Spring Shackles & Bushes - greased or silentbloc

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GaryCullen
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:34 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Grease nipple thread type

Post by GaryCullen » Sun Oct 31, 2021 10:24 pm

Thanks Rod, never late on this forum!!
I meant to also ask if the rear spring eyes are 1" Inside Diameter for both the Nov 1933 X form chassis with tubular cross member UK cars with Silentbloc and for the Export cars with Bronze bearing and greased pin's?
I haven't measured mine yet, until I take out the top hat bushes, the lip covers the ID of course.
I cant see why Austin would make two different springs eyes....but you never know.

I will be fitting SilentBloc bearings.

cheers
Gary
PS, where about's in the world are you located Rod?

GaryCullen
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:34 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Grease nipple thread type

Post by GaryCullen » Tue Nov 16, 2021 9:09 pm

Update.

All rear suspension now converted to Silent Bloc from greased pins and bronze bushes.
Driving is no much better, no more clunks and bangs when going over bumps etc.
Still some noise coming from the front so that will be next.

Some observations for the record on doing this change:
1. The forged shackle/droppers for the Silentbloc cars are wider between the eyes for silentbloc bushes, and also like hens teeth to find in NZ. So the Silentbloc bushes won't fit the greased pin type shackle. Fortunately there is plenty of inner tube sticking out of the silentbloc bush that can be turned down to fit the greased pin shackles and still leave about 1/8" overall so the eye of the spring does not rotate on the side of the silentbloc bush.
2. I had to remove the springs completely to the bench vice ( which was easy to do in less than 20 minute job for each spring ) to make it easier dealing with the top hat bushes. First spring I had to cut the top hat flange off and press out both bushes. There are two bushes pressed in one each side. The silent bloc bushes were a semi firm fit in the spring eyes so I used locktite to secure. The off side spring bronze bushes literally fell out when mounting in the vice.
3. The most difficult Bronze bush to remove is the two rear upper mounted ones on the rear chassis rails. Couldn't get my special tool positioned to work as a press so resorted to a large drift and heavy block hammer.
4. Replacement pins were in short supply in the VAR in NZ so 4 of the pins are now 7/16" UNC high Tensile bolts with the unthreaded shank portion in the Silentbloc. A step is needed to by ground/filed out under one face of the bolt head to fit the lock step of the shackle. I used Nylock nuts with loctite instead of the oblong washer lock system.
5. Some jigging around was necessary when re-fitting the springs to the axel to align the small spring centre spigot and hole in the axel spring mount. Advice is to not tighten the shackle pins until after the springs are correctly mounted!!.loosely leaving it dangling, mount the front of the spring next then using a second jack lift the spring up and insert the bottom rear shackle pin. Tighten the all pins to just tight. using the small jack again lift the centre of the spring up to the axel until it firmly touches. The spring spigot should almost be aligned with the hole. Grab the rear wheel and pull ( or push ) and the spigot should engage with a click. Re-tighten all the pins.

have now intimate knowledge of the rear of my car....

Cheers
Gary
Auckland VAR

Rod
Posts: 100
Joined: Sun Nov 24, 2019 9:44 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Grease nipple thread type

Post by Rod » Tue Nov 16, 2021 11:02 pm

I'm keeping this in mind for the future. I was under the Goodwood the other day doing a quick 1/2 yearly look-over/grease (pre-WOF inspection) and also noted play in my spring eye bushes. The inspector didn't, he was busy admiring the wooden spacers a PO had put in the running board mountings.
The car usually gathers a crowd every time it goes up on the hoist (I go to my former workplace for WOFs), most of the onlookers are taken by the braking system, its the first time anyone has paid any attention to the 'woodwork'

GaryCullen
Posts: 58
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 1:34 am
Location: New Zealand

Re: Grease nipple thread type

Post by GaryCullen » Tue Nov 16, 2021 11:20 pm

Just noticed a gramma error in my post.

Second sentence should read: Driving is so much better!~!

Gary.

Rod, last warrant I got, two weeks ago, the tech didn't even look at rear suspension movement. Just checked King Pin movement and back wheel movement.
But yes everywhere I park mine I get a few bystanders starting to ask questions usually preceded with " My Dad/Aunt/Uncle had one of these...."

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peter_winney
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Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 3:31 pm
Location: BATH

Re: Grease nipple thread type

Post by peter_winney » Wed Nov 17, 2021 3:50 pm

Predictive text again! Interestingly I did not spot it but read it as "so much better" . That fits the rest of the sentence :D

Thanks for the detailed description of the work done
Member since July 1972
Never too old to learn something new

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stephen_voller
Posts: 404
Joined: Wed Nov 20, 2019 3:49 pm
Location: Polegate.

Re: Grease nipple thread type

Post by stephen_voller » Wed Nov 17, 2021 6:16 pm

Yes me too Peter - our own built in predictive text reader!

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peter_winney
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Location: BATH

Re: Spring Shackles & Bushes - greased or silentbloc

Post by peter_winney » Wed Nov 17, 2021 9:35 pm

Gary
I have taken the liberty of "splitting" your topic from where the discussion on grease nipples evolved into dealing with your worn shackles and bushes. This will help others to find solutions using search topics or browsing by topic

Original topic is at
https://www.austintendriversclub.com/fo ... 644089b3f2

Peter W
Member since July 1972
Never too old to learn something new

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