Morris Minor Owners Club

I made a start getting the back axle on today - And can't remember what goes where! With not having rubber saddle bushes, do I need the plates still? The axle feels a loose fit without them, but they foul before everything's flush if I fit them.

I can't see how it doesn't use them as without it doesn't look like there's much at all to locate the axle between the U bolts!

Plates? Not sure what you mean. The lower part with the shock attached and the axle perch (on the axle) are all that are there, afaik. Of course, my memory may be failing me - I'll go out and check...

You need 2 plates either side, the lcv plates are approx 7/16 thick and are solid.

Now I'm very confused - what plates, where?


(pic just 'cos I can...)


a

They are situated on the top and bottom of the spring, located by a hole in them that sits over the bolt that holds the spring leaves together. The top one locates on the axle bracket and the bottom one sits on the shock absorber mounting plate. ie the spring is sandwiched in between.

btw, you've only got a couple of weeks to get that pick-up finished!

Not gonna happen, I'm afraid - no cash for MOT or insurance Now you mention the plates, yeah, I remember - just didn't spot them by torch light when I went out for a look, and it's been a few months since I did an axle. You'd think I'd remember, given the number of times I've put axles on that car...

les wrote:They are situated on the top and bottom of the spring, located by a hole in them that sits over the bolt that holds the spring leaves together. The top one locates on the axle bracket and the bottom one sits on the shock absorber mounting plate. ie the spring is sandwiched in between.

That's the ones!

Without them it seems the U bolts have a long way between supports, and the axle doesn't really have anything to locate it. With them, one side fouls top and bottom on teh inner holes, the other side only on the lower plate.

I'm using saloon plates, but I can't imagine there's any difference? Chances are it will all pull together when i torque the nuts up, but before making everything more than finger tight I want to be sure!

les wrote:They are situated on the top and bottom of the spring, located by a hole in them that sits over the bolt that holds the spring leaves together. The top one locates on the axle bracket and the bottom one sits on the shock absorber mounting plate. ie the spring is sandwiched in between.

Actually, re-reading - I *don't* mean the solid "bushes" that sit where the rubber ones would on a saloon - I mean the saddles that normally would press teh bushes to the spring. Just to clear up any confusion!

hi, dude

I recently put the van rear suspension back together.

Apparently the vans originally had these solid plates (as described).

You can't get them now, so you have two options:

a) wrestle the decades of solid rust off the set from some old springs, clean them up and use them

b) use the saloon set-up of a metal plate top and bottom, acting as the bread in a sandwich padded by flat rectangular rubber (or poly) pads of the same shape and slightly smaller, put either side of the spring. So the pads are next to the spring, top and bottom, and the plates are set to the top and bottom of the pads, holding them in place and locating everything on the U bolts. You do seem to need the rubber pads if you are using the saloon metal plate set-up, yeah.

Not sure if that helps?

wibble xx

wibble_puppy wrote: Not sure if that helps?

Oh dear, I'm not making myself very clear am I?

I have the thick metal plates that go on the springs (because I'm using the old springs). But the axle doesn't seem a very snug fit when rested on them. One side isn't too bad, but the other side is a little sloppy - It's probably corroded away over the years (the rest of the car had!).

I also have a full set of new saloon pressed metal plates/ saddles, that the rubber bushes sit in. The sloppy side is nice and snug if I put one of these in, but the other three foul the spring/ thick metal slabs.

So if I've understood the replies, what the pickup should have is:

Bump stop
Axle
Thick plate (on spring)
Spring
Thick plate (on spring)
Damper plate

Is that right? I'm not sure what stops the U bolts shifting around if that's the case, unless it's just down to getting them &*&% tight!?

oh, i see!

yeah your list is correct, dude.

The thing which stops it all moving around is the huge big bolt running vertically through the centre of the spring and bolting the metal pads on to each side of it. There's also a boss in the centre of the metal pads, with a hole through for the bolt. I think that's right - that's what it looks like through the rust on mine, anyway. The bottom end boss and bolt locate down through the damper plate and the toppermost ones locate up through the hole (the deliberate one) in the axle bracket. After that, yeah, I think it's just a question of doing up the U bolts v v tight.

I'm attempting to use the funky new "upload picture" function to show a view of my own pile of rust, being disassembled

wibble xx

wibble_puppy wrote:
I'm attempting to use the funky new "upload picture" function to show a view of my own pile of rust, being disassembled

That's less rusty than what I'm putting back together!

The joys of rescuing an LCV and having no time, money, skills or space to do it anywhere near properly...

Such a clean hand!!!! Best to wear Marigolds (pink or otherwise) - and a ring spanner or socket is v much less likely to slip off the nut and damage your knuckles on something hard. Open-end spanner is 3rd choice for just about any nut/bolt job - really only for use where no other tool can get access.