by RobvdVeer » Sun Sep 13, 2009 1:35 pm
Yesterday drive up to the top of holland and paid Ed a visit. Its only an hour's drive so I didn't have time to wait for the mail to arrive. I got myself a whole box of parts and started working on the car this morning. So I jacked up the front and put some axle stands under the jack points for safety.
I managed to remove the front wheel hub assemblies. What a job to split those joints! This took quite a bit of pounding.
To get them loose, i first removed steering linkage, angle drive and the break caliphers. I suspended every loose bit on wires to stop them from damaging boots and brake lines. Then I removed the castle nuts (damn split pens) but left them on to keep the hub from falling of when the joints come loose (top tip Ed!). Then I hammered on the joins with two hammers sideways to break them.
Right side is completely free now, the left side is hanging on its upper ball joint, because the castle nut is rusted shut. It is now soaking in WD40 while I warm up some earned soup and lunch.
Alas! The camera battery is empty, so I'll have to take some pictures later on.
At least the 'must' part is done. I can now replace the lower ball joint boots and clean it up thoroughly. I am still undecided on whether or not i will remove the shocks and springs for a thorough clean and remove the wishbones for a fresh layer of paint. I'll keep you all posted.
I hope you all had a nice weekend at the DOI. I for one, am tired and satisfied with the job done so far.
Oh! Almost forgot to mention the parts I bought at Ed's:
- Lower front ball joint boots and retainer clips
- Outer door seal, both sides, including kit
- New engine cover gasket, right side only (just to fix a tiny but pesky oil leak)
- New steering column bushing
- Bunch of fir trees to tidy up the lower door trim on both sides.
Rob van der Veer