Morris Minor Owners Club

I need to change the bushes on the front suspension and so have proceeded to take it apart but am now stuck because the front nut is spinning on the fulcrum pin. I have removed the torsion bar along with the two suspension arms as they are all siezed together.

How do I get them apart?

there is another nut inside the rear suspension arm, that is probably loose and spinning. You will have to remove the torsion bar from the rear suspension arm in order to get at this nut.

I presume you have tried hammering the suspension arm to try and release it from the torsion bar and it would not budge. If this is the case, then:

I would grind (hacksaw or file ) the nut that is fixed to the fulcrum pin off so that you can dismantle the whole assembly, then you should be left with the rear suspension arm, the torsion bar and the fulcrum pin.

Then heat up the part where the torsion bar goes into the rear suspension arm (a lot), and while it is hot (and smoking) hammer the rear suspension arm off from the torsion bar.

Then when everything has cooled you should be able to undo the nut inside the rear suspension arm.

You may find that the eyebolt has worn oval and that the fulcrum pin is pitted and worn. While you have the suspension in bits it may be wise to buy a new eyebolt & fulcrum pin (you will need a new pin anyway after the grinding!!). I think that the eyebolt costs about a tenner from ESM spares.

If you don't fancy grinding the nut off the end, then you could try just heating the assembly up as it is, but the bushes will melt and you will have a hell of a mess to clean up afterwards.

Cam.

P.S. Thanks for the info on the DVLA previous owners!!

Typical five minute job, I'll just pop out and change the bushes, famous last words!

Anyway thanks, I shall get the burning gear out tonight.

Rear lower suspension arms came away with a good wallop and so all the bits now lay carefully strewn around the garage floor

Have new eye bolts, fulcrum pins, bushes etc and a new botton swivel.

Questions:

1. Setting up the torsion bar in relation to the rear lower suspension arm, is it a case of laying the rear arm on level ground and pushing the bar back into its splined orifice with the rear part of the torsion bar bracket 5 5/8th above the deck?

2. To replace the bottom swivel joint, does it just unscrew (therefore necesitating the removal of the back plate etc) or does it just drop off, with the fulcrum pin removed of course!

Thanks

Glad to hear that you got the arms separated.

Firstly, get some copper based grease "copperslip" etc, and apply it liberally to the splines on the torsion bar. It helps reassembly and if you ever need to take it apart again.

Answer 1: (do this bit last)

Fully reassemble the front suspension leaving the torsion bar until last.

Then slide the rear adjuster arm over the torsion bar splines, and slide the torsion bar splined part through the hole in the rear crossmember.

Then fit the splines on the front of the bar into the rear suspension arm, you might find that it needs a bit of coaxing with a wooden mallet on the end of the torsion bar.

THEN you can 'guess' at the correct spline location for the rear torsion bar splines relative to the adjuster arm. A lot of people mark the adjuster arm, torsion bar (both ends) and the rear suspension arm to aid re-assembly. But it's not the end of the world if you haven't.

When the job is complete and all the nuts are back on then you may have to 'fine tune' the adjuster arm to get the car sitting level again.

Answer 2:

Unfortunately, the bottom swivel joint unscrews (as does the top), but you have to remove the fulcrum pin first. And yes, removing the bottom swivel joint DOES involve removing the brake back plate.

On reassembly, make sure that you have greased the swivel joint well, then screw it on as far as it will go. Then unscrew it a bit until the fulcrum pin will go in.

Then, with the fulcrum pin inserted, turn the swivel pin up as far as it will go, and then down again, counting the number of turns going down until it stops.

after it has stopped, screw it back up again half the number of turns it took to come down (stop to stop), make sure it is facing the correct way, and Bingo, it's set!! Then attach it to the front & rear wishbone arms, put everything else back together, and you are ready for the torsion bar bit!!!

Good luck!