But there are still foot prints on the rice paper Master

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David L


My greatest fear in life is that when I die my wife will sell my Mini and tools for the price I told her I paid for them!

I shall go find a socket tomorow, Im pleased im not alone with these being tight!

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speed costs....how fast do you want to go...

To do ball joints properly and safely you need a 1 1/2 deep socket and a rattle gun. Anyone that uses anything else is asking for trouble & possibly a dangerous situation where the ball joint becomes loose enough to undo itself. Balljoints take time to do properly and experence to get right. The same applies to CV joint retaining nuts. If you dont have the correct tools & experence then please get a professional mini business to do the work for you. I am all for people working on there own cars but if you dont have experence then please have someone who does looking over your shoulder giving you correct advice. I have seen too many "backyard mechanics" distroy minis over the years & I have had to fix a lot of dangerous shoddy work. I have also seen what happens when shoddy workmanship comes back and bites the "mechanic" on the ass while the driver of the car gets taken of to the morgue.

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Have a Nice Day.
If already having a nice day please disregard.

Why do you need the rattle gun? I thought they only need 70ft/lb to do up?

Because its a hell of a lot better than that pipe wrench you found in the back of the shed because you dont have a socket big enough to fit.

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Simplify and add lightness

And using a rattle gun to undo will be a lot less likely to round it off.

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Simplify and add lightness

Not trying to be a dick here, but I used a torque wrench and a deep socket. So I don't see the need for a rattle gun (apart from it makes it so much easier )

A rattle gun should only be used for removing bolts, doing stuff up you run the risk off stripping the thread.
Which is why many tyre shops destroy wheel studs by using the rattle gun to do them up.

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Simplify and add lightness

What he said ^^^
It's fine to rattle them off but hard to beat a proper (and accurate) torque wrench for tightening them.
The Leyland Black book says 70lb/ft.
BMC red factory manual just says `fully tighten'
So does the Gregorys/Scientific Publications manual.

I use 75lb/ft, and a new lock tab, to be sure to be sure.
I was once a passenger in a Morris 1100 when a balljoint departed the swivel hub. It was NOT a nice experience.

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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.

I feel closer to enlightenment


The good doctor said something i do is right

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Simplify and add lightness

i was told that the cheaper torque wrenches dont like undoing things, alls good for tightening to specific settings and whatnot but big forces the opposite way ruins the accuracy - duno if its true, just what ive been told

You never use any torque wrench for undoing things.

Yeah, torque wrenches really are for 'torquing up' not really 'un-torquing'. Some are designed so they will torque up RH and LH threaded fasteners, but it is not likely these are the cheaper ones.

I've never really bothered to torque up ball joints, I've just shimmed and tightened them with a 3/4"drive ratchet and done them very tight. Don't want it coming undone when not invited.

Agree - torque wrenches are excellent pieces of kit and you will knacker them if you use them for undoing.

I bought a 600mm 1/2" bar at Repco and use that for undoing tight stuff - it's BRILLIANT.

e.g. for wheel nuts I torque them up using torque wrench and remove nuts using the bar. You would not believe how easy it makes undoing stuff.

RECOMMENDATION: Keep torque wrenches pristine for accurate tightening, buy a 600mm bar for undoing.

And...c'mon guys, how expensive can a 1-1/2" socket be?!!!

RIGHT TOOL for the RIGHT JOB.

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Regards,

Mike
"He who dies with the most toys wins."

I agree. I did my ball joints last year and did not need anything but my 1 1/2" deep socket sourced from minisport. It was $39 and they put it in the box of stuff i was ordering from them anyway so no freight charges
Find it here http://www.minisport.com.au/prod183.htm

Note to self. Check balljoints

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