With my new reamer and guide bar, I can do the stock bushes in 2 passes.
And the fit is neat. (I do know what I'm doing with reamers, I'm a qualified ex-Railway fitter).

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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.

Well, I started into again bright and early this morning. I'm down as I've ever been. Not only do I feel like this project will never be finished, it seems I am breaking more and more parts as I go along. Working in the garage is my hobby, and I enjoy every minute I get to spend on the Mini - but not lately. I am in the pits of despair and do not know what to do.

I am unable to remove a single balljoint. And I need to do 4. I have already broken one balljoint splitter, and the second one is on it's way to failure also (I can feel it). I have mushroomed the thread of the drivers upper, and I have completely ruined the nut of passenger upper. And I'm told the bottom joints are the tough ones. I've bought a bigger 2kg hammer, and after 2 big two handed swings, I am starting to flatten the front of the upper arm with it.

Seriously. Is it possible that they are welded together and they will never come apart? Are new front arms / hubs expensive? I've never had a project screw me so bad. Anyone near Bentleigh want to show me how it's done? Or at least give me some moral support?

For now I've moved onto the rear. I think I have everything I need to put it back together, which will then allow me to take it somewhere so they can deal with the front balls. A huge waste of work...

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)

I've found the scissor type ball joint tools work best (oil the threads!) but the fork type can get some places the other can't. Our hilux needed new ball joints, the scissor type didn't fit, and the fork type wouldn't budge with a full swing of a block hammer. I got it in the end by using the fork type and hitting it with a lump of concrete - it's the weight, not the speed that cracks them.

If you break a well made fork type, you're doing well!

Also, don't do what I've done before and put the splitter on upside down. It doesn't work and makes you feel stupid (I did this with a tie rod end once).

Please don't be offended by the question, (I have seen this done!) but you have slacked off the nut, right?

I don't see how you've mushroomed the top of the thread, as there shouldn't be any contact there. All I do (and it's never failed, even on basket case rusted heaps) is use an old nut (or the original if you don't mind replacing) undone a few threads past the end of the balljoint shank, so basically the top of the shank is down inside the nut by a couple of mm, out of harms way. Use a scissor-type splitter from supercheap, not expensive, and start cranking. It will go with a bang. There is no need to hit the side of the arm or joint, and there is no contact between the splitter and balljoint, only splitter and nut.

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http://www.mini-hb.co.nz

Oh and the other good thing about doing this is that the whole hub assembly won't fall apart from the suspension arm and fall off once it does split the joint.

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Updates, update, updates. Sorry I didn't get back in front of my PC this weekend. I had my head down just getting through all the work I had to do (and re-do in some cases).

First of all, thanks HEAPS to PeterB who reached out and offered a ton of help. It was more valuable than you will ever know. Top bloke in my book. He also sent through this photo with some ProTips - Remove the upper arm rubber bumper, and shove a lug nut or something else hard in there. It props up the whole assembly for you and makes it nice and easy to work on.


Thanks Peter!

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)

So I finally got the balljoints removed. I think it was simply that they had soaked in penetrating lube for hours and hours, and they were ready to let go. The steering joints came apart easily.

Unfortunately I did things a bit backwards. Once I popped the balljoints, I realized it was going to be a serious PITA to remove the ball joints from the hub with the hub attached to the car. But there's no way you would remove the castle nut with a loose hub....so all back together.....

The drivers side castle nut eventually came off, though it was certainly tight! The passenger side however, well it may not come off until I cut it off. I started by wedging my supercheap jack handle between the wheel studs to keep the disc from turning. Here's the result. Not too surprising though, as this is a supercheap hollow handle. Oh well.


So then I went to my neighbour - he's got some serious heavy metal. I asked him "Are you going to be upset if I bend it??" He laughed. This was 3/4" solid bar stock. And look at the sculpture I made for him!


The side "benefit" of this was that it absolutely rooted one of my wheel studs, making room for the 1" square solid bar stock to fit! There's no way in hell I will be able to bend this I thought. And I was right. Instead of bending the bar stock I snapped my 1/2" drive breaker bar clean off. And the castle nut remains.





Sorry for the crap photo - its the top of my breaker bar stuck inside the socket.


So I am stuck again. The Mini is certainly winning.
(BTW - I do leave on the lug nuts to protect the threads, but as you can see in the photo, it bent the stud right at the base, threads perfectly in tact.)

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)

Also an excellent ProTip. This way when it pops, if your brake caliper is still attached it won't rip on the brake line. If the caliper is removed, well, it'll still keep parts from flying around and banging into crap. Thanks Timmy!

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)

Ha...progress...kinda!

I seem to specialize in rusty and seized old wrecks, so have seen my share of snapped breaker bars and bent steel. My current tools of choice are a 3/4" breaker bar, with a 50mm steel tube (3mm wall) slid over it, about 1800mm long. Haven't had one say know to that yet. The best tip is to crack that nut while the car is still on the ground, so you can have it in gear and someone in the car standing on the brakes.

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http://www.mini-hb.co.nz

Yep. I was hoping to remove as little as possible, and until I properly mushroomed the one balljoint I had no intentions of replacing any of them. As usual the project snowballed, and I wish I'd had the fore thought to crack loose a few items "just in case". It won't happen again, that's for sure.

As I start letting loose with four letter words the missus keeps reminding me that no school in the world is free. And I sure am learning a lot.

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)

It would have been a sensible idea to replace the ball joints anyway while you had it torn apart. Sometimes the skill is not knowing which job you plan to do, but also all the extra jobs that pop up along the way!

I found one of dad's sash cramps was exactly the right diameter to fit over my breaker bar!

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Timmy, I'm sure your dad would have been happy if you bent that!

BK, You can buy a tool called a Power bar. I use it a fair bit at work undoing harmonic balancer bolts where you cant get a rattle gun in to. They are good for 600ft/lb of torque! You can normally pick them up on special for $130 or there abouts.
http://www.toolworks.com.au/t-and-e-249 ... ench..html

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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

I think we need an Ausmini butcher's apron to share around

Good going for sticking at it, and you're certainly learning a heap.

It will be easier next time I promise.

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SooperDooperMiniCooperExpertEngineering

All garage work involves equal measures of enthusiasm, ingenuity and a fair degree of irresponsibility.

Next Time?!?!? Oh god I hope not.

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)

Well it may have been overkill, but I bought it in a fit of desperation. The good news is, after a week of soaking in penetrating lube it finally came off. Not easily, but on the third jump she let go - and I did a little dance.

If anyone ever has a stuck bolt and can use 7kg of chrome, shoot me a PM and come borrow the AusMini SooperDooper NutBuster 3000.


Best 80 bucks I ever spent.

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1998 Rover Mk VII
2001 Honda CBR 929RR (street)
2014 BMW S1000RR (track)