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Collapsed suspension ?

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:48 am
by iandromiskin
This is a picture of Millys front showing the depressed nature of the left hand side. I can only presume that this is caused by a poorly adjusted suspension leg or at worse, collasped suspension ? This is something I doubt I can fix myself, but rather leaving it a more skilled experienced mechanic, but I'am just wondering ??? (I know the car is on the grass and the left wheel is on a piece of wood, but it is genuinely down at the right and not just in a dip)

Image

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 11:59 am
by Welung666
It could be a number of things... Check under the front seat just in case the torsion bar has come through although thats unlikely unless it's very rotten. Check the bottom trunnion hasn't colapsed, more likely than the torsion bar and a lot easier to fix!

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:09 pm
by Kevin
Has it just ocuured or have you been getting any noises from that corner like clonking sounds.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:19 pm
by iandromiskin
No its always been like that. I bought the car about two years ago and am slowly doing it up. I've actually done more work to her in the last month than in the previous year, but the momentum is gathering. So as far as I can remember it was like that when I bought her, but during the few times I did drive the car, I don't remember any sounds, knocking or clanking and the steering was ok, not brilliant, but just ok.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 12:58 pm
by Kevin
Ok it sounds like the torsion bar on the l/hand side has not been set properly after the previous owner had or did some work on the car each spline makes around 1 1/2" difference to the ride height, so it probably needs raising a spline if the difference is around this figure.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 2:14 pm
by iandromiskin
Yeah. I think the previous owner installed disc brakes, but its obvious he didn't re-set the front suspension correctly. Cheers for that.

sag

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:39 pm
by Willie
Look at the forward face of the centre cross member where the torsion
bar passes through. There is an adjustable plate there with a series of holes into which the arm of the torsion bar will fit. Each hole will make a difference of 1/4" in the ride height so, if yours is already in the lowest hole there is no further adjustment at this end but, if it is in the top hole
you can adjust the position. Failing that you can move the arm on its spline on the front suspension, each alteration of one spline alters the height by one and a half inches.

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 6:46 pm
by MarkyB
Even if nothing has been done to the car its not uncommon for the drivers side to "settle" a bit as it's always loaded when the car is used.
Just adjust it with the vernier plate and lay off the pies :D

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:02 pm
by Dean
:lol: :) !!!

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 7:30 pm
by PSL184
Except in this case tell your passenger to lay off the pies :-)

Posted: Mon Sep 08, 2008 10:30 pm
by iandromiskin
MarkyB wrote: Just adjust it with the vernier plate and lay off the pies
:lol: You mean the Guinness !!!! Mind you if I ate more pies I could balence the weight on the drivers side too. :)

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:28 am
by rayofleamington
The suspension can also sag if it is over-travelled.
This can happen if the top bump stop area of the inner wing is rotton and the suspension goes through the inner wing!

However most likely is just that it wasn't set right.

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 11:46 am
by bmcecosse
Well - to be that far down I would say something has given way - so (as mentioned way back earlier) - lift the carpets under the seats and look for signs of torsion bar reaction arm ingress. Then inspect underneath - both at the crossmember and at the eye-bolt holding the front end of the torsion bar and the front lower suspension arms of course. If all looks well - you are in luck - and a simple adjustment of the rear arm of the front pair on the torsion bar splines should sort it out for you. Here's hoping it's as simple as that!

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:01 pm
by iandromiskin
No I don't think that anything has come up through the floor (yet). The car does need some serious welding and lots of new panels, as you can see, but nothing has penetrated the floor apart from lots of rust.

Image Image

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 12:50 pm
by bmcecosse
So far so good! Now , have a look at the crossmember.

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:16 pm
by iandromiskin
You mean the rustymember !!!

Posted: Tue Sep 09, 2008 1:59 pm
by bmcecosse
The one on my car is a credit to the strength of underseal. I have a new one - but putting off the evil day when I have to fit it!