Morris Minor Owners Club

Kingpin and steering arm ball joint removal, if the whole lot is being stripped down then this is by far the most straight-forward way of seperating the two, at least Ive found it this way, the split pin was easy to get out when the steering arm is inverted.<br><br>

EYE bolts, rusted in and not budging..yet, left to soak for a while and lets see....<br><br>

kingpins partway cleaned up, close inspection shows no cracks or damage, the thread seems sharp and well defined.<br><br>

here's a comparison shot of a partway cleaned up torsion bar and an untouched rusty one.<br><br>

davidmiles wrote:the thread seems sharp and well defined.

David, do you mean sharp pointy threads or flat square threads ?

If there is any play in the threads on the kingpins then they wont pass an MOT. So give the trunnion, the part with the female thread in it, (when screwed to the top and returned back one full turn) a good sideways wiggle if you feel any knocking, they may be ok if the trunnion is replace (about £7 each from suppliers). If they still knock then the male thread is worn. The club spares can recondition them for you, or you can simply buy new ones when they become available.

Check that the grease nipples let grease through, and grease them well. Check that none of the trunnions are cracked and let grease through the cracks... you don't want these failing, I've had a cracked one. Also check the pin for wear going through the base of the trunnion, these only cost a few quid each if worn. Also while the pin is out check the bushes for wear, where the pin rotates. If ok assemble and paint them up, they will look new!

if the thread is sharp and well defined then they have wear

the ends of the threads should be flat

aupickup wrote:if the thread is sharp and well defined then they have wear

the ends of the threads should be flat

That's why I was asking Dennis - I didn't want David getting too far in on parts that will need replacing

they look square to me, what do you think?<br><br>

the top one4s dont seem to bad

it is the bottom ones that wear the most though

Look OK to me but I'd fit new trunions though all the same (assuming the other ends look the same)

Ok, Ive just been out to the workshop, clamped the kingpins in a vice and given both ends a good strong wiggle, there's no movement at all, but they will need new fulcrum pins both ends and the boots over the threads are in a dreadful state, they will need to be replaced as well.

you can buy all the rubbers and the fulcrum pins seperate so no problem there

like psl says may be worth fitting new trunnions if you feel the need to

David, before you spend to much time on the eyebolts is there any wear in the top half? Usually worn the same size as the suspension pin. If so they will need replaced.

The picture of the kingpins is the top link isnt it? Its the bottoms that usually give trouble. Carefully remove the fulcrum pin and then you can unscrew the bottom link, hopefully it will look as good as the tops!

This is the passenger side eyebolt from the lowlight and it was scrap, I reckon it the bush had never been replaced before.<br><br>

ah yes i remember..... was that passenger side or drivers side. If it was passenger side i am now on a diet........

Thanks Gents, thats useful info there, looks like I'll be replacing the trunions to be on the safe side, whats more, this drum from the f/o/s was a tuffy to get off, in doing so Ive damaged it. these are cast metal so I guess I shouldn't even consider weld repair... just scrap and get new?<br><br>

also get new eye bolts

Also on my shopping list are a pair of new tie pins/rods, the one on the left sheared off when I tried to undo the end bolt that secures it to the chassis. it had rusted right down to a narrow circumference, the intact one on the right is better but still worn, so...<br><br>

try bull motiff he is good on delivery
esm also and you are not far from them

quite right, new eye bolts on the list too, I hope I'm not depressing you all with all these rusty bits, I promise some shiney new bits later on<br><br>