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TR2/3/3A Replace Upper Wishbone Ball Joint

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R

Redoakboo

Jedi Warrior
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I am replacing the upper Wishbone ball joints on my 1954 TR-2. I have replaced the ball joints and I am replacing the four bolts on the top bar. The two outer bolts went in fine, and tighten up.The two inners now just spin around, apparently not setup like the outers with a fixed nut. I looked up through the spring and could not see where the bolts were sticking out, to get a nut on them?
What do I have to do to be able to tighten these two inner bolts?

Dick Vinal
 
Yes, those 2 use nuts. You will have to put the nuts in a short socket and a long extension to reach up into the spring tower.
 
Or take the spring out.
 
I have the car jacked up high enough to see up into the spring tower. I can see no holes, or the bolts I have stuck into the back to holes?
 
It’s the 2 inboard bolts that take the nuts. The outboard bolts have welded nuts.
 
How do you remove the rubber gasket? I found a metal spacer on the floor that I haven't any idea where it goes? It's about 2" in dia. 1/4" thick with a slot leading to a hole in the middle??

Dick
 
That spacer is for your frame to body mount on the 45 degree support for the spring tower.

I'm afraid Graham's rubber gasket is part of the spring assembly...i.e. you won't see it unless you have removed the spring from the suspension.
 
John,

I can see about half of the round area where the nuts would probably go, but don't see access to the whole area? Do you have to compress the spring to get to these locations?

Dick
 
You will not be able to see the hole you are reaching for. It is just outside the spring seat, and in the corner of the squared corners of the spring tower. I don’t have any decent pics, but study this one:

kP6KJUf.jpg


You can just make out one outer hole on the right, and one inner hole on the left. The outer hole has a nut welded in, and because it has double walled steel in the spring seat you cannot see the nut. The inner hole is just that....a single thickness hole. You will have to insert the nut into a short socket, and then use a long extension to feed the nut up the squared portion of the tower, blindly catching the bolt.

If there is something blocking the hole from the bottom, like the old rubber gasket Graham is talking about, then you may have to remove the spring to gain access, like Randall suggested. I don’t think you will have to, but it will be a fiddly job!?!

Oh...just had another thought. The bolts are 2 different lengths. I believe the inner bolts are about 1/2” longer than the outer.
 
I have found a long bolt, similar to the one Moss sells for compressing the spring. I am thinking that if I can lower the top part of the spring, I might have better access for the nut?
 
Not really. If you removed the spring you would have better access. It should still be doable with the spring in position. Not easy, but doable. Of course with old cars anything is possible. The spring spacer/gasket could have shifted over the years to restrict the hole. Only removing the spring would solve that, though.

Are you certain you are using the correct length inner bolt? If you use the same length as the one on the outer holes it may not extend through the hole enough to catch with the nut.
 
I found out my problem, I was looking for the bolt hole inside the spring. I got a light in the tight area outside the spring, within the shock tower and Bingo! there they were. One still had the nut on it so I stuck a screw driver between the nut and the housing. Was able to tighten that one. Tomorrow i am purchasing a short 9/16" socket with a 1/4" drive, will work perfect with my long extension.

Thanks for all the help, your hints steered me to a solution; love this Forum!

Dick
 
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