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LQ front axle removal.

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JedFurneaux
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:50 pm
Location: Tregoss Cornwall

LQ front axle removal.

Post by JedFurneaux »

After a few afternoons crawling around on a cold garage floor the front axle is now off! (note oversize hammer at the top of the photo) Now to attack the various ball joints and other bits that wouldn't budge when it was on the vehicle and to remove the springs to take for re setting. I am now the world authority on LQ front axle removal! (at least it feels like it.....)
I will have to decide whether to get my Engineer friend to remake the ball pins for the original joints or to perhaps take the pragmatic option and convert the steering from the box down to Landrover joints & rods. Watch this space!
Attachments
IMG_20200219_171236.jpg

A.N.Other
Wide Man
Wide Man
Posts: 551
Joined: Tue Feb 16, 2016 12:45 pm
Location: Leeds

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by A.N.Other »

It looks heavy. Hope your back is still in good shape.
Colin,
I may be slow but I’m rough as well !

JedFurneaux
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:50 pm
Location: Tregoss Cornwall

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by JedFurneaux »

It is, but drags easily enough. It will be a bit more manageable with the springs off.

ranald
Helpful Person
Helpful Person
Posts: 485
Joined: Sat Feb 13, 2016 8:21 am
Location: North Wales

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by ranald »

Hi Jed, I’ll watch your post with interest. My car is a Lanchester 15/18 and I think it has an identical axle. My steering side rod, cross rod and track rod ends are all Land Rover. Done before I bought the car. In an ideal world i’d love to return to original parts. I was lucky enough to acquire one original track rod end and a cross rod but my search for the other parts has thus far drawn a blank. I discovered the Land Rover side rod was rubbing against the spring shackle under load and at a certain point in turning the wheels. You will note the original rod has a curved flat area to easily clear the spring shackle. Mine is fixed now but bear it in mind. Having gone this far i’m sure you will take the king pins apart and ensure they are operating well and the oil ways are clear. Mine was missing one of the thrust buttons. I know of a spare axle and was fortunate in borrowing it for reference. Finally, I have a good original swivel pin bottom nut lock washer. I was contemplating having a small batch manufactured but have not yet got round to it. I’ve checked Parts Books and it is shared by 15/18, 18 and LQs. So you see ......you aren’t completely alone! All the best, Ranald

JedFurneaux
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:50 pm
Location: Tregoss Cornwall

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by JedFurneaux »

Thanks again, Ranald.
Just got in from the garage after stripping the springs off the axle and breaking the taper on the last two ball joints (so much easier with the axle off the car!) The side rod you refer to should indeed have a 'flat' part way down according to the parts book but mine doesn't and it doesn't foul anything either? I have wondered before why this is shown in the parts book and guessed it must be there to miss something but it doesn't apply to my car strangely. It is certainly a Daimler rod as it is identical in all respects (other than length of course) to the track rod. Of the four ball joints three are certainly original and being marked 'BSA' were obviously made 'in house'. The fourth that joins the side rod to the steering box drop arm is of the correct size but is clearly not a genuine part. Interestingly although this one is furthest away from road dirt and water it is the one that is in the poorest state. The three originals don't seem too bad although none of them have boots leaving them open to the aforesaid road dirt and water. I would prefer to retain them and the rods but a replacement for the u/s one is going to be well nigh impossible even though my Engineer is optimistic in being able to recondition the others but what do I do for boots?
Question: Do the Landrover ball joints have the same taper as the originals?
With regard to the springs, they are original and have the part numbers 113154 (nearside) and 113155 (offside) although some clueless previous owner had fitted them to the wrong sides! On the vehicle they were sitting pretty flat, especially on the offside but they seem undamaged and I am hoping that Jones Springs will be able to breathe new life into them.
Yes, I am going to examine the swivel pins. I know one of them has some up and down movement suggesting a missing thrust washer?
Finally, thanks for your interest.
Jed.

