MGB Front Suspension Spring Removal and Replacement How To Guide
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- Опубліковано 29 вер 2024
- Firstly I need to apologise that it's taken me a while to make a video. We are nearing the end of the UK winter but this had meant fairly dark and miserable weekends for the last month. the lighting is not very good in the video and there is some wind noise. I also managed to block the camera when I was refitting the kingpin assembly to the top wishbone.
That said hopefully you'll be able to see a fairly quick and easy method to swap out the front springs on an MGB. You need to have both sides of the car jacked up in order to free off the anti-roll bar, but the rest is fairly easy as long as the bolts come free.
Any comments or questions are always welcome, I'm hoping to make a few more videos over the next few weeks before the race season starts. If you like the videos it would help me immensely if you would be kind enough to subscribe to my channel
17/02/2020 Thanks for all the positive comments, I should add that the springs on my car are shorter than standard MGB ones but the procedure is the same. You'll need to raise the car up to around 15 inches/ 40cm measuring from the bottom of the crossmember to the floor.
Outstanding work as always. Thanks from California USA.
Many thanks for your kind message, hope all is good on the West Coast.
@@davidrussellwilks Any place in Southern California ?
@@garywilloughby6893 Central Coast Monterey California
Thank you so much! This is identical to my MGA 1600 I am rebuilding. I wasn't sure how to get the springs out.
Paul Millar Many thanks for your message, delighted to hear that you found the video useful. The springs on my car are a bit shorter than standard ones but you should still be able to remove them in the same way.
@@davidrussellwilks , yes, I believe so also. It is the same system. I have the 1960 MGA 1600. From what I could see on your B, they look the same. I will be adding the sway bar to mine on the rebuild. It was optional starting with the 1600's.
@@davidrussellwilks ,Hi Dave. I took them out today and your method worked flawlessly! Many thanks!
I am in the process of rebuilding the front suspension on my 1976 MGB. What is the free height and rate of your springs? I am wanting to lower the front of my car.
Great video. Thank you for this. It's a great refreshing take on the cars.
James
Thanks for your message James, the springs on my car at 7 inch free height and 800lb rate. I think this is about the lowest you can go on a chrome bumper car before you start getting bump steer. The car does have have the low height bump stops too. On a 1976 car you may find you need a longer spring to start with and you will almost certainly need the shorter bump stops. My car is not very nice to drive on the road, 800lb springs are fine on the track but too much for UK roads. I think something around the 500lb rate should be more than enough. I went through several different springs before I settled on these, a modified top locating mount also means I can use 2.5 inch ID springs that are widely available and quite cheap. The standard MGB Spring is just a little bit bigger and the smaller ID spring does not fit into the standard cup mounts on the crossmember. I have another MGB video here going through the full suspension. ua-cam.com/video/_5jsWsyy1ZE/v-deo.html
Great video, I am really liking these how-tos. You explain things well. A bit of extra lighting on the subjects would be even more helpful
Many thanks for your message, I think some portable lighting would be useful, it was a dark and miserable weekend in the UK. I also need to find a better way to film inside the wheel arch as I've got in the way of a few important bits.
Hello, just wanted to be clear did you say 81ft/lb for the anti roll bar. Thanks
There is a good link here with all the torque settings www.mgexp.com/article/mgb/pdf/mgb-torque-settings.pdf
The bolt should be 60 ft/lbs or 81Nm
@@davidrussellwilks Thank you.
Hi David, could you possibly give me your email address as I would like to ask you about front suspension spring lengths/rates. Regards Roger.
Thanks for your message Roger, I'd be happy to answer and basic questions on UA-cam, I only give my email out to those that have joined the channel as member.
Best Regards
David
@@davidrussellwilks Thanks for the reply. I'm a 73 year old who is in latter stages of restoring a 75 RB MGB, rebuilt front suspension on the original springs stands 2 inches too tall. The springs uncompressed were 10.5 inch. Any suggestions. All the usual suppliers are rather vague on the selection of lower springs. Thanks once again. Regards Roger.
Thank you so much for taking the time to make these videos. The topics you choose with the how-to videos are always pertinent to my needs and I'm sure I'm not alone.
Many thanks for your message Stephen, it's always a real pleasure to know that people find the videos useful. I'm hoping to make a few covering the braking system soon. If there is anything in particular that you'd like covered I will certainly try to help.
@@davidrussellwilks If you had the time, it would be helpful to see a video about lubricating the steering rack assembly. John Twist has a video posted about this but it's one of his earlier videos and it's difficult to ascertain what he is doing due to the lack of lighting. Either way, thanks again for what you do!
