15 replies to this topic

[Kombi]

Car: 1971, Mini 1000

 

I've been working on redoing the front suspension on my Mini and I've run into an issue with getting the left-side Tower Bolt pair reinstalled. It's really hard to see what's happening, but it appears there's some sort of alignment problem and now the bolts won't engage with the threaded part on the frame.

 

Has anyone encountered this before and if so, what are some ways to get this corrected?

[minimans]

How bad is it? is it fore and aft or narrow/wide? Its easier to get them started if the frame is hanging loose and not jacked up into the body real tight.

[Kombi]

It looks like it's a bit too far forward.

 

Are these the only two points of connection that the front sub-frame makes to the body? Because I'm thinking maybe if I loosen up the right side tower bolts that may allow the left-side to move with a little persuasion.

 

I knew I shouldn't have taken both sets off at the same time. 

[Rorf]

Is the engine still in the sub frame, are the other mounting fasteners loose. Check to that a brake pipe, fuel pipe, battery cable etc is not getting between the sub frame and the front engine bulkhead. How are you supporting the frame/engine unit.

 

Need more info.

[Kombi]

The engine is still in the subframe and the subframe was never separated from the car. I simply removed the bolts so that I could use the cone compressor tool as that's what the Haynes manual instructed. So I'm pretty sure there's nothing being pinched, but I can check that.

 

Support-wise, the entire car is up on four jack stands at the lift points on the frames. In this picture you can see how the car is supported although the front two jack stands are being obscured by the wheel.

 

Edited by Kombi, 01 October 2017 - 02:06 PM.

[Ethel]

What bolts have you got? The originals had a threadless lead section and clearing grooves. there's also a steel spacer that sits on top of the turrets, it could be it has spun to partly obscure the threads. A long pointy think of under 5/16ths diameter will help you see if it's aligned.

[Kombi]

I think they're what you're describing. Roughly 4.5" (11.4 cm) long, about an inch (2.5 cm) of thread, and then near the bolt head, a 1/2-3/4" (2 cm) groove.

 

I'm able to shimmy that spacer around, but I don't ever see it interfere with the bolt holes. What I see is a silvery surface that seems to be too close to the hole, but I have no idea what that is.

 

I have tried using a straight spike tool to reach into the hole to see if I can move anything around, but clearly it didn't have enough leverage.

[Ethel]

The spacers were taped on to the subframes, I presume to aid assembly - could it be the tape?

[Kombi]

I can see some tape (tan masking tape by appearance), but that appears to only go over the area where you feed the cone compressor through.

 

This photo is probably hopeless, but this is kind of what I'm seeing. It turns out it's rather challenging to take this photo.

 

 

[Spider]

I haven't had the pleasure of working with these subframes as yet, so I maybe talking out my hat in suggesting this.

 

Just looking at you photo of the car on the stands, I'm wondering if the whole shooting match is just flexing a little and in doing so, tilting forward.

 

Try putting a jack under the radius arm bracket on the front of the subframe, jacking it a little and see if that brings it closer to where it needs to be.

[Kombi]

I think you may well be onto something there. I've noticed a couple things during this work that suggest the car isn't quite as square as it should be. I'll try that and let you all know whether I have any luck.

[Rorf]

I would also support the subframe with a trolley jack and a piece of timber spread under the engine to spread the load and then loosen the other large turret bolt and the smaller bolts which attach it to the body - might give you some wiggle room to align up the turret you are battling with

[Kombi]

I will try that as well, thank you.

[tiger99]

They almost always do that, and it is largely due to tolerances in the shell when built or last repaired. The steel spacer is unlikely to be the problem, as its two clearance holes are positioned by the raised lip around the bolt holes in the subframe.

 

The two pairs of bolts are the primary location and load path for the subframe, and should be located and nipped up loosely before any of the other bolts are fitted. You should have one at each front corner, accessible through the lower front panel below the bumper, and two each side where the toeboard meets the floor, one of each pair vertical and the other on the slope. These should be in fairly sloppy holes and have large washers, while the two at the front often need shimming between body and subframe, typically using large repair washers to fill the gap.

 

I would suggest removing all six of the bolts I have just described to guarantee free movement, then wiggle the subframe as necessary (car sitting on its wheels) to get the main top bolts in, and only then refit the other bolts, shimming as necessary at the front. I expect that one of the front corners will turn out to be where the problem originated, and may need shimming, but all that will become obvious in due course.

 

Have fun.

[Kombi]

Thank you for that advice. It was very thorough and I even believe I follow what you're saying.

 

So it sounds like I'll finish getting the suspension put back together, lower the car to the ground, remove the subframe bolts, and then start the work of getting things to line up again.