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MG MGB Technical - Passenger suspension sag

hi everyone, today i drove my 1968 B GT into town and back and everything was fine. Later i drove it to visit a friend and when driving i noticed it pulling to the left when i braked. I then coasted and let go of the steering wheel and again it pulled to the left. When i arrived at my friends i took a look at the car and it was leaning a great deal to the left, the front wheel and tyre were deep in the arch as was the rear wheel. The left has always dipped slightly but this is crazy!! All suspension was brands new 3 years ago, poly bushes all round, 7/8" anti-roll bar. Im going to take a closer look saturday and take some things apart but are there any ideas as to why the side with little weight is the one thats dropped? ive not kirbed it or hit a massive pot hole. What gives??!!!
A P New

How very worrying for you. It is difficult to help without seeing the car. Two things stand out. Firstly that the left has always dipped slightly and secondly that the back is down as well. I suspect the front suspension is the source of the problem a?nd that the rear is relecting the odd angle up front. Have you a broken spring or has the hinge on the cross-menber shifted. Keep us posted ?
R Walker

Check the fore/aft alignment of the rear wheels. You may have a broken rear main spring leaf.
J Tait

And be aware that other than a broken spring, anything else that causes a sudden drop is something broken or falling off and is likely LIFE THREATENING.

FRM
FR Millmore

im going to have to wait to take a closer look as work is keeping me occupied but the fact that the suspension still moves without any bumps or knocks suggests perhaps spring damage. Ill keep you all posted. typical, one week before a trackday!!
A P New

If both front and rear wheel are suddenly well up into the arches that is most odd, as the two suspension arrangements are completely independant of course. Normally if one corner has collapsed while that would drop the two adjacent corners slightly, it would raise the diagonally opposite corner. If braking and steering is now pulling to one side then it points to a front unit.

Be very careful undoing things, get the front up on ramps and examine things like spring, upper and lower pans, A-arms, damper, king-pin, stub-axle etc. very carefully before putting a spanner on it. Whilst we know when and how to release spring tension etc. on a correctly functioning unit, with an obviously faulty one such as this undoing a normally innocuous nut or bolt could cause things to fly about with great force.
P Hunt

well well well, i got home early from work and had a look. I jacked the car up and found the rear suspension was in good nick. all the mountings looked good, and the spring looked good also. I took the front wheel off and again everything appeared ok, until i noticed the inner wishbone pivot was missing half its mounting bolts!! It was literally hanging off!! If i had hit a large bump i would have been a dead man. Ive taken pictures so please take a look. Seems i used some inferior bolts, so now im going to use 90 ton rated cap head bolts, a little extreme maybe but better safe than sorry.


A P New

and the pivot


A P New

Well, at least that's easily put right.
R Walker

This thread was discussed between 24/01/2010 and 25/01/2010

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