Suspension dismantling - balls and shafts

[cantankrs]

Here's the remaining pics prior to sandblasting and priming. Pic one looks like a fair bit of an angle. Edit: The rod did bend.

Alex

[cantankrs]

per attached:

[cantankrs]

Second style of clamp plate for press. Didn't have a bought bearing clamp so made one to suit. Edit: Mk2 was unsuccessful at freeing the balls and he thinks that's because they were the lower ones and had rusted together worse than the top ball/cones. This Mk2 plate was in Bruce's opionion far superior to the original as it prevented the spring from being a factor where the Mk1 clamp gripped the outer sping and caused the ball and rod to lean in the press.

[cantankrs]

Rest of pics. Unfortunately this plate didn't result in a ball being released so Dad made the decision to cut the rod and mount each end stub in the lathe and drill out most of the rod before driving the remains out to free up the balls.

[JackM]

Alex,

I had the same problem when I restored a couple of carriers for the Museum in Fremantle.

I tried almost everything to remove the shaft from the ball/cone, but all I did in the end was to bend the shaft by applying too much pressure while trying to separate the two, in a press.

They are often rusted in very tightly, as you have found.

My solution was to find some spare suspension bogeys and cut the pieces I needed from them, ie I cut the springs off one set to get decent shafts and the shafts off another, to get the springs.

Wasteful I know, but there is often no viable alternative.


Jack

[Ron Pier]

Fortunately I haven't had to attempt this yet. But just reading these problems and wondering how I would procede. I like the sound of Bruce's idea to cut and bore out the shaft. I think it would be simpler and cheaper to make new shafts rather than getting new springs made. Ron

[cantankrs]

Hi Ron,

Bruce found the taper of the ball/cone made it difficult to chuck them securely in the lathe especially so that they'd run true the full length. Consequently the morse taper drill he was finishing with snagged when in deep and twisted off part of the drill thus stuffing it. Maybe boring a taper or step-boring into a length of round or square bar stock and tacking the ball into it might help but one is trying not to tool up for mass production where it can be avoided

He is looking into making new shafts but hasn't decided yet.
Jack, appreciate your experiences. I think by compressing the springs Bruce managed to cut the shaft without damaging the springs (or is that one of the things you also did) but I'll get him to verify that to me and let you know.

Regards

Alex