Grrrrr

[Steve C]

I am going off old Triumphs...After a week in which I sorted out a floppy handbrake with a sticking ratchet, coughed up for a new battery, and fitted a good secondhand door lock so that the missus can actually escape from the thing, in she went for the MOT. I even cleaned all the mud off the inner arches from the last show we attended, where the organisers were too tight to buy a ton of stone chippings to fix the mud bath they thoughtfully provided at the entrance for the second year in a row.

Two advisories, excessive play in NS top ball joint, and excessive play in the NS rear trunnion. Both were brand new QH replacements, fitted during the prolonged rebuild when QH stuff was still readily available from good motor factors. Both have under 5k miles on them. I believe my tester is a straight guy, and he is not fishing for work, because he knows that i do most things myself, so can these new parts really have deteriorated over time? To make my cup runneth over, he wound the windows up because it was persistently precipitating down, and the passenger side will now lift, but not drop, which suggests it has come off the regulator mechanism. Cue more in-door fettling and arm lacerations, oh joy! Old cars eh?

 

Yours, growling

 

Steve C

[Guest]

Hello Steve.

 

I think these items would only wear over that short a period of time, if not fitted correctly - namely correct torque.

 

However from your email you know what's what with regard to replacing & fitting.

 

Are you certain about the original quality of those parts to begin with ??

 

Is this MOT tester one you have used before or not and if not, does he understand classic cars ??

 

It may be worth speaking with someone from your club area as to who they use for MOT's.

 

If fitted correctly and the part quality was spot-on, I would be very doubtful as to wear within 5K.

 

I'm sure some other sages on here will be able to shed some light.

 

Regards.

 

Richard.

[Clive]

I never held QH in particularly high esteem, though to be fair probably better than a lot of stuff we are sold.

 

What you haven't mentioned is how long the parts have been fitted. I know it doesn't sound correct, but components seem to have a shorter lifespan if they do low annual mileages. Both components you mention are suspension components, and grease may have hardened, or the rear trunnion partially seized?

I am a bit surprised, but luckily neither is hard to replace (well, the rear trunnion can be a bit of a pain). As to window, a decent silicone selant is your friend for sticking the window back in its channel.

[Steve C]

Thanks for the ideas and suggestions guys, and by way of an update, got around to fitting the new bits today, and this is what I found:

 

I got lucky with the door glass issue. I took advantage of the current good (ish) weather yesterday, and put the hood down for the first time this year. Lo and behold, the side glass now goes up and down as nicely as you please, so I can only assume that either witchcraft has taken place, or the garage had managed to jam the window, which is stiffer to wind with the hood up. I normally open the door first if the hood is raised, so as not to fight the sealing rubbers. Hood tension on my car is not especially tight, and I spent forever shimming and adjusting the seals, with supervision from our resident expert, Lol Cain who with his friend Russ were a great help in getting the hood fit right. I will check inside the door, just to be sure all is well.

 

On the rear trunnion issue, I have fitted a new kit from Canleys, but there was nothing wrong with the old one! Trouble is, that by the time I had extracted it to establish this, it was "Donalded" anyway. I can only assume that the tester was unhappy with the fact that the bolt was not wound up to the max, and did not understand that the whole assembly is a tight fit in the upright, and has to be able to pivot. I did find a g-cramp useful to hold it all together while I got it started squeezing it back into the upright.

 

On the front top ball joint, my tester was dead right. I have replaced it with the grease nipple type, and the difference in feel between the two units is very noticeable. The new unit is too stiff to move off the car, while the "old" QH sealed-for-life unit is slack and has a pronounced "clack". I think Clive is on the money with the theory that the grease had dried out, and this is an issue that is worth noting for anyone doing a prolonged rebuild. I will be swapping the other side out for a grease nipple type as a precaution, and from now on, any other joints that need changing will get the same treatment.

 

We live and learn, and often, the old ways turn out to be the best...

 

Regards

 

Steve