Adjustable A frames

[Craig Elliott]

Mark - there's no guarantee that they were set up properly from new, although it is more critical to sort if you're going racing (I think they used to do a cut/weld fix on the wishbones then). The handling is quite sensitive to rear toe-in and getting the adjustment right does make quite a big difference, certainly on the +2.

Craig

[Elanintheforest]

Hmmm, perhaps I put too much faith in the factory! Come to think about it, Most Elans hit the road as 'kit' form, so there couldn't have been a way for the factory to measure the toe-in, unless that was done as part of the post-build check. But if it was wrong they couldn't adjust it....oh, I give up.

I understand the need for it, but listening to Ken and Brian Buckland talking through the different ways of getting it right lost me in a couple of minutes. On a similar theme, I'm just doing the suspension on my Elite, where there is also no way of making adjustments, and no way that I can determine on sorting out bump steer....another topic that's passed me by!!

Mark

[robertverhey]

Hello Guys..

I see...Said the blind man. I understand now. Internal diameters of the 'A'frame bush mountings. Big ones and small ones.

Got it now... Hic'... Sorry Brian...Your question now appears answered though.

I broke a flamming big Vice trying to push out one of the larger inner bushes. Bugger! Had to go and retrieve my spare which is now sat on my bench. Set up my hydraulic press this morning and pressed out all the bushes on 4 frames in jig time. Now why did I not do that to start with.... Doh!! Dingbat!

Cheers guys.

Hi Alex, wish I had read this post before I attacked my a frames with a vice to remove the bushes.....those vices really go BANG! when they break, don't they? Here's mine, now junk.



But I see from your post that you managed to set up your press to remove the bushes, just wondering how on earth you did that? My reason for using the vice instead of my 20 tonne hydraulic press is that the bush extensions won't reach in far enough to get squarely under the ram. The A frame fouls on the girder....and there is just NO WAY that I can see to set up the press to ram new bushes squarely home.



I got all the old bushes out, (resorted to torch, hacksaw and hammer/chisel), now need to find a way to press the new ones in. They're super tight, because I measured them and they're 20 thou (.5mm) bigger than the hole in the a frame.....would really hate to damage those arms....and Dad's vice is getting nervous

Any ideas? Have tried the old threaded rod and two sized sockets trick....won't do the job, not enough oomph. This is clearly a hydraulic press job! But how to set it up?

[alexblack13]

Hi Bud! Guys...

I think I pushed them in from the other end and I had to turn up some tooling too from memory,[. few years ago that now.. Not sure that 0.5mm is correct fit. Sounds a lot that. I did not measure (from memory) so I can' be sure. I would check that.

Keep us posted on that fit.

Sorry about your vice! My one just exploded. I did have about a two ft long extension pole on it though.

ab13.

[gjz30075]

Arbor press worked best for me. Zog on this forum had an arrangement of sockets and threaded rods that worked well. Can't find the pics at the moment.

Greg Z

[robertverhey]

Okay just for sake of closure, and for benefit of anyone else who has the same issue in future....after faffing around endlessly with fine threaded bolts, spacers, even big hammers, I sorted it by modifying the press. I bought another piece of h beam, short enough to fit inside the frame of the press. That allows the A arms to get right under the ram. Cheap and worked a charm

Can't beat that hydraulic pressure.....



I'm finding that there's lots of lateral problem solving involved in restoring an elan....often makes me wonder how they did these sorts of things in the factory....all that knowledge pretty much lost now, alas

[Mazzini]

Okay just for sake of closure, and for benefit of anyone else who has the same issue in future....after faffing around endlessly with fine threaded bolts, spacers, even big hammers, I sorted it by modifying the press. I bought another piece of h beam, short enough to fit inside the frame of the press. That allows the A arms to get right under the ram. Cheap and worked a charm

Can't beat that hydraulic pressure.....



I'm finding that there's lots of lateral problem solving involved in restoring an elan....often makes me wonder how they did these sorts of things in the factory....all that knowledge pretty much lost now, alas

Brilliant! Thanks! Looks like we have the same press too! I just did my front wishbone bushes last night and then tried to get the A frames under the press and...well, scratched my head and went for a beer instead.