Keith,
If you put an engine and transmission into a car, you can most likely do
the front suspension on a '6. It isn't black magic, just takes a little
care. If you had a frozen ball joint, it may be that other things have
gone too long without being checked and replaced so I'd expect to find
frozen and rusted bolts and other such things.
I usually re-read the book, look at the suspension and think through what
I'm about to do, and do one side at a time so I can look at the other side
when I forget what it is supposed to look like. <grin>
I did a front suspension rebuild shortly after I got my '6, about 8 years
ago and am just about go through the front suspension again. I was on a
very limited budget back then (not much better now) and wanted to be sure
that I replaced what was necessary or likely to be needed soon. When I did
it the first time, I took one side apart to see what needed to be
replaced. I wanted to do this right since I didn't really want to have to
worry about the suspension failing when I was driving it, which would have
really made a mess of the car and possibly other things.
From memory, this is what I put in the first time around:
* new tie rod ends
* new ball joints
* lower kit for the trunnions (didn't replace the trunnions themselves but
checked the the threads very carefully). I also checked the threads on the
bottom of the vertical links to make sure they were in good shape and that
the trunnions fit well with no slop. I think the consensus is to use gear
lube for the trunnions rather than grease. BTW, this can be a pain to do
if the bolt has rusted to the steel sleeve that goes through the trunnion.
* new front wheel bearings and grease seal
* new Nyloc nuts for everything that I took apart.
and then had the front end aligned. The car handled much better after this.
I later put in new uprated rubber bushings for the A-arms and solid
aluminum steering rack mounts a couple of years later but had one of the
aluminum mounts crack so I put rubber ones back in.
My car is a daily driver and it has held up fine. Checking to make sure
the fasteners are still tight once in awhile is probably a good idea since
one of the bolts for the rear shock worked loose over the years, which has
made me a little paranoid about such things.
I'm about to go through the front suspension again this spring and do a
refresh. I've been slowly buying new parts for quite awhile as they came
up on sales and this time plan to replace:
greasable tie rod ends, greaseable ball joints, trunnion kit, poly bushings
for the A-arms and the shock links and sway bar mounts, kyb gas shocks and
uprated springes, new close ratio steering rack with solid mounts
(different type of mounts from the first time), and new nyloc nuts as
needed. I have new trunnions if they are needed and will again check the
threads on the vertical link and repack the front wheel bearings. While in
the area, flushing the brake fluid is a good idea.
I've had good experiences over the years with Moss, TRF, BPNW and Dick
Burger at The British Parts Connection (NFI for any of these). Do you look
at Hemmings? There are ads for some of these folks in there.
Good luck!
Rob
74 TR6 daily dribbler
At 01:42 PM 1/19/2002, Keith Meinhold wrote:
>After a little creaking (apparently a frozen ball joint) and as a result
>what appears to be a cracked frame bracket, in the LF suspension, it is time
>for a rebuild. I took the car to a reliable shop and they quoted about $400
>in parts and 12hrs labor @ $95HR to do it right on both sides. Given SF
>labor costs this is probably a fair figure, however, I am of limited means,
>the possibility of being layed off and I would rather take the $1100 in
>labor and put it into something else (carbs and ?). Consequently, I may
>take this job on myself.
>
>I have been looking at the BPNW, VB and Moss catalogues and it seems to me,
>since I would be doing it myself a $400 budget on parts would get me a lot
>of iron components in addition to the rubber/nylon and extra stuff like
>shocks and springs. (I understand a repair shops need to markup)
>
>I would like to order all the parts before I start, even replacing what may
>not actually require it.
> Here is what I figure I would order:
> Shocks Front ($50)
> Springs Front ($30)
> A-Arm kit upper ($10)
> A-Arm kit Lower ($50)
> Ball joint set ($30)
> Trunion (L&R) ($80)
> Tie rod set (inner & end, nylon bush, and springs) ($55)
> Sway bar link assy ($15)
> Tool: Spring compressor ($50)
> Book: Bentley shop manual ($55)
>
>Is there anything else I should have on hand?
>
>To do it right - what do I need to do?
>
>Should I do it myself or leave it to the pros?
>Up till now I have done all of the work on the car, however I have never
>done suspension work before, but am somewhat mechanically competent. (I
>just put a new engine and trans in my Volvo 122, and never did that before
>either).
>
>I assume I would need to send the car out for an alignment afterward, an I
>would also pay my neighbor (a retired welder for the city) to weld the
>bracket. Would I also need to have a machine shop do any work?
>
>Any help is appreciated.
>
>1976 TR6 CF53003U0
>
>Keith Meinhold
>66 Marston Avenue
>San Francisco CA 94112
>
>415 585 5998 H
>415 336 5336 C
>415 836 7775 W
>
>http://www.navyboy.com/
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