Suspension shackles (big U-bolts!)
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Suspension shackles (big U-bolts!)
Just had a 'glad they spotted it' MOT failure (best sort, and I put the Traveller in to find out what else I had to do, which turned out to be not much!) The rear spring shackles had a coating of road dirt on them, I hadn't cleaned it off, but the tester did - revealing the outer shackles in this state:
Front view
Back view
New ones only cost about £2 each and you really wouln't want one to break as you went over a pothole - so it's worth cleaning off yours to make sure yours aren't rotting away too.......
Front view
Back view
New ones only cost about £2 each and you really wouln't want one to break as you went over a pothole - so it's worth cleaning off yours to make sure yours aren't rotting away too.......
Cor, they're bad!
I posted a couple of days ago recommending periodic cleaning of this area....but I've never seen a shackle pin as rusted away as this.
With everything out of the shackle pin area, I just wire brush the spring, axle etc, smother everything with grease and re-assemble. Painting would be more aesthetic, but the grease attracts sand and turns into the kind of stuff you find around the lower chassis around leaky engines. This usually stops rust in these areas.
I posted a couple of days ago recommending periodic cleaning of this area....but I've never seen a shackle pin as rusted away as this.
With everything out of the shackle pin area, I just wire brush the spring, axle etc, smother everything with grease and re-assemble. Painting would be more aesthetic, but the grease attracts sand and turns into the kind of stuff you find around the lower chassis around leaky engines. This usually stops rust in these areas.
Here's a swift online dictionary definition:
shackle [ˈʃækəl]
n
1. (often plural) a metal ring or fastening, usually part of a pair used to secure a person's wrists or ankles; fetter
2. (often plural) anything that confines or restricts freedom
3. a rope, tether, or hobble for an animal
4. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) a U-shaped bracket, the open end of which is closed by a bolt (shackle pin), used for securing ropes, chains, etc
shackle [ˈʃækəl]
n
1. (often plural) a metal ring or fastening, usually part of a pair used to secure a person's wrists or ankles; fetter
2. (often plural) anything that confines or restricts freedom
3. a rope, tether, or hobble for an animal
4. (Engineering / Mechanical Engineering) a U-shaped bracket, the open end of which is closed by a bolt (shackle pin), used for securing ropes, chains, etc
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back on topic - I think your MOT tester deserves a thank you letter!
Not all would look as carefully in an area that needed cleaning.
I've seen U-bolts about as bad as that once, and that was on the Raymobile which was so rotten you couldn't tell it was a Minor from underneath
;-)
This area should be cleaned once in a while as it's a mud trap (especially under the axle perch) and the axle casing and axle perch can rot through.
After spending time to dig out mud and chip rust scabs away it's worth to waxoil it.
Not all would look as carefully in an area that needed cleaning.
I've seen U-bolts about as bad as that once, and that was on the Raymobile which was so rotten you couldn't tell it was a Minor from underneath
;-)
This area should be cleaned once in a while as it's a mud trap (especially under the axle perch) and the axle casing and axle perch can rot through.
After spending time to dig out mud and chip rust scabs away it's worth to waxoil it.
Ray. MMOC#47368. Forum moderator.
Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block
Jan 06: The Minor SII Africa adventure: http://www.minor-detour.com
Oct 06: back from Dresden with my Trabant 601 Kombi
Jan 07: back from a month thru North Africa (via Timbuktu) in a S3 Landy
June 07 - back from Zwickau Trabi Treffen
Aug 07 & Aug 08 - back from the Lands End to Orkney in 71 pickup
Sept 2010 - finally gave up breaking down in a SII Landy...
where to break down next?
2013... managed to seize my 1275 just by driving it round the block