7 replies to this topic

[letsoffroad]

I must be i guess, but i'm going to ask the question anyway....  Just got my Mini back from the body shop on Saturday - full respray and unfortunately it needed some panels that were not in the budget, but it got them anyway!.. The body shop is over from where i work so i popped in every so-often to take so progress pics, but now it's done and back home again.

 

A few electrical gremlins fixed and all seems fine now, but i opened the box with the new suspension cones in, and really wished i'd had time to fit them before the bodywork was done... but hey ho..

 

I used to work on Austin Rover cars as an apprentice, but it's about 28 years ago (the age of my mini!) since i last remember changing a cone, so i did a bit of research beforehand. The rears are a doddle, but i just couldn't remember if you have to remove the top arm to do the fronts. According to you guys, there seems to be a 50/50 split between those saying you have to remove the arm (uncle Haynes included), and those that say you don't.

 

So, before starting i rang up my garage mate who's fitted hundreds of 'em in his time and he says he's never taken the top arm off unless the threads strip in the cone.

 

Great, i'll try it without then and only take the arm off if i need to.... The Minispares compressor tool worked great apart from it didn't want to let go of the old cone, but could i get the very flat old cone out of the subframe? Not a chance!

 

I had 2 large pry bars on it, but there was no way it was going through that gap, and if it did there was even less chance of the new one going back in as it is 3/4 of an inch taller!!... So i took the top arm off and all went well after that!!

 

Tomorrow i've just got the left hand front to do, which it looks like i'll need to take the radiator out to get to the pin fixings unless you know some other way?

 

So, am i missing something ??... i must be 'because there's no way on my 1985 car that the flat front cone was going through that hole.... answers on a postcard !!! 

 

If it's worked, i have attached a picture of my Mini doing its acrobatics in the paint shop!!!... i want this lifting gadget in my garage !!

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[maccers]

Yep, I removed the top arms to first of all get my old cones out, then fit coil springs, then a few months later replace them with rubber cones, and once again took the top arm off. I suppose the fact that you cant compress a coil spring easily or with the tool means the top arm needs to come off..!!

[sonikk4]

You dont have to take out the rad to do the l/h side. there should be a small cutout in the inner wing at the bottom where you can get a spanner in to undo the retaining plate and the nut.

 

Don't get me wrong its fiddly but very doable as in this picture. Just done this job very recently including a seized in cone compressor that was a ******* to sort out.

[letsoffroad]

Well, pleased that's done... went with the radiator removal - the 'keyhole' surgery looked a bit too fiddly !!.  Was going to remove the red anyway to give it and its cowling a new coat of black, so i decided to do it now. Made top arm removal a ten minute job as well.

 

I cleaned the fan with T-cut as well, so it's nice and clean, also repaired a water leak, so all in all i got a few other jobs done as well. Car now has about 3 inches of clearance between the wheel and the wing but i imagine this will settle after a while. Old cones on the front were about an inch shorter than the new ones and someone had been there before and fitted some spacers in between the knuckle and the trumpet - pleased i noticed them before refitting!!

 

Thanks for the replies and advice from you guys and Minispares....

[Dan]

  Spacers between the knuckle and trumpet were standard from '84 to around '90.  After that taller knuckles were fitted instead.  I don't think you've said what car it is but if it's on 12" wheels it will normally need the extra height these parts give for clearance.

 

  It will settle yes, and will need to have the tracking checked after this.  Leave it a good 8-12 weeks before you do it.

[letsoffroad]

It's a 1985 city e on 12" wheels, when i saw the spacers i wasn't sure if they should be there or not, so i called Minispares to see if they could advise. They were fairly sure that there should be no spacers so i removed the knuckle and sure enough the spacers were very badly filed out washers that someone had obviously fitted to compensate for the sagged cones, so i took them out. Am pleased i did as the car sits fairly level now!!...

 

I did remove the rebound stops, but it didn't really make any difference. The cones seem to be about 1/4 inch wider than the width of the gap in the subframe turret so the cone would not sit flat to slide through the gap above the arm. When i put the new cone in, it went in on end then rotated up into the open sides in the turret and hung there while i put the compression tool on.

 

I will have the tracking reset in a while, the mini is a summer toy, any idea on what sort of mileage i should do before considering the suspension 'settled' or is it a combination of time and mileage ?... Hoping for some good weather so i can use it a bit more!!

[Dan]

  It's just time really.  People try bouncing on the car and weighing it down but none of that really works.  From new Minis had a tracking check at 3 months in the service schedule to allow for this.

 

  The car should have either spacers or tall knuckles, the spacer is part 21A1845 and Mini Spares should know better given that they describe all this in their product listing for knuckle joints.

[letsoffroad]

Thanks, i'll check it out... i guess it must already have the taller knuckles 'because the spacers were definately home made, but the car does sit level now so i guess it must be right... At least i hope it's right, i don't really want to do it all again!!