Suspension - any ideas?

Lushlobster

New Member
New to this group and just acquired a 74 3500 - body is excellent and low mileage. Engine has a few leaks from the front timing chain cover and one of the brake calipers is seized, which I knew about. Car has been standing for 6-7 years, so I took the plunge...

Made some very strange noises from the suspension on the short 1 mile drive home (in hindsight I should have got it transported, but it was running and brakes worked OK) Got home and left standing on the drive, and looking at the car from the front, it seemed that the drivers side wheel was heavily tilted from the top towards the engine (I don't have a photo, damn..)

I removed the wheel and noticed the top steering joint seems to have been impacting the inner wing. All the ball joints look awful, but nothing appears to have popped out of it's socket. I can't understand the reason for this, unless it's had a serious shunt and knocked everything out of alignment - but there is no sign of this. The spring seems unbroken and all joints to the body are intact. Just waiting for a decent jack and axle stands to arrive before I go any further.

I do plan to completely strip the suspension, but hadn't planned for this. Now re-evaluating my decision and thinking maybe I've bitten off too much. The tyre now looks very close to the wing - something is seriously wrong and has collapsed or seized but I really don't know what. Sorry about the poor quality photos - I'll post some more in a few days.

Ideas and suggestions welcome on how to proceed from the huge knowledge in this group. (including sell it and move on)
 

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thats not right .looks as though part of steering has been heavily rubbed back and forth across inner wing. possible impact /collision or something odd. would need to get all joints checked out .wondering if anybody has seem this sort of damage before ? Harvey maybe? hope you got car for decent price ( unlike me ) did we check same area when car was on ground ? see when steering turned lock to lock etc and bounce test on suspension see if we can find more obvious issues. 2 handed job of course and mind fingers!
 
It's always difficult to tell from pictures alone, but the toplink looks to be bent inwards towards the inner wing from the shock mounting forwards.
 
I think maybe the bent top link looks like a good diagnosis. Looks like I'm committed to wing removal, spring removal and strip down, then same for the nearside just in case Anyone know where would be the best place to source s/h parts from - maybe s/h top link, bushes and possibly swivel pillar? I can get new arms and ball joints from Wins or similar. Turning into a big fix, but going to have a go...
 
Personally, I would take it off the jack as having it up in the air changes the way everything looks under there. Push it backwards and forwards two or three times to settle the suspension, then remove the front wings. I'm not saying you should do this :) but I would as I do tend to just dive straight in.

It should be fairly obvious what is wrong with it then.

Just a hunch, but check the length of the rear link with the one on the other side ;)

Nice colour btw
 
I think maybe the bent top link looks like a good diagnosis. Looks like I'm committed to wing removal, spring removal and strip down, then same for the nearside just in case Anyone know where would be the best place to source s/h parts from - maybe s/h top link, bushes and possibly swivel pillar? I can get new arms and ball joints from Wins or similar. Turning into a big fix, but going to have a go...

got all those at work could post, although would be pretty weighty, otherwise collection possible from Ely, cambs.
 
I concur with Harvey. I also wondered if the rear link was the longer 4 cylinder version but that top link looks like it’s taken a real pounding.
 
Hi, That lower rear link looks like it's bent as well. That corner has had a really hard knock near the top of the wheel to do all that, check the stub axle isn't bent as well. If the leg hasn't been changed.

Colin
 
Agree Colin - I plan to replace the entire link assembly and swivel pillar, with new bushes and, by the look of it the ball joints as well.

What I cannot work out is how on earth it has happened - the wing looks original and unmolested unless it's had a side-on kerbing at some speed. Anyway, will keep posting with progress.
 
I doubt that it's been kerbed, that would bend the bottom links and/or rip their mounting brackets off the base unit. Something strange has happened there if that toplink is bent inwards.
 
I doubt that it's been kerbed, that would bend the bottom links and/or rip their mounting brackets off the base unit. Something strange has happened there if that toplink is bent inwards.
I think you’d want to check camber and caster angles first. Those will be well off if parts are bent.
 
Having curbed (Canadian spelling) a P6 in my misspent youth, I can confirm that it folds the rear bottom link in half. The forward lower link is pretty robust and doesn't bend, but the bracket for it on the base unit bends. No damage to the top link.

Yours
Vern
 
I have seen damage like that before on Australian Rovers. It is usually from heavily worn bushes, particularly those within the top link and the rubber ball end that rests inside the spring cup. The apparent twist on your spring possibly indicates that the ball end rubber has split. When you look, what do you see?

Owing to the design of the front suspension, very small changes in those bushes can deliver significant changes to the clearance between the steering rod where it meets the top link, and the body. Variations in the body can also contribute to the proximity of the steering rod and the body.

Ron.
 
If the bellcrank itself is not bent, and the bushes at the firewall have not collapsed then I suggest that as the steering arm is rubbing on the inner apron the only way that can happen is if the steering arm on the top of the swivel pillar has been bent inward closing the gap.
 
Hi, The steering arm there already points inwards, to rub it would have had to have stretched.;)

Colin
 
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