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MG Midget and Sprite Technical - Wishbones and Stub axles.

I want to replace/service my stub axles and wishbones on my sprite. In the past I have simply bought new or exchange Moss items.

However as there seems to be an ongoing issue with the quality of rear springs generally in the UK, --- unless you pay more for better, ----- I was wondering if this also relates to other items;

So, can anyone tell me if there are any quality issues surounding replacement wishbones and stubaxle assemblies.

I don't race my sprite, just road use, but it is driven a lot.

Are the easily available exchange complete stub axles any good?

Are the replacement Wishbones any good?

Who is the recommended supplier of these items these days?

Lawrence Slater

PS

I would ream and assemble my own stub axles, but I missed the opportuinity to buy a cheap reamer years ago, and don't fancy the £150 it costs to buy one now. So I have to buy "made" items.
Lawrence Slater

Morning Lawrence,
Barry King makes redesigned wishbones that are strengthened and more importantly have a redesigned lubrication system for the lower fulcrun pin. This is the bit that you have to grease every 5 minutes and it still wears out in a week and a half! I have a pair on the bench waiting to go on. They look very good.
They are a bit more expensive than standard but it beats replacing them every 10000 miles because you didn't grease them on that long trip to the shops you did last week ;).

Dave
Dave Brown

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the reply. Yor dead right about the greasing, and by coincidence I am in email contact with Barry king re his redesigned wishbones. So thanks for confirming that they look good. It certainly makes sense to have grease points at each end. I think I am goin to give these a go when I need to do mine, which I think will be soon. ( I am going to have a poke around and inspect mine as soon as the sun shines long enough ).

How about stub axles, and recomendations as to who supplies the best or improved?
Lawrence Slater

Hi Lawrence
Some BBSers will know my thoughts about "new" parts and the fact that they seem to be made of dubiuos quality materials. That said my last set if pins and stubs came from Sandra at the MGBhive. I grease them very frequently and they seem fine [so far!]
David Cox

Hi David (cox).

How long so far on your current stub axles?

The stub axles on sprites are a poor design from the start. Two bushes, that subject the jarring they get from brit roads, can get knackered all too quickly. But as long as they are put togehter properly can last quite a while. If I had a reamer I would prefer to do my own.

Thanks for the tip about MGB (spit ha ha, only joking) hive.

Anybody else know a good source, or sell/lend/give me a cheap reamer ? :)
Lawrence Slater

Lawrence, I'm on my second daily use Spridget, first one was 15 years ago, this one I've had 4 years now the last one I had, I think for 3 years, done much higher annual mileage

both had newish stub axles and wishbones fitted before I got the cars and were just greased by me at at 6 months/6,000-miles, and on my current model just before the MOT - I've had no problems with them

(a stupid thing to say as they will now fall apart) if I ever need the wishbones changing then I will get the Barry King as my mate has them and recommends them but I'm at the stage now where if something works I leave it alone
N Atkins

I added another grease nipple myself, had some spare ones from something , I just tapped the non-nippled side and put one in. about 8K on them so far and no wear at all, possibly due to my top link as well though
Rob Armstrong

Adding another grease nipple is a partial solution, but on Barry King's components, as well as having twin nipples, the threaded pin is solid, not hollow, meaning that the grease must go round the threads where it is most needed. I have fitted them to my project and very good they seem - mind you the car isn't on the road yet. Pumping grease into them takes quite a bit of pressure because it has to work its way along the screw thread.
Mike Howlett

Hi I am reading the comments with interest just to make clear the greasing of the premier pin does require more pressure as there is a lubrication scroll in the threads of the fulcrum bushes it is not a case of just forcing the grease via the threads we recommend this is carried out prior to fitting up to the vehicle so the grease can be worked around more easily all the best Barry
bp king

I have BK wish bones (excellent) but have never resolved the play between the king pin and fulcrum due to what I suspect is inferior recon / re-manufactured parts. As above I have resolved just to drive the car and accept that the design is old and cr@p
S G Macfarlane

S G Macfarlane
I only had a problem once with play between the king pin and fulcrum. But these were not QH parts. So I took them back and got a refund, and got QH king pins and that fixed it. I assume QH still make the king pins. I might need some soon, so I'll be finding out I guess. :)

Of course if the fulcrum is undersized, I guess that's more of a problem. But since there seems to be general agreement on the BK wishbones, and he supplies a modified fulcrum, I don't expect that to be an issue. Esp as he has just posted here too. :)

How does the MOT treat play in midget suspension?

Since it's pretty unavoidable, and these days younger testers have often never even seen the underside of a sprite, let alone driven one or worked on one, every year can lead to an argument I find. Luckily for the last few years I have had the test at an old traditional garage where the owner is old school, runs his own classics, has old land rovers and the like and seems to instruct his mechanics accordingly. So touch wood no failures for years. But this year I'm not so sure it will pass. Hence my questions about stubs and wishbones.

Personally, like you SG, I just accept a bit of play. You get used to it in the end, or keep replacing parts.

In days gone by, when the MOT was more of a joke than a test, (is it still?) I had pretty large amounts of play. Horizontal on the old front shocks, horizontal and vertical on the fulcrum, and stub axles. Shake rattle and roll. But it never actually broke. lol. I drove all over spain one year with at least a quarter of an inch of sideways movement in my front shocks, and the fulcrums bouncing up and down in the wishbone bushes. Not to mention the paper stuffed in the sills covered with isopon, and the ally sheets pop riveted in place of my rotted floor pans, lololol. No doubt that would be considered foolhardy these days.:) I used to go to this old guy in london for the mot, and each year I'd pay my fiver (cost of the test not bribe),--- or was that the same thing back then? :), anyway each year he used to say "this will have to be the last year lawrence, and smile. Yeah right. each year I got new paper and fresh paint, and redid the floor pans. Those were the days. No doubt I am going to be caned for admitting that lot ha ha.
Lawrence Slater

This thread was discussed between 23/06/2011 and 24/06/2011

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