Hmmm ...
I'm looking at a drawing in my Triumph Factory
workshop manual, titled "Front Suspension Geometry
Data".
The center of the ball in the ball joint does indeed
line up precicely with the axis of the threaded lower
trunnion.
*But*
The axis of the ball joint stub (the tapered part that
fits into the top of the vertical link) *does not*
line up with the axis of the threaded lower trunnion.
So, between the fact that the hole is tapered, and the
axis itslef does not line up, any visual inspection is
apt to be misleading.
How to check them then?
If you dismantled a ball joint, to obtain the tapered
stub (and attached ball of course), you could install
it into the vertical link. Then, you could place the
assembly into a couple of V-blocks, and rotate to
check for alignment. Or, chuck the threaded part into
a lathe, and then use a dial indicator to check the
ball for runout.
As for me, in more than 30 years racing, (re)building,
and driving Spitfires, I have never seen, nor heard
of, a vertical link that was bent, or failed. This
includes several rebuilds of street and racecars where
the wheels were destroyed by impact.
I do admit that I have never checked for a bent one
though.
YMMV
Carter Shore
--- "Pettis, Ward (NIDCD)" <pettisw@ms.nidcd.nih.gov>
wrote:
> John,
>
> I'm in the middle of my front end rebuild too (going
> very slooowwwly).
> Check your verticle link by lining up the threaded
> portion (bottom) with the
> mount hole for the ball joint (upper). You could
> use a long rod or ruler to
> check the alignment. If it's not lined up, then
> it's bent. Both of mine
> were bent. I just got two used set from a supplier
> in Virginia ( Stefan
> Roundy [ stefanr@bealenet.com
> <mailto:stefanr@bealenet.com> ]). Since I
> asked him to check the alignments, he was surprised
> how many of his were
> bent and commented that it must not take much force
> to bend them. (FYI - he
> said he does have more straight ones.) (BTW, he
> steadfastly calls them
> "uprights", not vertical links).
>
> The only other comment I can offer regarding the
> wishbones stuck in place
> even after moving them down: I believe this is
> normal due to the rubber
> bushes being held tightly in place. This is the
> reason I plan to tighten
> down the bolts for the suspension and rollbar bushes
> after the car is taken
> off the stands.
>
> Ward - '76 Spitfire
>
> From: John Hobson <goalie_john@yahoo.co.uk>
>
> Date: Wed, 7 Nov 2001 01:55:24 -0800 (PST)
>
> (Snip)
>
> So how can I check to see if the stub axle/vertical
> link are bent and what
> could caused the apparent mess that this side of the
> suspension is in?
>
> cheers
>
> John & Saskia (1977 Spit 1500)
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