Ping!

[chris_cussen]

Having been given several packets of shims by Bill Jackson and being told about the necessary thickness required to align the rear wheel tracking on my Cabrio I sat on the drive in the sunshine and started on the near side of the car as it is the side that seems to need the most adjustment.
I had released the brake shoe holding springs so I could slip the shims behind the hub carrier and everything was going well.
Until I tried to re-fit the brake shoe holding pins. The pin is in a tricky position partially obscured by the rear suspension and while I was trying to push the retaining cup over the pin there was a loud ping and the spring flew over my shoulder and landed somewhere in next doors large flower bed.
Waiting for the delivery of a new set of 4 from eBay.

[dcunn]

Re: Ping!

Bad luck Chris....been there and very nearly done that a few times.

As you well know saintly patience is a prerequisite for Marlin owners.

I find that expletives usually help ..even if silently expressed

[Ye Ol Ripper]

Re: Ping!

Hi Chris . I know you have ordered some replacements. However it would also be useful to have some spare cups & springs . With that in mind, have you tried using a magnet to check through next doors garden? I find the telescopic extending type(like a car arial) very useful for retrieving metal parts made of steel.

[chris_cussen]

Re: Ping!

Hi Chris . I know you have ordered some replacements. However it would also be useful to have some spare cups & springs . With that in mind, have you tried using a magnet to check through next doors garden? I find the telescopic extending type(like a car arial) very useful for retrieving metal parts made of steel.

Spent an hour searching next doors flowerbed. Don't think a magnet would have helped. Replacement parts for a set of 4 cost £4.99 and were ordered on Sunday and arrived today.

[chris_cussen]

Re: Ping!

After the Ping incident I completed the job on the nearside and a couple of days ago did the offside.

That had a hiccup too, one of the 4 bolts holding the hub carrier to the trailing arm was not tightened up, in fact about an inch of bolt head was showing. It unscrewed OK though.
When it came to re-assembly though that bolt seized with an inch showing. I removed the bolt and ran a die up and down it to clean the thread and tried again. Still jammed at the same point. I thought I needed to put a tap into the hole, but it wasn't too easy to get to with the hub in the way. I managed to bodge an arraignment using a 1/4inch socket extension the wrong way around to fit over the shank of the tap. It went through quite easily and the bolt then went through with no problem.

Test drives seem to have show the back end is less twitchy than before over uneven road surfaces now.