JedFurneaux
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:50 pm
Location: Tregoss Cornwall

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by JedFurneaux »

Stop press....the fourth joint that I thought was a non genuine one is in fact a BSA original like the others. What threw me is that the adjuster and lock nut must have vibrated loose decades ago so with all the baked on grease & grime it looked like a more modern non adjustable one. They all have the letters BSA and the number 36755. This number does not translate across to the Daimler parts numbers and in any case does not account for R/H or L/H thread so I am guessing it was a BSA casting number applied to all before they went away for machining and threading. As we all know Daimler was part of the BSA group and BSA was an immense engineering enterprise with the capacity to make steel and alloy castings and forgings so naturally many parts would have been produced 'in house'.
Attachments
IMG_20200220_135520.jpg
IMG_20200220_135434.jpg

Soundmike
Posts: 76
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 8:54 am

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by Soundmike »

I am following your posts with some interest, I will be removing the body from my LQ3 in due course before dismantling suspension. It all appears to be completely original at this stage, but my truck mechanic son can see some chassis familiarity with same.... All ball joints and king pins appear to have minimal lost motion, so hopefully be be ok. Hard to see them at present because of 85 years buildup of grease & dirt. So far, the gearbox, drive shafts and brakes have been removed. Gearbox seems ok, needs fresh oil, output drive shaft universals are excellent, new modern bearings for input drive shaft, new seals & boots readily available for brake master & wheel cylinders, shoes relined, Dewandre booster stripped, cleaned & new leather seal made up. Luvax shocks just need new oil just got to work out which grade to use. Got to fix the wood framing before advancing further..... Mke.

JedFurneaux
Posts: 96
Joined: Tue Jul 11, 2017 5:50 pm
Location: Tregoss Cornwall

Re: LQ front axle removal.

Post by JedFurneaux »

Ok Mike, good luck in your endeavours. Having taken one of these joints apart now I am optimistic that a competent Engineer can remake the ball pins and cups which are all easily detachable. This means that the joint casings are re usable and the original steering side rod and track rod can be retained.
My car should be identical to yours as the long (10'4") wheelbase on the later LQ2's was the same as your LQ3 and it looks as if C 1935 Daimler simply redesignated the LQ2 as the LQ3 to reflect this and draw a distinction from the earlier 10' wheelbase LQ2. Certainly by the time the Daimler Twenty catalogue for Sept 1934 was produced there was no longer a 10' wheelbase option for the saloons/limos. Notwithstanding obvious body differences the engines, chassis and running gear seem to have been identical at the time of this LQ2/LQ3 crossover.
My examinations thus far reveal that all four steering ball joints (2 x track rod ends & 2 x steering side rod ends) used the same joint casing with R/H or L/H threads as appropriate. The only difference is that the one that attaches to the steering gear drop arm does not have the adjustable spring socket and lock nut found on the other three. This is confirmed by the TC 89 parts catalogue. Instead it uses a spring washer and securing plate with circlip. The only reason I can think of for this difference is that it's location would make adjustment difficult due to access. The parts catalogue shows 'Oil retaining rubbers' for the joints on the side arm but not for the ones on the track rod which is strange because they are all the same joint and the track rod ones would be most at risk of dirt/water ingress. I think some sort of thick rubber washer that squashes slightly on compression should do the trick and indeed another LQ owner has something similar on his car.
There is play in my swivels so they will need attention. Also I will change the oil in the Luvax units although as yet I have no definitive answer to which oil to use. Luvax made many different units and I have seen DoT 4 brake fluid recommended for some! The consensus on here is to go for a thick gear oil but again I have seen recommendations varying from SAE 90 TO SAE 140. I think for anything old the thicker the better to prevent leaks!
You're correct about the seals/boots for the wheel cylinders, I will do mine this time and they are readily available on ebay.
Best wishes for your rebuild!
Jeremy.

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