Oversteer on corners

[seniorchristo]

Jon
Any possibility of thru drilling the spindle undersize and then heating cherry red? Although it will expand the spindle, it may loosen the bond between spindle and tube allowing you to try the extractor again. Just a thought.

[JonB]

Thanks all for the encouragement. I was pretty miffed when I wrote my last post.

Sorry to hear that Jon, we?ve all been rooting for you, but looks like the end of the line.
Check out your local car hire places, may well be cheaper to hire a car with a tow bar already fitted than have one fitted to your car. You may find you can hire a trailer plus tow car together from somewhere.
Look at http://www.transporterhire.co.uk, several depots in the south, from ?105 a day self drive, for recovery vehicle type transporters

...however BBB's post has given me hope. This hire firm has two places near me and I like the idea of using a transporter rather than a trailer. Not just because of the cost (I do need to fit a tow bar to my car, eventually) but the safety. Now it's just a matter of working out the date..

I'm relieved. With luck and a following wind, the whole repair could come in under ?500.

As regards moving it, Spyder have assured me that it would be OK to bolt up the suspension with the lower arms attached and clamped into place with a ratchet strap, and fit the wheel. I should be able to move it around like that. I'd need to roll it out of the garage, off the drive (over the pavement, which looks like a big hump from the car's perspective) and fully onto the road as it is currently facing the back of the garage. Seems likely I will have to drive it, carefully and slowly. The riskiest part is the turn as I don't have much space on the road. However, the roll bar should prevent it all from pulling completely loose (I hope!). I might pump the tyres up to get less rolling resistance and a bit more ground clearance..

[richardcox_lotus]

Jon if you want help to manoeuvre the car, something like this may be of use:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/awd1-automotive-wheel-dolly-pair/?da=1&TC=GS-051310205&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuYXC19TZ2QIVorftCh1KuwPQEAQYAiABEgKde_D_BwE

Regards,
Richard

[pauljones]

Jon

Maybe out the box thinking and perhaps a little over the top.

Can you make a very temporary lower wishbone that can go over the old boss complete.? If you could get one each side you could secure them together with lashings of strong tape.

Im thinking using some angle iron cut into shape.

[JonB]

Jon

Maybe out the box thinking and perhaps a little over the top.

Can you make a very temporary lower wishbone that can go over the old boss complete.? If you could get one each side you could secure them together with lashings of strong tape.

Im thinking using some angle iron cut into shape.

Paul, that's exactly what Spyder suggested, only using the proper wishbone arms. I think it'll be fine as the sway bar will prevent excessive front / aft movement of the hub and the inboard wishbone should prevent in/out movement as the car is being moved onto the transporter.

What I will do is reassemble the other side of the front suspension and bolt up the broken side, then try it out to see if it is safe before arranging the trip.

[JonB]

Jon if you want help to manoeuvre the car, something like this may be of use:

https://www.machinemart.co.uk/p/awd1-automotive-wheel-dolly-pair/?da=1&TC=GS-051310205&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuYXC19TZ2QIVorftCh1KuwPQEAQYAiABEgKde_D_BwE

Regards,
Richard

Not much use if you don't have a wheel fitted to sit in the cradle. I'd still be putting load on the broken suspension.

[pauljones]

Jon

I really wish you the very best of luck, very sorry to hear its gone this far. I hope Spyder can fix it without removing the body.ill be checking over mine soon.

Im sure you will be keeping us informed with the progress.

Regards

Paul

[JonB]

They assured me body removal isn't necessary as it is just the lower arms that are affected.

[Erikt]

Probably a bit late to join this quest, but..

Did you try a simple splitfork to 'hamerwedge' the bolt out?

First apply some big washer ( to the base ) and a piece of tube to adjust to the proper length, apply as may nuts you can fit on the bolt ( if it still has threading left ... )

Then apply a lot of heat on the outside tube, not the bolt, then you can try to hammer the fork under the nut ( between the nut and the strut ) and thus driving the bolt out.
( Better first grind the other side with the "dome" as flat as it can still get )

The splitter tools are pretty cheap..

Hope this works out for you,

rgds, Erik

[JonB]

Thread is now basically shot.

[Quart Meg Miles]

Jon, I wouldn't send it to Spyder but call them and ask them to supply a new spindle, tube and the two gussets (reinforcements) and identify the materials in them and the chassis. YOU may not be able to weld but there are many skilled people who can and who would charge much less than moving the car.

Once you have the bits, you need to make removable metal templates to record the present position of the rod (it will need a joggle to clear the gussets) and then cut off and grind flat where the gusset, tube and rod are. I suspect the tube is not welded to the chassis but you can drill or chisel that out if it is, otherwise it should be free to push out. Then slot in the new tube and spindle and slide on the gussets, fit the templates to position everything correctly and get your proper welder to tack it together and then complete the welds after you have removed the templates.

I'm sure you can make a small trolley from two wheels and a block of wood to move the front of the car across the garage, I have a design in my head anyway..

[JonB]

I'm looking at ?120 to hire a transporter, which is pretty reasonable. Spyder have a jig so I'll know it is reasonably accurate. I don't want to risk some mobile welder mucking up the geometry.

It's a pain, but I think taking the car "oop Noorth" is the right thing to do. But it can't hurt to ask them how much a new tube and gusset set is.

[vincereynard]

Spyder have a jig .
It's a pain, but I think taking the car "oop Noorth" is the right thing to do.

Jon,
I'd heard Wiggy was partial to a bit of Riverdance!
You had better mark the car with FRONT to give them a clue.

[JonB]

I plan to be there when they do it. Watch them, if they will let me. After all, I have eff-all else to do!

Also, as they use 2 post lifts, insist that the boot and doors are open when they lift the car. Otherwise the body flex causes the gaps to close. I already have witness marks on the boot and passenger door opening (which are my fault).

[JonB]

Some good-ish news at last.

Today I spent a morning in my damp garage bolting up the front suspension. Passenger side was straightforward, of course, as the spindles are all good. On the driver's side, it was a bit more interesting, but I found that by strapping the anti roll bar to the cross member such that the bottom of the upright cannot move forward, I was able to get the lower wishbone outer bolts in and this would prevent any tendency for the hub to move forward (my main concern as I was rolling the car off the ramp.

Due to damage to the remains of the spindle, I wasn't able to wind a nut onto the rear arm - so it is loose. And because there is nothing to attach the front lower arm to, it too is loose. However, the upper arms are solid and all the lower arm bolts are too, so at least there is some clamping force at the lower spindle.

Much caution advised at this point. I lowered the car off the stands with the front wheels on ramps, then carefully reversed it onto the floor. I found out that the driver's side suspension has enough attachment points to stay more or less where it belongs, and was able to manoeuvre the car under its own power out onto the road, where I turned it around and backed it into the garage tail first.

Now I have no doubts that I will be able to get it onto a transporter, single handed. So that's one worry dealt with.

Having it back on its wheels again also gives me a lift.

The front lower arm isn't even lined up. I have a bit of +ve castor. You can see the strap between the x-member and roll bar.

From the side it looks pretty good.

Another shot.

Looks like a happy car now..

Keen eyed readers will notice the lights are up. That is because the vacuum tube on the driver's side was damaged by all the heating and tolchocking (sorry my droogs, I have just vidded "A Clockwork Orange"). Another job to add to the ever expanding list.

Point is, I am ready for the Peterborough trip.