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Suspension Problems. Need Help.

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M

Midget78

Jedi Trainee
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Hello gang. Im learning the hard way that fixing one thing sometimes leads to another problem. When changing the brake hose on the front right passenger side (I changed it because the calliper is sticking and wanted to be sure the hose wasnt the problem). I noticed the tie-rod end looking ready to break. I put a new one on today and as I was putting it back together I noticed the shock absorber arm has about 1/8" of wear allowing the arm to move horizontally quite a bit. The fulcrim pin at the bottom also seems worn out a little and between the 2 I have a lot of movement. I took the car for a drive and had an odd thing heppen where the car wanted to jerk to the left for no reason. I stopped, turned around and took it all back apart. The fulcrum arm and pin seem to be the only thing worn that I can see. One thing that bothers me is when I changed the brake hose the other day, to get to the nut on the backside of the fender wall I removed the coolant over flow canister. The guy helping me thought the 2 long bolts that run through the shock absorber needed to come out to get the bracket off all the way cause they run through the bracket base then into the shock. We put them back on tight but now I have this mysterious rattle that comes and goes at times from that side. I looked at the Moss catalog and they want $175 for the shock yet I only need the arm since the bushing in is worn. Im not sure how to approach this without a huge bill. Any of you guys reworked your suspensions and can offer any information?
 
One note I would like to add, when I changed the tie-rod I had to apply heat where the tie-rod body bottoms out on the nut. I basically just screwed the new tie rod right back against the nut and then aligned the stud from the ball into the arm and tightened the nut.
 
There is only one answer you will get from this list. Call Peter Caldwell in Madison and have him send you a set of his rebuilt front shocks. Peter modifys Lever Arm Shocks and makes them better than new and they do not leak period.

You will see probably 5 affirmative replies to this topic. Do not go anywhere else. Talk to Peter C. aka PPP. Call him up and in a few days a new set of shocks will arrive on your doorstep. Remove the old shocks, put them back in the box for a core return, and enjoy your new ride. Bugsy was so bad when I first got him that a strip of road tar would make him change lanes. I'm serious my shocks were worn that bad. Replacing the shocks didn't fix all of Bugsy's ills but it sure cured most of them. Call Peter!!!


nosimport@mailbag.com
>
> Peter Caldwell
> World Wide Auto Parts
> 2517 Seiferth Rd., Madison, WI 53716
> (800) 362-1025 Fax (608) 223-9403
 
Thanks Jim. After doing some research that shock is for sure the problem. I have a lot of wear on the arm where it meets the actual shock unit. I will get a hold of him today and go from there.
Thank-you.
 
So Sweendog, Have you called Peter yet? I'm serious, the most expensive part of keeping these cars going after an engine rebuild is front end rebuild stuff and shocks top the list. The way these suspensions are designed, the shocks do the majority of the work. Change the shocks and wall joints and you've pretty much done. No it isn't cheap to do but things like brakes and having the car go where you point it are important in allowing you to enjoy the car and see how much fun it can be. Call Peter!

And no I have no financial interest, just a very satisfied customer.

P.S. You need to check wheel bearings as well. Eliminating the wooby wheels syndrome really helped Bugsy in the handling department particularly on roads with lots of road grooves from trucks. Shocks first though.
 
Jim, I got all his information and will call him shortly. I have my Midget running like it came off the show room floor and it drives me nuts with stuff like this that can keep you sidelined. I just dont want to drive it till its fixed in case it would actually give away and then I have a real problem. The streets around here are nothing but patched roads with pot holes. It does look like the wheel bearings are good. To really know I need to get this shock changed as it is worn so much I can rock my tire left to right about an inch.
 
Ed, you sure your toe-in is set correctly? (1/8" IIRC) Mine's not, and the bump-steer is something fierce! First job on my list... (along with rebuilt shocks! Rest of the suspension was done last summer.)
 
Sweendog, Ed,

Call Peter and he can provide advice and sell you the best shocks you can get. Bunches of things go wrong with Spridget front ends including:

1) Wheel Bearings- Lots of loads on the wheel bearings and the wear fairly out fairly easy
2) Shocks, Fronts support the whole front end, but don't forget the rears as well. Bugsy would point where I told him but rear end didn't always want to follow until rear shocks were replaced as well.
3) Wear in the front end and fulcrum pin needing rebuilt. I believe Peter has started rebuilding front A Arms as well, ask him.

Peter can provide the tips on how to get your Spridget sorted so it handles properly.

