8 replies to this topic

[MontpellierVanMan]

Thought I'd add some more info and pictures relating to More Hopeless Products, which might reduce some head-scratching amongst members.

 

These retailed from one of the Majors, but are actually distributed via another Major, suggest you ask whether you're being sold "stuff that fits" before you buy.

 

They were actually supplied as part of a Moulton Smooth-A-Ride kit, although that's irrelevant to the topic.

 

Our initial problem was that the horizontal-bolt holes into the subframe didn't line up from side-to-side, making it look like our swinging-arms were 2.50 mm and 5.40 mm too short respectively.

 

Furthermore, even if we you accepted that (and got out a rat-tailed file), there was insufficient cutaway for the trunnions and the trunnion-rubber.

 

 

 

 

As soon as you began to tighten up the fixings, the camber-brackets hit the trunnions and began to crush the rubbers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After the usual non-reply to emails and people being too busy on the 'phone to take your call, we're told "it's because the trunnion rubbers are on the wrong way round" - which upon reflection is total ******* but helps play for time.

 

Subsequently we lay the "high-performance" parts alongside the standard ones, and you can see that there isn't a hope-in-hell of these brackets ever fitting.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Is it my engineering degree or 30 years as a professionnal building racing motorcycles that makes it hard for me to just swallow this crap ?

 

Is this par for the course for working on Minis ?

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Edited by MontpellierVanMan, 23 July 2013 - 08:52 PM.

[jaydee]

As with everything, you get what you pay, if you have a look at KAD brakets, they will be perfect but cost much more

I use standard brackets only and have no personal experience in fitting these, but there was a thread on these adjustable brackets a while ago, maybe 'minisilverbullet' was posting about how to fit these, hopefully some with come and explain.

[minisilverbullet]

indeed! 

 

I managed to fit these exact brackets. For me everything lined up fine, although i had to take a slither of rubber of the inner bushing. 

 

There are lots of thread son here with similar complaints as you. I also remember when i was in the UK I asked a mini garage in london to fit the brackets. Once he found out that they weren't the kad ones, he didn't want to know. 

 

I shared a post made on one of the Swedish forums about the trouble with the mounting holes as you also point out- 

 

I should say that my rear subframe was all factory original, maybe thats why i had luck. 

[minisilverbullet]

I dod however have a nightmare trying to adjust these brackets! Took  us around 3 hours. 

[Jacksdad]

"Is this par for the course for working on Minis ?"

Unfortunately it seems to be on par for any reproduced classic car parts these days!! Having had various classics from the 40`s thru` to the 70`s it seems to be a common problem of low volume/chinese crap imported into the UK (or anywhere) I suppose. There seems to be very little if any quality control at the manufacturing end and even less when it`s put on the retailers shelf/stores. And as you stated you then get fobbed off by spotty youths trying to tell you are "fitting it wrong" when they have probably never picked up a spanner in thier life before! I try and source NOS parts if I can and if I have to buy new am very selective about what I buy from whom. Cheers, Steve.

Edited by Jacksdad, 23 July 2013 - 03:42 PM.

[MontpellierVanMan]

Thanks for the commiseration .............. so much of what I've bought for the car (from Majors) has been worse than the original, including most of the fasteners nuts/bolts etc.

 

How sad !

 

The sub-frame on my Van is the original 1978 one, I've owned the car since 1981, since when it's lived in the South of France, and it has never been bent or crashed - so the idea that my components are "wrong" or "out of line" (which has been hinted at by the vendor) doesn't stand up.

 

I'm now doing a total restoration, and enjoying the fact that no-salt and not-much-rain have left the body in pretty amazing nick. Perfect sub-frames, original sills etc - only the rear doors are completely dead (top and bottom), plus the usual front-door bottom-rot.

 

Having now re-fitted the original brackets, I'll run the car like this to start with and when I'm happy with everything else I'll modify the originals to shift the centres into the right place for camber and toe etc - new side-plate welded in the right place will beat anything adjustable ?

[myredmini]

As with everything, you get what you pay, if you have a look at KAD brakets, they will be perfect but cost much more

I use standard brackets only and have no personal experience in fitting these, but there was a thread on these adjustable brackets a while ago, maybe 'minisilverbullet' was posting about how to fit these, hopefully some with come and explain.

Thats true but they still should be fit for purpose. If you buy them and they dont fit then whats the point.

[tiger99]

Are these not the dangerous camber brackets which have been reported here to have failed on numerous occasions? I suggest that if in the slightest doubt you do not use them.

 

The problem may be due to a combination of stress rasers from bad machining and hydrogen embrittlement from an inappropriate plating process.

[Gr4h4m]

I had a similar looking set, they were made of chease I think...

I had my originals modded by force racing, at least you know they will fit, or the kad ones have a good rep