Do you ever wish....

[MattF]

.....you had not decided to remove something just to make life a tad easier?

Decided to whip the little plate off of the front of the Gypsy to make running the cables to the front sidelights/indicators a tad easier, and thought whilst I had easy access to it, I'd just get the loose rust off the top of the front flexitor unit/axle. Big mistake. That loose rust was the whole top section of the axle. Bugger. Now got to either see if this unit can be repaired, (or made passable insitu), or dig the spare one out and hope that that one is in better nick.

So, making the cable run a tad easier may well have ended up with a full front suspension removal and replacement.

[MudSurfer]

You know, in your heart, that you meant to do that so you could get really mucky and replace the front axle..... at least then you'll know it works and won't fall out due to horrific rust when you try to drive somewhere....

[BioHazard]

Oh what a bummer ........i am dreading doing the Leaf springs on the first gen for the same reasons .......what will i find

[MattF]

You know, in your heart, that you meant to do that so you could get really mucky and replace the front axle..... at least then you'll know it works and won't fall out due to horrific rust when you try to drive somewhere....

Hmmm, let me think..... nope. Definitely not on my top ten wishlist of jobs I would like to learn to do. The fact that it's a damned weird suspension setup doesn't help. The crossmember actually contains the suspension, so to speak, so that has to come off, the trailing arms and hydraulic dampers need to be removed, and then vice versa for reassembly. Then the suspension needs resetting and tensioning and everything. And you just know those bolts holding it to the chassis members ain't gonna want to shift. Probably the same for the trailing arms too. I'd just got the f*ing brake system all sorted and bled too, and that's gonna need disconnecting again on the front. Not a chuffed chappie, I can honestly say.

Oh what a bummer ........i am dreading doing the Leaf springs on the first gen for the same reasons .......what will i find

Hope what you find is better than what I did. Have they seized/rusted together completely, or is that something you'll not know until you start on 'em?

[BioHazard]

Hope what you find is better than what I did. Have they seized/rusted together completely, or is that something you'll not know until you start on 'em?

Ever since lurch sat in the back they are U shaped