Smoothing the bumps - new Moultons?

[grumpytyke]

After the first long(ish) trip in my 1975 mini after 3 years on SORN (see 'Introduce yourself' a few days ago) the most notable thing to me was how hard the road bumps  were (90 miles there and back on an A road). Other than that she didn't miss a beat. Is it the age of the Moultons (almost certainly original, so nearly 40 years old) or me being used to the VW Bay camper, which I liken to riding a camel? I think it's the suspension so some advice please. Would just renewing the back suspension give a good improvement (spreading the cost and easier than front I think) followed by the front when I can afford it? Should I use original type rubber suspension cones or Smootharide? When I do the front, how do you remove a cone when the thread inside it is b'd so the compressor tool won't grip? I'm sure the ride is much harsher than it was 3 years ago (and certainly harder than 8 years ago when she traversed the Rodney mountains in Romania with potholes up to the hubcaps  ). Thanks for any comments.

[kalkat]

It is a certainty that your cones are 'life expired'. I would be inclined to change the fronts first as they support most of the weight.

As regards the threads being errrr.... buggered, are you using the right threaded tool? Pre '76 cars have imperial threads in the cone centre.

If all else fails, it is possible to remove the cones by dismantling the top suspension arm from the subframe, but it is a 'gutty' job



Emma

[grumpytyke]

Many thanks Emma. I'm pretty certain that the thread in the cone is imperial as it's pretty certain they are original and 1975. I didn't attempt to insert a compression tool - someone much more mini-knowledgeable then me did and the imperial one would not go in with many, many attempts so the metric one was tried in desperation, also without success. Anyway, it's good to know that it can be replaced even if with difficulty. Do you (or anyone) know what the measurements of a cone should be when uncompressed? I have a couple of early ones in the store and a measurement would give some indication of whether they are any good I think (when Mini was previously on the road I used to collect appropriate 'bits' when I saw them very cheap!). As an aside, the ride has improved considerably after a couple of 100 mile journeys so I'll live with it till after the winter I think. Thanks again.

[kalkat]

I have some new cones, next time I go 'down the works' I'll measure one. If you look them up on MiniSpares site, there's piccies - the difference is appreciable !



Emma