Morris Minor Owners Club

This morning Hebe's new engine stay arrived.

I decided to fork out for the Mr Grumpy one, since I could see some shearing in the metal on the bottom of the battery box where the original mount is.

(I'm glad, since when I took the old steady off the engine block the whole thing came away - there was nothing holding it in place - no wonder she shuddered!)

Anyway -

Contary to the instructions, it doesn't take 10 mins to do...


It doesn't take TOO long but I found the following was useful...

1) Disconnect your battery. If you have a solenoid you're going to be playing around right by it. You don't want to get fried.. (I luckily have a habit of disconnecting the battery at every oportunity under the bonet... call it a nasty experience in my past...)

2) If you have a solenoid just by the O/S shock additional holes, take it off. I couldn't shift mine (and for want of not breaking what was perfectly secure I didn't try too hard) but I know the whole process would have been a darn site easier had I done so!

3) Make sure you have a rachet socket which will fit the two bolts which go into the extra O/S holes. I couldn't find the right socket, and it took a LONG time (space is limited) tightening these into place...

4) Assemble your four non-nyloc nuts on the shaft first, then put on your metal cups and rubber before putting it in situ. Then place in position, and make sure you lock the nuts together in pairs.

And voila!

Hebe certainly no longer judders!



Nikki

Which is fine, except when you need to find a tap/die to clear out the threads that the bolts are meant to screw into by the O/S shocker, like on my mog, where the stay is nearly completely defunked now but I cannot get the bolts into the holes....

I keep spraying it with spray oil and cleaning bits of crud out, but it's certainly not easy on mine....

Don't remember having trouble with mine, but it did come loose after a couple of years so it's worth to check the securing bolts every so often.

Which is fine, except when you need to find a tap/die to clear out the threads that the bolts are meant to screw into

You can always get a spare bolt and chamfer the end and then put a hacksaw cut down the bolt about half an inch should do, this often works as a makeshift tap and the slots help take up the dirt etc just take it gently and do it in stages, this is not foolproof but often works and if you have some cutting compound that will help as well.

The old dodges are sometimes the best Kevin. I remember an old Polish fitter (Ted the Pole) - he WAS grumpy - telling me that one.
Another old one( maybe already known) is that if you wish to grip a bolt at the threaded portion in a vise then cut a nut of the same size in half and grip using the two halves of said nut.