This morning I was under my '51 TD MkII. I discovered one of the right
rear shock (hydraulic damper) arms was free of the linking arm,
connecting it to the leaf spring bracket. The link is suppose to have a
rubber inset/bushing (now missing) in which the hydraulic arm's rod/pin
fits. Since this is a Mk II, there are two shocks per wheel. The one
disabled is the Andrex. Fortunately I have the other a Girling.
Question:
1. I have tried to pull down the Andrex hydraulic arm but it will not
budge. How do I get the arm and link mated together? If it was the
Girling, I'd remove the top filler cap to release the pressure. But the
Andrex has no cap, just a plate on the SIDE with a couple of screws in
it. How is pressure released in an Andrex hydraulic Damper and what is
the procedure?
2. I don't see how the two pieces became separated. Perhaps the fact
that the rubber bushing is missing means it wore in half. But still the
two should not been able to separate. Does anyone have an idea how to
prevent this from happening again? I would think a washer and cotter pin
at the end of the inserted pin would have been designed into the system,
but the rod/pin was not made long enough to do this.
One solution, of course, is to forget about the Andrex. I really don't
need two shocks per wheel. However, I'd like to return the MkII to its
proper configuration. In the meantime, I should have no problem driving
it (like 300 miles this weekend).
Any and all assistance will be appreciated.
Stu Keen
1951 MG TD MkII
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