Great video and beautiful car, the reflection in the paint job show how nice it is.
Many thanks Eric, glad you enjoyed the video
Great video thanks for sharing..😊
You are most welcome, glad you enjoyed it.
Your videos are very helpful; thank you for putting them together. Greetings from rural Michigan, USA
Many thanks Ted, delighted to hear you are finding them useful.
Thank you for a well done video. Your race videos are very exciting. Cheers, Paul
Hi, unfortunately this process did not work for me like all your other videos. In fact, I got myself into quite a pickle. The steering arm would not permit the suspension to lower enough to remove my springs. In fact, I tried to ply them out which I managed to pry the bottom out of the bottom position but could not remove them from the holder on top because of the angles. Then I was faced with my pickle, spring half out and the only way I could lower the suspension more was to remove the Tie rod, which in this position would not come out. So, after an hour or more of trying to put the old spring back into its original position, I managed to put everything back together without a spring change. Often, I need to sleep on these challenges and this morning I have ordered new tie rods, rack seal and clamp plus some sway bar bushings and bolts. Oh yes, I could not remove the sway bar from one side, so I was able to remove it from the bottom of the spring pan instead to let it drop. The bolt was seized in sway bushing. So, I am hoping to get the parts shortly and I also will order ball joint separator tool and will try again. This is how it looked like just before I pryed out the spring half way, but could not get it all the way out. vespacanada.files.wordpress.com/2022/05/20220524_124411.jpg
In your situation Peter you may find removing the lower trunnion bolt works better, you may find you have to loosen the spring pad bolts slightly and let the lower wishbone drop down.
Your workshop videos are always excellent explanations. Well done.
Many thanks for your positive comments Tim
Thank you for making these videos. My front crossmember has been rebuilt and currently out of the vehicle, is it possible to install the front springs or will i have to bolt the crossmember back in?
Thanks for your message, you will have a slight difficulty getting to the long studs that hold the crossmember in place with the springs installed. Personally I like to fit the crossmember with nothing attached to it and then make sure it's perfectly square to the vehicle. The crossmember can be fitted when assembled, you will need to put the studs where the springs go in first though, ideally you'll need two people for the job, it's a heavy and rather unwieldly assembly when built up.
Thank you for taking the time to share your knowledge. I'm trying to keep a 53 year old MGB in good condition and am learning a good amount from you. My current challenge is getting the air out of the brake lines.
Thanks for your message Trent, I'm hoping to edit and post a brake bleeding video this weekend. If you are getting air in the brake lines after bleeding, or the brakes seem to need pumping up to get them to work it may be a faulty master cylinder.
That large top bolt on the top of pinion, do you know the torque on that?
There is a very useful sheet here with most of the settings. I printed a copy and kept it in the garage. www.mgexp.com/article/mgb/pdf/mgb-torque-settings.pdf
Hi David I need to raise the front ride height of my MGB by 25mm, could you tell me where I can purchase the ring spacers please. Best Regards Roger.
Thanks for your message the ring spacers come from Moss, but are only 5mm, to raise the car by 25mm you may need new springs
Thanks for your reply, Regards Roger
Well done, keep making your videos. Well made and easy to follow. Thank you.
Many thanks Jeff, glad you are enjoying them.
@@davidrussellwilks David, ever come to Central Florida, I would pay you to build my MGB. You really know what your doing.
Very well done!
Glad you liked it!
Hi David. My anti-roll bar links got an advisory on the MOT the other day, so I've got a pair arriving shortly from Moss Europe. Is it straight forward to replace them? Do I just need to jack stand the car, or do the wheels (i.e. the suspension) need to be compressed or anything? Couldn't find a video that shows how to do it.
Can you replace with a shorter spring to lower it a tad?
Yes, there are plenty of options for MGB springs
Very helpful thanks.
Many thanks Malcolm, glad it was helpful!
thanks for the good info and clear instructions
Many thanks Phil, glad it was helpful!
@@davidrussellwilks sure was, thanks
David, Your video’s are extremely well done and informative. Thank you for sharing this with us neophyte mechanics. Tim in Kalamazoo
Many thanks for your kind message Tim, it's fantastic to hear that you are finding the videos useful. It's a bit cold for working outside in the UK at the moment, but I hope to be making some more videos soon.
Your videos are an excellent source of MGB tuning and repair. Thank you so much!👍
Glad you like them!