Severe clunking in the front end that I still had after replacing everything was traced to wheel bearings. I replaced over the winter and now it is minimal.

Alignment is easy to check with string and a tape.
 
Jim,

Great documentation. My work on Bugsy was pretty much the same both front and rear. I did replace the pinion gear to tighten up the steering. Cheap to buy for the older racks like in my '68 and lots pricier for later cars. There are tricks to making sure spacers go on the proper side opposite from the steering column.

One issue I ran into with Bugsy was discovering that the spring mounting plate had V Grooves worn in it where the front spring mount was not tightened properly. Bugsy would go into a LH Turn, body would lean to set up for the corner and then the axle would shift another 1/2" or more. Made for some VERY Interesting handling characteristics that were quite scary. And this could not be seen until I dropped the axle and rear springs to update the bushings.

Replacing the Spring Boxes were no treat as the captive nut on each Springbox was way too long to fit up into the body. I needed to grind probably 1/2" off of the captive nut, there's still a good 1/2" of metal left, with an angle grinder in order to get the new Spring Boxes to fit in place.

Sweendog and Ed, this is what you need to door will be typical of what you will get into in order to get your Spridget to point and go. If you thnk the car is fun now, just wait until you get the suspension sorted out. You just think you've been having fun so far. You ain't seen nothing yet!
 
Wow. I got sooo lucky. Went to The Winners Circle and told them about my shock. They just so happened to have a left and a right on the back shelf that were used but relativly like perfect shape. $50 and it was mine. Took it home and in about an hour I had it all together. No wobble what so ever after putting the shock on. both sides are nice and firm. Took it for a drive and it stears so much better and the braking is the real thriller. The car stops smooth with no pulling to either side. Its amazing how one little issue with the arm being worn out on the shock and it turned into a major issue. They did mention with the way it was worn it wouldnt be accepted as a core yet they didnt want it for rebuild.
 
Oh, one more thing: Peter at World Wide Auto would have been my for sure go to move if I didnt luck out like I did. I checked his site and he only wanted $90 for a rebuilt shock versus Moss and others which were much higher. I actually called him on my drive to The Winners Circle and he wasnt in yet for the day. Which was lucky as well cause if I spoke with him I probably would have ordered it right then and went home.
 
You lucky Dog! There was some mention of checking alignment earlier in this thread. How is that done? Can one of the "Firestone" type places manage this well, or is it a specialized art form? I want to get it aligned before I worry about shocks.... $90 is a very nice price. I'll keep Peter in mind. What is his URL?
 
No no, do the shocks THEN the alignment. Though I've not done it, it can be done with a stick rule or a piece of string. The only setting is tow-in/tow-out. Get the front wheels pointed straight ahead. Measure the distance between the front of the wheels, and the back of the wheels. The back should be between O" and 1/8" greater than the front. Adjust at the tie rods. .. the "book" says to take the measurement,mark the spot, then roll the car ahead 1/2 a wheel rotation so that you are measuring at the same point of the wheel. It also says to rotate the tie rods equally in the necessary direction (this will keep your steering wheel centered). Both sides have right hand threads.
 
Hey Ed. Yeah, I lucked out. Do the shocks first before the alignment. IF YOU NEED SHOCKS. Check the tie-rods, lower pins, king pins, wheel bearings. The best way is jack the front of the car up. Grab each wheel and try and push / pull on them (9:00 o'clock to 3:00 o'clock check and then a 12:00 o'clock and 6:00 o'clock hands position check). They should be good and firm. If you find a side that isnt take the wheel of then grab the rotor and do it again looking at all the joints for the culprit of the movement. Changing the shock really wasnt that bad cause I sprayed all the bolts with PB Blaster a few days before hand. The alignment I did myself and as Bill said it is really adjusting the tow in / out. Honestly I wouldnt go to any shop where they use the light system to align as the adjustment on the midgets is much more minimal then on a regular newer car. I think I remember seeing a post on here a while back that was the same as what I see in my repair manual on how its done. Yard sticks and string is what you need. But get everything repaired first that is worn out. And you may need heat to get the tie-rod nuts loose. While your on the net, go to World Wide Auto in Madison and you can see his online catalog with prices for shocks.
 
Ed, Another member requested how to replace the shock so I stepped up to the plate and wrote out how I did it on another new post. Maybe it will help you if I made any cents to anyone. I also like the simplicity of the cars yet the age can give you grief with seized parts that dont want to come off. Having torches for heat helps and has bailed me out of broken knuckles a few times. Try and get at the parts with some penetrating oil a few days before getting into changing these.
 
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