>From: akkana@moonwind.aux.apple.com (Akkana)
>Two minor points of advice:
>(1) Don't unscrew the nut all the way -- just to the point where it's
> loose. Then, when the pieces pop apart you can be sure that
> nothing's going to go flying.
>(2) If you can't get the new nylock on because the ball won't pop
> into the socket, use the old nylock for assembling the ball joint
> (of course, after the ball joint has popped back together, unscrew
> the old nylock and put the new one on -- you don't want it working
> its way loose on the road!)
Two good points, especially the second. What I do (to keep the
new ball joint or tie rod tapered assembly from turning while
reassembling is the following: Instead of using the old nyloc
as Akkana suggests, I first gently tap the assembly in place
and then use a washer and a regular nut to draw the tapered
assembly tightly into place. Then, just as in Akkana's
suggestion, I remove the regular nut and install the correct
new (always use a new nyloc nut) nyloc nut.
Another thing I generally do before reassembly is to hand thread
the regular nut onto the new ball joint or tie rod assembly
to make sure there aren't any burrs or threads that need to
be cleaned up. It beats trying to do it after the front
end is partially assembled.
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The interesting thing I find about this latest run of suggestions
involving front end work is that almost all of these suggestions
are quite practical and often run of the mill procedures for any
experianced mechanic. Having said that, it has been my experiance
that these types of procedures I had to learn myself by asking
others and/or just trial and error. It's another great reason
for having the british-cars email list to ask questions and get
(usually) several good responses.
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Bill Sohl || email
Bellcore, Morristown, NJ || UUCP bcr!taichi!whs70
(Bell Communications Research) || or
201-829-2879 Weekdays || Internet whs70@taichi.cc.bellcore.com
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