12 replies to this topic

[ryomini]

Ahoy there TMfers

 

I am pottering along with my  1275 Spi build in the saloon section 'Project W'

I picked up these adjustable neg camber lower arms

 

I have not used this bit of kit before - do I need to be careful putting them in

do I need other parts to make them work or can I just replace the standard arms with these

do I have to put a 3mm plate somewhere to stop something getting stressed

 

this is new for me so if you have some info and tips, pointers that would be much appreciated

 

they are the ones with the swively ball joints, will they be ok, or do I need to put bushings back on them

 

cheers for the help

 

[nicklouse]

Did you get the 4 spacers as well? If no get some ordered from Mini spares.

You should also get the adjustable tie bars so you can have caster,camber and your tracking set correctly.

[kezzkitkat]

as above i also bought some dust cover of ebay for them seem to work well for me 

[minimissions]

I would be interested to see these fitted and which other part other than those actual arms that you need? new to these as well but would like to fit them in the future, its just just a washer and dust cover to go with them then?

Edited by minimissions, 02 February 2016 - 05:05 PM.

[ryomini]

thanks for the replies

@nick - do you really need the adjustable tie rods - I guess I could get some too, obviously tracking needs to be good, caster musn't be bad but I'm not looking for anything agressive, just a touch of neg camber in the front

 

no I don't remember that the guy sent me any spacers, will check the stores, thanks for the advice

 

@kitkat, so you got adjustable tie rods too ? did you need them in the end ?

[nicklouse]

Yes you need the adjustable tie bars as through adding camber you add caster. And if you are lowering as well you could find yourself with too much or not enough caster.

You could decide not and find that you do need them later.

[Spider]

The 'need' for fitting adjustable Radius Arms / Tie Bars may not be as obvious as it first appears.

 

Having all these adjustable bits on the front end should allow you to set the suspension  angles such that you can set up with less Neg Camber than you need , however, by increasing the Caster Angle this will make that Outside Wheel (when Turning) go more Negative in the Camber Angle as the Steering Angle increases.

 

It will make the steering heavier than is now, but not unduly so and you need to watch the wheels don't foul the wheel arches.

 

Having less (or zero) Negative Camber when the wheels are pointed straight ahead not only helps with tyre wear but also puts more tyre in contact with the road under acceleration and braking, however as the nose rises and dives that too changes the Camber Angle from Positive (on the rise) to Negative (on the dive).

[Hunter2]

Dealing with the install...I cut pieces of oil resistant hose and packed them with grease to go over the spacers and pinch up on the Heim joints (like you have).  Left dry & exposed they will wear very quickly.

[Alex_B]

For a road car standard bushes would be better suited but rose joints are ok if you dont mind the ride and either sealing them from water and dirt ingress or regular cleaning and checking. 

Fit them with the adjustable tie rods and get the tracking set accurately, I have this setup on my road mini (with bushes instead of rose joints) and once setup I have had no issues, and the benefit of having an easily adjustable setup is handy for reducing the inherent suspension tolerances that come with the mini from standard + years of abuse and possible damage to subframe mounting (although these shouldn't be used to avoid needing to fix badly damaged components such as a subframe) 

You don't need to strengthen any components for using these arms, the solid subframe mounts are where you need to add 3mm plates. 

For initial install I would measure the standard arms and adjust these to that length, that will get you back to where you started, from then you can get the camber set to what you require and measure the castor, if its out of tolerance you should fit the adjustable tie bars and then get castor set. Then job done! But keep an eye on the play of the rose joints, if they start to develop play then get them replaced! 

[Tamworthbay]

For a road car standard bushes would be better suited but rose joints are ok if you dont mind the ride and either sealing them from water and dirt ingress or regular cleaning and checking. 
But keep an eye on the play of the rose joints, if they start to develop play then get them replaced!

^^^^^^ very good advice there. The rose joints do not like dirt in them and the ones in the pics look worse for wear to me already. You also need to make sure you buy the best quality you possibly you can. We got a dodgy batch on one occasion and they were scrap in less than 100 miles on one of our track cars. I still see the same ones for sale on eBay. Once you get the tiniest bit of play the movement allows them to kill themselves in no time at all. They need to be kept perfectly clean, greased VERY regularly (on a daily drive road car I would say every week) and checked every month or so. They are great bits of kit but not ideal for road use.

[ryomini]

Thumbs up for the great advice and feedback

you live and learn I guess - didn't realise they were so in need of maintenance

 

@Hunter love the hat and beard - my boss doesn't like mine (the beard that is) by the way do you have pix that would be very interesting

@Alex do you have a picture of the plates and where exactly to add them to the mounts as I haven't yet got them back on

I'm guessing I'd need some 3mm plate or 3 plates at 1mm and then have them drilled to fit behing the mount is that it ?

 

cheers again for the great advice - wil have to order the spacers and dust covers now - and another item to get :)

[MRA]

Ok dispelling myths time....

 

Rose joints or to use their correct name, spherical rod end bearings do not wear any quicker than your ball joints or steering rack rod ends, if (big IF)  you fit the correct rubber boots, if you do not fit the correct rubber boots then fit teflon lined spherical bearings as used in aircraft etc... and again you will not get excessive wear but this type are expensive.

 

You may get a little harshness from them, but that is minor, also don't set them up the same as if it where on rubber, you can reduce the camber and increase your tyre footprint on the road, better braking etc...

 

http://www.ebay.co.u...vYAAOSwezVWvFah

Edited by MRA, 05 March 2016 - 11:56 AM.

[kawaninja]

HI to all members

I will install a MS adjustable camber kit on my Innocenti Mini with offset bush.

 

I read on MS site this advice: "When increasing negative canber ST Abingdon always advised fitting a 3mm plate under the top arm where the bump stop 2A4267 hits to prevent undue strain on the driveshafts"

 

I don't understand what this really mean,

 

Can you help me? better if with some pics.

 

Thank a lot