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Front End Woes

Moss Motors
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noahnsteph Noah Corr
Omaha, NE, USA   USA
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So I know the fring end needs work. Took it to the alignment shop to see if the Midget would even fit on their machine & got the expected news that it needs major work. My steering rack is a mess (new one ordered ) & the kingpin bushings need replaced judging by the angle of the drivers side tire. Then tonight upon further inspection i found this on the drivers side sprig.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2018-09-25 08:09 PM by noahnsteph.


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trevorwj Trevor Jessie
Louisville, KY, USA   USA
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You also have a massive crack in the wishbone. That car is not safe to drive.

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noahnsteph Noah Corr
Omaha, NE, USA   USA
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Yep, it's going back up on jack stands for the winter t replace the entire front end.

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noahnsteph Noah Corr
Omaha, NE, USA   USA
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I went back and inspected the passenger side wishbone and it appears to be fine but I won't know for sure until I get it all torn down. That begs the question is it ok to replace the wishbone on just one side or do I need to replace both sides at once?

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jimmycoco Noah H
Edmonton, AB, Canada   CAN
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The good news is that rebuilding the front end is really easy to do. Here is a tutorial that I used when I did mine. It really helped. http://www.mikeamick.com/76midget/

The other good news is that rebuilding the front end is going to make the car feel amazing. When the steering and suspension is fresh, these cars handle like go carts (in a good way!).

You're gonna have the whole front end apart anyway, so now is a good time to tackle the brakes as well. I did new pads, rotors and hoses while I was in there.

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Stargazer14 Mike Redmond
West Chester, PA, USA   USA
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More than likely there is much more wrong than you can see. Make the plan to redo the entire front end with new pans
and bushings. Its not that bad of a job to do in a day if you go DIY.
You will think you have a new car when it is done.

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jimmycoco Noah H
Edmonton, AB, Canada   CAN
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I second Mike's suggestion. This is one of those areas where, in my opinion, it is well worth it to spend the extra money. Savings here could be a false economy. For example, when I did mine I thought I could re-use my pans because they looked good (major cost savings right?) but then, after I started putting it all back together, I noticed a little crack. So, I had to place another order (more shipping costs) and wait for new pans to arrive. However, I did buy the less expensive aftermarket pans from Moss and they seem fine.

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Kerr Platinum Member Norm Kerr
Ann Arbor, MI, USA   USA
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by the way, doesn't Peter from World Wide Auto Parts do complete front end assemblies by exchange?
http://www.nosimport.com/index.php?route=common/home

Newly rebushed kingpin, new A-pan and lower trunion. 3 Bolts and its done. With a set of rebuilt dampers, if there is any leaking out of yours, and you'd have a brand new front end.
Oh, and sway bar links and bushings.

And tie rod ends. And like Noah recommended, new rotors and pads, as long as you have it all apart.


N

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noahnsteph Noah Corr
Omaha, NE, USA   USA
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I was complaining to my wife about the growing list of parts I'm going to need for the front end and she responded "just replace the whole thing. you'll have a 42 year old new car." God I love that woman. grinning smiley

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BruceM Bruce McFarland
Tacoma, WA, USA   USA
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I have to pull my front end apart, but I know I have one cracked A arm and the rear fulcrum pins are not centered in the mounts. I'm afraid this will cost a few bucks. I'm hoping the king pins are still in good shape... I was only planning to replace the cracked arm unless the other one has cracks when I pull it apart.

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Statestreet John Lockwood
Tucson, AZ, USA   USA
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Noah, I would look at the remaining pan and make your judgement then. When I went through the front end on my 78 a previous owner put a soft metal cotter pin in place of the hardened pin that locks the swivel pin to the fulcrum pin. Needless to say It caused me to replace the fulcrum pin, swivel pin and hardened pin due to the damage. But on the driver's side all I needed was new bushings. When I received the new pan for the passenger side I had to return it because it was damaged. It's been my experience the original parts are the best if they can be saved.

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rsvmgb1974 Robert Vining
Capon Bridge, WV, USA   USA
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Wow, Checking Moss Motors website there is a big difference in cost between wishbones made by British reproduction and Heritage Trust.

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Kerr Platinum Member Norm Kerr
Ann Arbor, MI, USA   USA
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"there is a big difference in cost between wishbones made by British reproduction and Heritage Trust"

impossible to know without reviewing both, but the difference in cost could be anything

lower production volume always results in higher piece cost, or they could be the same part and someone is price gouging

The only way to know for sure is to see them both, either in good photos or buy both and return the dud.

What to look for are these things:
- does one have additional reinforcement? If so, buy it regardless of cost, those were added to improve durability but not all sources have them.
- does it include a FITTED lower fulcrum pin? That means it has been installed once already. Fitting one yourself can be a real pain if you don't have the right tool (a great big wide screwdriver, and a lot of elbow grease). Good wishbones come with a fitted pin, so you can spin it in and out with little extra force.
- does it include the lower fulcrum pin at all? Cheap wishbones require you to buy that separately
- does it have grease fittings front and rear? The best wishbones come with both, instead of the original one end only. Double does twice as good.
- does it have holes for the sway bar brackets? Early wishbones lacked them.

Note that except for the reinforcements, the other things do not have to be dealbreakers, but do add up, and could justify one over the other.

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jimmycoco Noah H
Edmonton, AB, Canada   CAN
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Quote:
What to look for are these things:
- does one have additional reinforcement? If so, buy it regardless of cost, those were added to improve durability but not all sources have them.
- does it include a FITTED lower fulcrum pin? That means it has been installed once already. Fitting one yourself can be a real pain if you don't have the right tool (a great big wide screwdriver, and a lot of elbow grease). Good wishbones come with a fitted pin, so you can spin it in and out with little extra force.
- does it include the lower fulcrum pin at all? Cheap wishbones require you to buy that separately
- does it have grease fittings front and rear? The best wishbones come with both, instead of the original one end only. Double does twice as good.
- does it have holes for the sway bar brackets? Early wishbones lacked them.

Note that except for the reinforcements, the other things do not have to be dealbreakers, but do add up, and could justify one over the other.

I seem to remember that the cheaper ones do have a fitted lower fulcrum pin, as I ended up with two extra brand new pins. I can say with certainty that they do have holes for sway bar brackets, as I have a sway bar installed. I can't recall if they had additional reinforcement, nor the number of grease fittings.

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