So, yeah my MGB's suspension hasn't been touched in its 45 years. I was able to remove the top king pin, but the "pinch bolt" as you call it is truly stuck. I should be able to get the suspension to still separate, right? I have noticed in both the Haynes guide and the Moss catalog that bolt, essentially doesn't exist, as in DON'T TOUCH. Am I right?
Is this the pinch bolt on the damper? The other option you have is to undo the bottom end of the wishbone and drop the arms that way. Most likely you'll need to loosen the pans too in order to free it. If you do snap the pinch bolt you can at least replace it easily, or even just replace the lever arm damper. I think without the pinch bolt on the damper lose you may struggle to get the assembly back in if you are changing the bushes.
@@davidrussellwilks A funny thing happened, after I walked away, the top trunnion came loose on its own. Bad thing is it was hanging by the brake hose when I found it. Now to remove the brake caliper to get the spring out. Unfortunately my old, rusty spring is stuck. I'm afraid if I try to pull to hard on the spring where it is the hose will snap, sending a deadly spring and fluid in my face. I see the value in cleaning everything up and replacing the rusty crap like your racer.
I really do appreciate your video. For as simple of a job as this really is, it's the only good video I've found, and I have watched it many times.
What is the white spacer ring for? Do you just add them to attain the ride height you want, or do they affect ride quality?
The spacer ring is just to corner weight the car. One is aiming for a 50% cross weight front left to rear right and front right to rear left. With the driver in the car there will be more weight on the right hand side of the car, by adding the shims to the left side more weight is taken up by the left spring
So in my case, with conventional length springs I find I can’t really lower the wheel sufficiently to open up enough space to insert the springs. The tie rod ends are stressed to the max so I can’t open it far enough. This leaves two choices so far as I can tell: 1.) Remove the tie rod ends so I can drop the wheel further. 2.) Use the approach in one of your other videos and drop the spring pan instead.
How long are the springs you are fitting Bruce, is yours a rubber or chrome bumper car? I do have a video showing how to remove the tie rod. Dropping the lower part of the wishbone certainly should work, I usually find one side of the wishbone/spring pan will need to be loosened in order to make it drop free.
The springs on my car are shorter than standard so will be easier to fit, that said, I do like checking that the top bolt hasn't seized, it does not get the same lubrication that the lower one does.
@@davidrussellwilks That’s a long story! The stock RBB springs are about 10”, the ones I’m currently using which were erroneously sold to me as 1” lowering springs, are about 8,5”. The 8.5” I was just able to shoehorn in. So when I track down a couple of the correct springs, about 9.2” I can’t see them going in without, as you say, removing the tie rod ends. That’s doable but I’d prefer not to if possible so may go the spring pan route. I’ll check out your video on the tie rod service
BTW. Great vids, keep up the good work and stay safe and well.
Excellent clear description. Well done!
Many thanks Stephen, delighted you found the video useful.
I did one side your way and the other side by disconnecting from the lower wishbone. Much quicker.
Thanks for your message Darrell, where did you find the time was saved by disconnecting the lower wishbone?
As I recall, 2 bolts instead of 3 and no hub flopping about with the potential to damage the brake line. The wishbone seemed to go lower as well.
@@darrellbaldwin6226 Did you find you needed the loosen the bolts between the wishbone and the spring pan? In the past when I've tried to disconnect the lower wishbone only I've found these needed to be undone too to release the kingpin.
No. I only undid the bottom bolt which slid right out releasing the kingpin. Getting out the rusty spring that had been in there 41 years was a different matter though!
When I did it your way I overnighted the castellated nut (idiot me) and stripped the thread. Now I’ve got to find a way to get it out 🙈
David you mentioned to Nadal below that a 550 lb. rate spring is about what one should use on the road. Your 800 lb spring is too stiff good to Race on. Is there a chart or guide to go by in setting up a car for the conditions one wants to run --- Track , Rally , Road Course , or just improved form stock for Roads?
On your floor jack is that a hard rubber piece that fits in the cup at the contact point? Looks like something other than steel --- that would help keep what ever you maybe jacking on from sliding off the steel cup most jacks come with. Steel on steel is asking for trouble, will slide off.
Will review this video and the one you have on " Full Suspension Rebuild " when I get to doing my front end. -------------------- Thanks for Sharing
For choosing spring settings I just went with trial and error, and asked what others were using in the paddock. Personally I would speak to people that are running in the same class and see what they recommend. Springs are at least fairly cheap.
There is a rubber pad on top of the jack and a hard plastic pad where the jacking point should be on my car, I tend to lift the car from side to side as my garage is quite short.