E85/86 Wishbone help

Joycey

Joycey

Active member
 Basingstoke
Cutting a long story short my front wishbones are toast! Another steering issue I managed to track down, the outer joint on the E85-86 wishbones are actually rubber inside not a solid ball joint as most people think. This gives the bizarre feeling like the wheels are moving around and a pulsing in the steering. The main cause of mine going early is the intensity of the track days I'm doing. So my question does anyone know of an uprated joint that can be fitted? I have bought a new set of arms ready.

s-l225.jpg
 
I think the problem is, if you stiffen that joint, the wear is transmitted to other joints. You could polybush everything but might find it harsh on the road...
 
The only thing I can say is buy quality (bmw/lemförder/Meyle) suspension arms. No name arms are known to have inferior balljoints.
I know meyle has a 'HD' version that supposedly has uprated arms from which you also can replace those individual joints if I'm not mistaken.
So that might be an interesting option for your hard/track use

http://www.dvsegmbh.info/PDF/einbau/32017/144/LLO_LL_18-2004_en.pdf

Note that the surrounding aluminium around the ball joint is also beefier (at least it looks like it to me, maybe a result from the interchangable joints or stronger joints).
This can be a problem if you have a bbk with very large calipers. Its not uncommon that a slight edge of the control arm has to be grinded off to make such calipers fit. If the aluminium is thicker on that spot even more so of course. Not a problem one cant overcome but its worth to check.
 
Cheers guys. I've actually found another solution but I'm still not 100% on the idea, they do sell racing arms in the states which look very basic in construction. My idea is to make a set with a few rose joints using my old wishbones as templates making a jig.

Widebody_Arm_1000%20WM-1.jpg
 
Just out of interest. Instead of making the whole arm. Can you not use the existing aluminium arm? Then machine it to fit the parts you want? I am interested in this so happy to help out.
 
Ducklakeview said:
If you buy Meyle HD arms, then all of the joints can be replaced individually..

Mike
Click to expand...

I think i could be wrong. But the idea is to upgrade from this type of joint to rose joints for better feel and handling and durability.
 
Machine monkey said:
Ducklakeview said:
If you buy Meyle HD arms, then all of the joints can be replaced individually..

Mike
Click to expand...

I think i could be wrong. But the idea is to upgrade from this type of joint to rose joints for better feel and handling and durability.
Click to expand...

Yup, but surely it's easier to mod an arm where the joints are removeable in the first place?

Mike
 
Ducklakeview said:
Machine monkey said:
Ducklakeview said:
If you buy Meyle HD arms, then all of the joints can be replaced individually..

Mike
Click to expand...

I think i could be wrong. But the idea is to upgrade from this type of joint to rose joints for better feel and handling and durability.
Click to expand...

Yup, but surely it's easier to mod an arm where the joints are removeable in the first place?

Mike
Click to expand...

Dont think it would make much differance?
 
Machine monkey said:
Ducklakeview said:
Machine monkey said:
I think i could be wrong. But the idea is to upgrade from this type of joint to rose joints for better feel and handling and durability.
Click to expand...

Yup, but surely it's easier to mod an arm where the joints are removeable in the first place?

Mike
Click to expand...

Dont think it would make much differance?
Click to expand...

Was thinking it might have just been a case of machining the existing holes a bit?

Mike
 
Yeah i get where you’re coming from Mike.

But i would rather use an old arm instead of buying one. I have the HD ones on my car. But once the joint is out no matter how they fix on any arm there will be a hole and it would need machining. If is on a machine it’s the set up that will take time not really the machining. So there is not much if anything to gain. Maybe the ease of getting the joint out. But the will press or burn out easy enough.

Anyway if anyone has any old arms lieing around i want them.
 
I've just replaced my arms so have two lying around that were to go to the tip, if you cover postage they're yours.
 
Machine monkey said:
Yeah i get where you’re coming from Mike.

But i would rather use an old arm instead of buying one. I have the HD ones on my car. But once the joint is out no matter how they fix on any arm there will be a hole and it would need machining. If is on a machine it’s the set up that will take time not really the machining. So there is not much if anything to gain. Maybe the ease of getting the joint out. But the will press or burn out easy enough.

Anyway if anyone has any old arms lieing around i want them.
Click to expand...

You can take mine once I've made a jig.
 
Joycey said:
Cheers guys. I've actually found another solution but I'm still not 100% on the idea, they do sell racing arms in the states which look very basic in construction. My idea is to make a set with a few rose joints using my old wishbones as templates making a jig.

Widebody_Arm_1000%20WM-1.jpg
Click to expand...

I dont know if open pillowballs is a good idea on suspension arms if your car isnt a 100% track car.
I dont think open pillowballs will do well so close to the ground coping with all the street gunk, mud and moisture.
I dont even know if its MOT legal? I think a tear in a rubber boot is a MOT failure, is that correct? What if there's no boot at all? :?
(or is only excessive play an MOT fail?)
 
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