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 Posted: Sep 15, 2020 07:00AM
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GB
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Moffet
Quote:
Originally Posted by dklawson
I'm sorry Alex.  I don't understand what you are describing.  Can you elaborate a bit?
I guess he can't be bothered. I think he means shimming under the small cup that rests in the bottom of the hub below the central swivel pin/ball of the joint. I suppose that would work, assuming one had access to appropriate shim material.
Or, Dan, perhaps I was working 12hr nights to keep the lights on in the country as part of the essential workers that couldn't lounge around at home on furlough and just missed it...

What were you doing during the great pandemic of 2020 ?

 Posted: Sep 15, 2020 06:57AM
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GB
Quote:
Originally Posted by dklawson
I'm sorry Alex.  I don't understand what you are describing.  Can you elaborate a bit?

Putting a shim under the cup that the bottom of the pin sits in has the effect of raising the pin upwards - this means that any gap between the pin and the dome nut has gone and you will need to put shims back in to adjust the play.

If you linish the nut to get the same thing result you will have to linish again next time you need to adjust the play, whereas if you have shims in the assembly you just need to reshim as normal.

 Posted: Sep 14, 2020 04:58PM
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Thanks, I should have posted my current setup, which is Falkens 165/60/12 on 4.5 inch rims. I have about 1/2 inch to fill before extending beyond the edges of the flares.

 Posted: Sep 14, 2020 03:32PM
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You can change from the standard 145/70/12 tire to a wider 165/60/12 tire. You will find that your ride will be harsher. Less sidewall flex.

 Posted: Sep 14, 2020 02:21PM
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Just following up on this question from back in May. LF upper and lower ball joints were tightened up today, with one shim removed from each. The ball joints themselves were in excellent condition, so all is good with the front suspension as of now. I'll get an alignment next spring after I put on a new set of tires. I'm running standard 12" wheels. What is the largest diameter rims I can upgrade to? I'd like to fill the wheel well flares a little more a get a few more millimeters of rubber on the road. Thanks in advance for any advice.

 Posted: Jun 17, 2020 04:33AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Moffet
Bear in mind that the ball joint may not currently have any shims in it. When I did mine, I found I had to dress down the dome portion on one or two until I could get a good fit.
Hey scammer, nothing happening in Mum's net?

 Posted: Jun 4, 2020 05:30AM
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CA
Quote:
Originally Posted by dklawson
I'm sorry Alex.  I don't understand what you are describing.  Can you elaborate a bit?
I guess he can't be bothered. I think he means shimming under the small cup that rests in the bottom of the hub below the central swivel pin/ball of the joint. I suppose that would work, assuming one had access to appropriate shim material.

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jun 3, 2020 11:27AM
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CA
Quote:
Originally Posted by dklawson
I'm sorry Alex.  I don't understand what you are describing.  Can you elaborate a bit?
How can adding shims under the dome nut solve the problem when the ball joint is still too loose with no shims?.

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: Jun 3, 2020 08:50AM
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I'm sorry Alex.  I don't understand what you are describing.  Can you elaborate a bit?

Doug L.
 Posted: Jun 3, 2020 07:20AM
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Rather than lapping the nut with the associated issues of keeping it square & level, it's just as easy to pop a shim/spacer under the cup to introduce a shimmable gap between the nut and the hub.  Kinda futureproofs it too.

 Posted: May 28, 2020 04:13AM
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CA
Quote:
Originally Posted by dklawson
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Moffet
... I found I had to dress down the dome portion on one or two until I could get a good fit.
I have also had to do that on one occasion.  
I knew I wasn't the only one!

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: May 26, 2020 11:55AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Dan Moffet
... I found I had to dress down the dome portion on one or two until I could get a good fit.
I have also had to do that on one occasion.  

Doug L.
 Posted: May 26, 2020 09:32AM
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Bear in mind that the ball joint may not currently have any shims in it. When I did mine, I found I had to dress down the dome portion on one or two until I could get a good fit.

.

"Hang on a minute lads....I've got a great idea."

 Posted: May 26, 2020 06:11AM
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Thanks, Doug. I did search this topic before posting, and only found a couple of threads. I think I will take the car into a classic car specialist to see if they can adjust it before I take a chance on replacement. Hopefully, removing a shim or two will do the trick, as  I have more confidence in the original part than one I would have to buy today. I appreciate your input.

 Posted: May 25, 2020 04:07PM
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Your inspector/mechanic may not be familiar with Minis and their suspension.  As stated above, the Mini ball joints are adjustable and the bottom ball joint has a spring loaded seat in it.  Your mechanic may not have known that when they determined play was only on the top, left joint. 

If you decide to replace one joint, replace them all.  However, since they are adjustable I suggest trying to adjust what you have now as it is likely to be of better quality than some of the modern service parts.  You are not likely to need more shims... you will be removing shims to reduce the clearance in the ball joint.  If however, you want to have extra shims on hand just in case, our host has shim kits in stock (part 2A4242) . 

Prior to spending any money, search for old threads about ball joints here and on the other Mini websites.  Also search for threads that talk about lapping new joints to improve the fit of the components.  

Doug L.
 Posted: May 25, 2020 03:28PM
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Even if you install new ones you will still need to do the setup adjustments the same if you are adjusting a old/used one. The non-adjustable ones are close to $60usd each plus postage from Japan.

"How can anything bigger be mini?"

 Posted: May 25, 2020 02:05PM
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If you enjoy working on your mini, as I do, I went through the entire front suspension, as I had no history with it. If your mechanic says you have a loose ball joint, and nothing else bothers him or prevents a good alignment, just fix the one joint. If he is not really into classic mini’s, he would appreciate a non adjustable ball joint.

 Posted: May 25, 2020 01:54PM
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Thanks, guys. Let's say in this situation that they're beyond repairing/adjusting. Go for both upper and lowers and both sides, or just limit the replacement to the faulty upper one? Are there advantages to going with the non-adjustable type?

 Posted: May 25, 2020 01:48PM
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And what a PIA it can be to adjust them. I guess if it’s just one and you have access to a pile of shims it’s worth doing. If you lean towards a set , there’s a new non adjustable type now for sale.

 Posted: May 25, 2020 12:01PM
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Ball joints are adjustable so no need to replace unless totally worn out.

"How can anything bigger be mini?"

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