Despite the summer rain, lets do a trial fit.

Both top and bottom shock absorber pins are the same.The new off-side shock absorber ready to be fitted to the van.
The drag link assembly, nearly ready for fitting, picture shows the links opposite to each other, this is not correct they should be only 90 degrees off set not 180 degrees.

I bought the track rod/ drag links from Amsteer, at £10.58 each plus shipping.

You will need a pair, one left thread and one right hand thread, Part Numbers AM962L and AM962R. (These also fit the J2 van).

The measurement from ball joint centre to ball joint centre is quite precise, at 28.9 to 29.2 cm's.
Near-side front shock absorber in place and trial fit of the drag link.
A close up of the drag link and drop arm, the stamped mark on steering box shaft should Aline with a stamped mark on the drop link. I have marked it in the photo with red paint but it is very difficult to photograph.

I next trial fitted the brake pipes and was able to turn the steering to make sure nothing was fouling. It is easy to route the flexible brake pipe incorrectly and it rubs on the shock absorber casing, so do check this if you are changing them.

In answer to a couple of e-mails I will be cleaning up, pressure washing and painting the under wing area. It will end up having a better paint job than the outside.

At last the spares have arrived.

At last the long awaited parts have arrived, strange the post mark states yesterdays date? and yet these were posted over a week ago! Funny old world. Well if the good weather holds and I have a few hours to myself I know what I will be doing.

Part numbers for the shock absorbers are 12G23 or Uni-part GSA 3020.

A further update shortly!! Keep watching.

What another J type axle?

Yet another front axle has been dragged from the rear of the lock up garage. This one to be overhauled for a fellow J type owner, I will get his old one back.

I had half a day off work as I needed with some urgency to fit a water pump to my everyday car my 1960 Morris Minor. Having done that and due to the constant rain, well it is summer, I dragged/carried the axle into my garage. Its funny since having a tidy up only a few weeks ago I can hardly find the floor, so much stuff has migrated back in.

Despite it's rusty appearance the axle is in good shape, all the nuts and bolts undid without too much effort. It is now ready to be cleaned up and new bushings fitted.

I might start a "cottage industry " over-hauling front axles.

I'm still waiting for the final parts for OBL 432, what can I say apart from " I was Shocked by the none arrival of the parts" clue in the quote as too what is missing, they were "put in the post same day" I was informed, we will have to check the post mark when the package does arrive.

Awaiting parts and ran out of time.

The front axle refitted to OBL 432.The new type of king pin can be seen in the upper picture and does not look out of place. The lower picture shows some of the new brake parts, the 3/8" BSF banjo bolts are the same as early series 2 morris minor and are available off the shelf.
A view of the steering box end shaft, note the stamped mark (T) on the end of the shaft, this is very important. 
The drop link from OBL being cleaned up, the mark on the shaft must match up with the stamped mark on the drop link, to give an even turning circle.

I am afraid to say not all the parts arrived before the weekend not a bad thing as I was at High Wycombe Hospital for most of the time, I would not have finished the job any way.

I did get a bit done, I started to clean of all the rust and grease from under the off side wing, a very dirty job but it will look better once it is nice an clean and painted.

I fitted the new drag links to the drag shaft, I have used track rod ends instead of drag links, they do the same job, the main difference is that the correct drag links are flatter in profile and I have found them to be hard to source and expensive. Track rod ends are cheap, £11 each and readily available. When fitting remember that one end is a left handed thread and so is the locking nut. When you reassemble the drag link the distance from pivot to pivot is very important, if incorrect the turning circle will be affected.

Its now Tuesday and the shock absorber's have yet to arrive, still as its raining cats and dogs ( and from the sound of my car port roof a few other animals as well ) I will have too wait. As a mate of mine states " the only way is a J", how true.

A Morris badge purchased in Australia.

A nice Morris Commercial badge, purchased on e-bay Australia. I often have a look at what's for sale out there and also New Zealand, (No e-bay, they have Trade-me instead)  Prices are cheap, shame about the freight charges for whole vehicles but small items are a "snip".

This badge was A$2.00, yes two Australian dollars, I was the only bidder and with postage it came to £4.12. 

A rare badge approx 9 x 2 inches from a lorry that had a coach built body, the seller removed it as a boy thirty years ago, said he had never seen a lorry like it before or since.

He is keeping an "eye out" for me for any other Morris commercial/ J type spares/ badges/books and even whole rusty vehicles. He tells me that China is "hungry" for scrap metal and high prices are being paid, lots of old vehicles are being cleared from the out back and exported as they are now worth removing. So many vehicles are being lost for ever.

The parts are starting to arrive.

Parts that I ordered on Monday have already started to arrive, the brake pipes, banjo bolts and brake shoes are here. The shock's are on their way, £15 each plus postage and should be here by Friday.

Also the drag links are in the post so fingers cross this weekend a full reassembly and OBL can hit the road again.

Lots of photo's to follow.

King pin kits, which to use?

Here is a picture showing an original J type king pin set on the left, on the right is a set for fitting to the J2/JU 250 van and is a much later design. The longer king pin having the "cone ends" so rubber "O" ring washers can be fitted to keep out the dirt both top and bottom. The original design had a felt seal and broad washer held in place with a small bolt to protect the top bearing, the bottom one had a type of dished core plug fitted into the base of the stub axle, these often fell out and so the grease soon followed.

Although I have both types in stock in my spares box, I have fitted the later type as all the parts are the same except for the king pin is longer. I picked up four of these kits on e-bay for £10 plus p+p, while original J type sets go for about £30 each. 

Changing the pins is fairly easy. Having removed the cotter pins both king pins tapped out with a bit of help from a blow lamp and copper faced hammer. Remove the worst bearing first using pin punches (the worst bearing is always the bottom one),( note, new bearings have an arrow mark on them, so they need to be fitted the correct way up, this is due to the machined oil ways on the inner surface.) Using the bearing still fitted as a guide I reamed the lower bush, I then repeated this using the lower bush as a guide and reamed the upper bush. I then finished them off as a pair. Re-assembly and re-fitting of the axle only took about an hour but I still have more work to do, I am going to fit new shock to the front and new copper brake pipes.

So its nearly ready to fit the wheels.

Near-side assembled just the cotter pin and new copper brake pipe to fit.

Close up showing how the rubber "O" rings seal the top of the king pin.

Cotter pin fitted and tighten up once king pin was correctly located.
Don't forget to fit the phosphor bronze washer, it should be fitted as shown, under the axle beam.
I have ordered new front brake shoes and banjo bolts for the front brake cylinders and also new front shocks, while I have the van off the road let's get it all done at once.