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How to tighten the top front upright ball joints taper?


paul jacobs

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Silly question, and I know that there is an obvious solution to this, but given that there is no way of locking the top ball joints taper into the upright, when I tighten the nylock, the bloody thing just goes round and round, even with the car on its' wheels with weight on it. How do I stop it going round long enough for the nut to start pulling the taper into the top of the upright?

 

Paul J. Hard work never killed anyone ........ but why take the chance! [Except building up my new CSR kit, suspension finished, wings on, engine/gearbox in, currently connecting and filling.]

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Several ways, but assuming you have the upright out of the bottom joint, just stick the jack under the disc and jack the upright up against the top joint. Turn the nut slowly and you'll find it'll grab the taper.

 

Edited to say that if you don't have the bottom joint out, try jacking up the car with a block of wood under the lower wishbone...that should do it.

 

Paul

 

Edited by - Paul McKenzie on 14 Feb 2006 18:43:05

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Couple of ways:

 

1) Use an ordinary nut to tighten the taper into the upright to stop it turning and then use the nyloc afterwards to fully tighten home or

 

2) Get someone with substantial weight to stand on the top of the ball joint whilst you tighten the nyloc up

 

I thought that Caterham supplied a nut specifically for (1) above which is then discared after use.

 

HTH

 

Nick

 

Now the Orange HPC - A 2.0 VX - 😬

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Blimey *eek* All I did was firmly push the tapers into contact, leaned by dainty body weight on the fitting using my left hand and did-up the nut.

 

As long as you achieve and maintain firm taper contact, it shouldn't rotate - there's no need to be mechanically unsympathetic *cool*

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Yeah - and after having tried to free one that has been in place for a number of years, the temptation is to slap so much copperslip on the new one that even the plain-nut doesn't always do the job.

 

I ended up using a g-cramp to hold the wishbone to the rod-end while I did the nylock up.

 

 

 

Project Scope-Creep is live...

 

Alcester Racing 7's Equipe - 🙆🏻

 

Alcester-Racing-Sevens.com


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Ensure the taper is clean and free of any grease or other lubricant and then use a G lamp to pull the taper on. To be certain a non locking nut to pull it tighter onto the taper befor e replacing the standard nut with the nyloc.

 

Fiddly but easy enough when you've done it 2/3 times

 

🤔are you sure you got the right taper - if not then it wont have enough face to face contact to grip

 

David

 

1989 1700XF SS clams with carbon

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Myles - the temptation is to slap so much copperslip on the new one ....

 

David - Ensure the taper is clean and free of any grease or other lubricant ....

 

Coppaslip or bare metal? What is the correct way to reassemble a ball joint? *confused*

 

Phil

 

1997 Brooklands Green 1.8 Supersport

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