rear damper pivot pin

[Willie]

Could someone please tell me the diameter of their rear upper
damper pivot pins? My 1957 car has 1/2" pins which doesn't tie
in with the 5/8" pins mentioned in the modifications section of the
'Technical Manual'.

[SR]

ello mate ,7/16th spanner fits or 10mmish on the 55 ,just noticed its bent too,steve

[Willie]

Oh Gawd! That has thrown a spanner in the works Steve! My pivot
pins fit a 1/2"AF spanner perfectly and are a slightly loose fit on a
13mm spanner. There is no way that a 12mm or smaller will fit so
your 10mm spanner suggests that your '55 pins are narrower than
mine! ( this is a surprise since I though that these pins have always
been the same diameter on all Minors). If I look at a spares catalogue
it just says 'rear damper link arm' and 'rubber bushes for link arm'
with no mention of year of manufacture being important. Someone
else needs to help here.......has anyone out there got a damper
pivot pin which is thicker than 1/2"?? (on a car,not a van). I am
talking about the PIN, not the nut on the end.

[Willie]

Is there nobody out there prepared to help me out here? Some of you
must have a car in its stripped down state so that it's easy to check
the OD of the rear damper pivot pin on the chassis side member. Come
on RAY or BRIXTON please give me some info. Is it 1/2" or 5/8"??????

[SR]

willie, just checked 71 trav/pickup type thing, same mate ,7/16th spanner fits,steve

[Willie]

STEVE......There may be a difference in the diameter of these pins
on the later cars but since you have checked your early car and now
your late model you seem to have covered that possibility. You say
a 7/16 spanner fits both of yours, a 7/16 what? AF, BSF, Whit??
A 1/2"AF just slides on to the pin on my car and it actually reads
0.499thou" on the micrometer. I have checked with a Minor specialist
who confirms that the rubber 'top link bushes' supplied to fit this pin
are identical on ALL models so that says that they are all the same size.
Thanks for your input though.

[SR]

AF mate

[Willie]

STEVE.....thanks, your 7/16AF would not go over my pin!!
(7/16 =0.4375" whereas my pin is 0.499") which,obviously, is
a difference of 1/16". I know that there are aftermarket repair
sections available which include a new pin, are there any signs that
your chassis have been repaired in that area??

[Willie]

Well, aprt from STEVE nobody seems that interested but in case
any of you are thinking of following the modification of converting
the original top rear damper pivots to accept telescopics the
following are the actual dimensions. The pin is 1/2" diameter(not
5/8" as stated), the thread on the castellated nut is 3/8BSF (not 5/16
as stated). Given these new measurements it would seem vital that
a bracket is fitted to the boot floor which would support the end of the
extended pin. I am referring to the article in the 'modifications' section
of the 'Minor Matters Technical Manual' (November 1989)

[Cam]

Well, aprt from STEVE nobody seems that interested

Or perhaps some of us have not been in a position to measure the said article........

[brixtonmorris]

sorry wille ive been busy away from minors recently.