For the first time in ages I bought some standard lower control arm bushes, but they're about 5mm longer than the straight bit of the bent arm thingy so it doesn't pull up against the subframe - what's the go?

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

do they have a metal sleeve?

Simon. They are made oversize & have to be compressed when fitted to the cranked pin and the control arm.
Bit of a fidgety job. I use vise-grips to compress them by squeezing the front of the pin to the front upright with the large hole, just enough to get the 9/16" unf nut on the rear thread. Some vaseline/rubber grease on the bushes may help with the compressing.
Make sure the metal sleeves from the old bushes haven't rusted themselves onto the pin first!

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1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - all painted up, ready for fit out.
1969 Cooper S Mk2 - claimed by 2nd. born
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

getting the nut onto the thread wasn't the problem - I used a bit of rubber grease and pushed it in - the problem was that the thread on the nyloc nut didn't engage the nylon properly, and the 'forward' end of the pin wasn't all the way into the subframe, or at least it wasn't as far in as it was previously. I'd taken out urethane bushes that did allow the pin to seat fully

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I didn't think nylocs were OEM, but I could be wrong. Obviously a better idea,but.
Maybe a case of reproduced 21A1882's not being up to specs.

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1967 Cooper S - new front bearings to do.
1965 Cooper S shell - all painted up, ready for fit out.
1969 Cooper S Mk2 - claimed by 2nd. born
1966 Deluxe- next rustoration!
Mk 2 & XJ6 Jags. Less said the better.

yeah.... I'll email the retailer and see what they say... annoying!

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I also found them too long, I had to machine them shorter to match nos ones. Who is making this stuff and not checking...
The metal bush is too long.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

Who was the retailer??

Mine were bought locally but came from Minispares UK.

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DrMini- 1970 wasaMatic 1360, Mk1S crank, 86.6HP (ATW) =~125 @ crank, 45 Dellorto (38 chokes), RE282 sprint cam, 1.5 rockers, 11.0:1 C/R.

retailer said that the sleeves in the bushes are meant to be too long for the pin, the sleeves should be clamped up tight against each other so that they can't rotate on the pin... but there is a lot of overhang, I'd think that 1 or 2mm is OK, but it's more like 6mm



There's nothing but metal in this bush, hardly any squish in the rubber. When I do the nut up as tight as I can, the rubbers aren't squished very much to stop fore and aft movement of the arm.

The urethane bushes I took out are in OK-ish condition so I could put them back in to get the car moving again and buy some better bushes later

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I can't give any practical advice having not changed these for many decades but thought I'd do a bit of research so Googled the part number - 21A1882.

Simon - are these MS ones the type you are having trouble with? I'm guessing the local Mini suppliers resell these.

https://www.minispares.com/product/classic/21A1882.aspx

MS mention a different style that they say are easier to fit - C-STR632

https://www.minispares.com/product/clas ... TR632.aspx

MS also list a bush that looks very similar to C-STR632 but has a different part number - 21A1882MS

https://www.minispares.com/product/Clas ... 882MS.aspx

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ex-NSW Police 1970 MK II Cooper S
VMCI #43

they're not the same as those from MS - at least not the photo. The photo shows a nice rounded end, the ones I have are cut flush with the sleeve

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I've just fitted a set of C-STR681s (I needed them NOW... and that's what a friend had on the shelf). Once you work out the angles (adjustable suspension so non-standard caster so asymmetric bushes) they just bolt straight up.

I re-used the old pins which were quite ratty so ordered a set of new pins and 682s (specced as road rather than race) from MSpares.

The 682s look identical to the 681s and have steel bushes that are the same length as the rubber. Together they are exactly the same length as the matching section of the pin. The arms are located front to back by the shoulders at the end of the bushes... The 682s seem to have a bit more give than the 681s that were, to all intents, as solid as ...

I haven't had a chance to compare the old and new pins but assuming (yes, I know:) they're pretty much the same I don't see there'll be any problems fitting the new bits....

Cheers, Ian

that's what I really *should* be using.... I'm want to pull a lot of caster in to it... are the 631 bushes you took out serviceable Ian?

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did I tell you that I won a trophy?

I just went to fit new pins in a subframe today and THEY wouldn't fit. I had to find some serviceable old ones to use instead. 2 hour's later...

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1963 Morris 850 Smoke Grey
1963 Morris 850 Shadow Blue
1965 Morris Mini Smooth Van
1966 Morris Mini Van
1969 Morris Mini Deluxe Resto
5/72 Clubman Gt