I’ve previously posted photographs of the MGB’s front suspension soon after removal from the car and it isn’t pretty. As expected there is rust everywhere and the bushings are completely shot. Here are a few more photos for your entertainment.
I think it’s time for a suspension rebuild!
Dismantling the suspension assembly was a lot easier than I expected. I used PB Blaster on all the bolts and surprisingly they all came out without an issue with the exception of one metal sleeve that seems to be rusted to the lower a-arm bolt. That should be easy to cut off.
Having taken all of the assemblies apart I’ve been stripping off what is left of the paint and wire brushing the pieces. In general this is doing a good job although I think sandblasting would be a better way of doing this. Not having a sandblasting cabinet this will have to do for now. As you can see in the image below, the metal is heavily pitted from all the rust.
Anyone want to buy me a sandblasting cabinet from Harbor Freight for Christmas?
Out of interest I took my orbital sander with 150 grit sandpaper and cleaned this up a little with very good results. This at least makes the flat surfaces look quite a bit better. A little hand sanding and I expect these will look very respectable. Some paint and they’ll almost look new.
The front shocks are cleaning up nicely. I have just started the process in the photo below. This is one area I’m a little concerned about as one of the shocks is working properly while the other is very loose and not offering much resistance. I’m hoping that this is only a lack of oil, this will be checked once the cleaning is finished. If the shock is bad this could be an expensive day! At least the rebuilt shocks that are available are better than the originals.
My main concern with the front suspension is the lower wishbone pivot that has bad deterioration on the bushing shaft. I’m not sure if I’ll replace these. The good folks at the MG Experience web site forum seem to think they will be fine, especially if I use MGB V8 bushings that have a metal inner sleeve. My plan has been to use poly bushings for the front suspension and I have already bought the set. The poly bushings do not have metal sleeves. This is an issue to think about as I don’t want to pull the suspension apart again within a year or two.
My plan at this point is to paint the suspension pieces with POR 15 which should provide years worth of protection. This is what the suspension should look like when finished. The biggest decision? What colour to paint the springs. I’ll likely go with the wild raspberry that I’m painting the engine with.
