given above that both bushes have the protrusion.
Phil

Thanks Phil!
Regards
Declan