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How to adjust the front suspension of a BN6
- Thread starter BN6_2197
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OP
BN6_2197
Jedi Trainee
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Gents, I am convinced and will replace the swivel pin. According to step 6 of the workshop manual I am able to lift the three washers and the swivel axle including the hub assembly. Now I am facing two issues:
1) According to Fig. L3 of the manual the washers are ordered as follows: a staybrite washer, a olive washer, another staybrite washer. The order of the washers in my car looks different: two thin washers followed by one thick washer (see picture).
2) According to the manual should be able to lift the swivel axle including the hub assembly. Unfortunately the backplate of the drum brake hits the lower portion of the swivel pin (see attached picture). Thus I am not able to lift the swivel axle. Do I have to remove the complete hub assembly and the backplate from the swivel axle now? Inparticular removing the hub assembly seems to be a lot of (complicated) work.
Volker
1) According to Fig. L3 of the manual the washers are ordered as follows: a staybrite washer, a olive washer, another staybrite washer. The order of the washers in my car looks different: two thin washers followed by one thick washer (see picture).
2) According to the manual should be able to lift the swivel axle including the hub assembly. Unfortunately the backplate of the drum brake hits the lower portion of the swivel pin (see attached picture). Thus I am not able to lift the swivel axle. Do I have to remove the complete hub assembly and the backplate from the swivel axle now? Inparticular removing the hub assembly seems to be a lot of (complicated) work.
Volker
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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IIRC ("if I recall correctly"), the bronze/olilite thrust washer should be between the two silvery staybrite washers. Also, the staybrites come in different thicknesses--or you can use shims--to set the end float of the swivel axle. Since it appears your suspension was assembled incorrectly, I'm wondering what else the DPO ("dreaded previous owner") might have done, and did he cause/contribute to the other problems you've had?
Can't help with the trunnion/backplate fouling as I haven't done a drum frontend in a while, but it sure looks like you have to remove the backplate. As the bushes in the swivel axle will need to be renewed and reamed, you will probably have to do this regardless.
Can't help with the trunnion/backplate fouling as I haven't done a drum frontend in a while, but it sure looks like you have to remove the backplate. As the bushes in the swivel axle will need to be renewed and reamed, you will probably have to do this regardless.
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Volker,
I removed mine a couple of years ago for my front disc conversion. You'll probably have to fit and ream the new bushings that come with the swivel pin kit. They will need to be reamed to size by someone with the special reamer.
Therefore you'll need to disassemble the hub, bearings, shims, brake drum, brake hose, backing plate and steering linkage from the swivel axle. Then it'll be "easy" to remove.
Do you have access to a British mechanic or machine shop?
I removed mine a couple of years ago for my front disc conversion. You'll probably have to fit and ream the new bushings that come with the swivel pin kit. They will need to be reamed to size by someone with the special reamer.
Therefore you'll need to disassemble the hub, bearings, shims, brake drum, brake hose, backing plate and steering linkage from the swivel axle. Then it'll be "easy" to remove.
Do you have access to a British mechanic or machine shop?
Randy Forbes
Yoda
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A tip for anyone/everyone that is going to get new king-pin bushes fitted: PLEASE DO NOT REMOVE THE OLD BUSHES, leave them in situ for the person that is installing the new bushes. Removing the bushes yourself WILL NOT save you any money__just the opposite__as the old bushes are to be removed one (1) at a time, so that an old bush can provide the pilot for the first new bush to be reamed to size. With no bushes in the stub-axle, it doubly complicates the process.
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OP
BN6_2197
Jedi Trainee
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Randy, thank you very much for the "warning". Can you please detail on the number of the part you are talking about in the picture of Moss: https://www.mossmotors.com/Shop/ViewProducts.aspx?PlateIndexID=28887.
Randy Forbes
Yoda
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#'s 63 & 64; upper and lower bushes for LH / RH stub-axles.
Fortunately for me (or anyone that sends theirs to me to be rebushed) I made pilots to use with standard (off the shelf) reamers and the lower pivot point without a bushing**. Pic shows the new upper bush being reamed to size, using a pilot in the lower bush's location (stub-axle is upside down).
The lower bush being reamed with a pilot in the (new) upper bush. It is imperative that the bush being reamed is done in absolute alignment with the opposite bush, or binding in movement will result in rapid wear of the king-pin and/or bushes.
Link to album showing entire process, start to finish. Also shows what to do when fitting the Nadella Bearing upgrade, and you don't have the right size shims: https://spcarsplus.com/gallery3/index.php/BN6-stub-axles
** The factory pattern tools, either original or newly remanufactured (and whether or not they're in two__2__pieces or combined as one), rely on either the original used, or an already reamed to size, new bushing to be fitted to the end opposite the one being reamed. The factory tools rely on a bushing as a pilot to do their job.
Long story short; unless you're doing your own bushing replacement, and have the tools to ream them to size, leave the bushes in place for the person doing the work.
Rob Glasgow
Jedi Knight
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Randy, I received my torrington bearings yesterday and will be installing them when the restoration moves ahead a bit. What are your experiences with them? I'm not expecting power steering but hope for a least a little easier effort at slow speeds.
Bob_Spidell
Yoda
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That's what you'll get. It's subjective and, unless you can compare with stock bushings and identical tires and wheels side-by-side, hard to say for a fact, but I felt the steering effort at slow speeds was reduced on my BJ8 with 185/70 tires and 6-inch rims.
BTW, per David Nock, you can use BJ8 wheel bearing shims to set end float. I did, and have no problems after 15-20K miles.
Rob Glasgow
Jedi Knight
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Thanks Bob. John at BCS sent some of those shims along with the bearings. It'll be a while before my car is back on the road so I will have to wait and see if I can fell the difference.
OP
BN6_2197
Jedi Trainee
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Gents, finally I was abel to remove the swivel pin 
The whole story started since I was not able to put grease into the nipple 87. Now I can see that in the upper bush (63) of the swivel pin there is no hole that matches the whole into which I screw the nipple 87. I thought that there must be a hole in the upper bush. What is correct?
By the way: can I really remove 73 before 65/68/70 as they say in the workshop manual? When looking at the shape of 3 and the shape of 68/70, I am in doubt.
Volker
The whole story started since I was not able to put grease into the nipple 87. Now I can see that in the upper bush (63) of the swivel pin there is no hole that matches the whole into which I screw the nipple 87. I thought that there must be a hole in the upper bush. What is correct?
By the way: can I really remove 73 before 65/68/70 as they say in the workshop manual? When looking at the shape of 3 and the shape of 68/70, I am in doubt.
Volker
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As I remember you can not take out 73 with the bushes (70) in place [the bushes hold the fulcrum (65)] .
You can however loosten the nuts on 73 and make room for turning out a bush, one at the time
The cotter pins have a round shaped "half moon" If you get that in line with the shape of the bush, they can pas each other.
The cotter pin in the middle (52) has to come out (and can be taken out at any moment) before you get the fulcrum out
Better leave in until at least one bush is of, it prevents the fulcrum from turning
You can however loosten the nuts on 73 and make room for turning out a bush, one at the time
The cotter pins have a round shaped "half moon" If you get that in line with the shape of the bush, they can pas each other.
The cotter pin in the middle (52) has to come out (and can be taken out at any moment) before you get the fulcrum out
Better leave in until at least one bush is of, it prevents the fulcrum from turning
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