Howdy,

I have had my CA-powered 1600 running for over a year but have come across a problem regarding the pins that hold the lower control arms onto the reversed cross-member. The bloke that originally did the conversion has dodg'ied it up, just shoving a rod through that is threaded on both ends and putting bolts on the ends. It has eventually come loose and is quite dangerous, so I want to set it up properly so this wont happen again.

So question: all you guys out there that have done the CA/SR/FJ conversion into a 1600 - what setup did you use??

I really need to get this sorted out so any advice or information (pics would be awesome too) will be much appreciated.

Cheers

Charlotte

From what you describe, I'm guessing the rods used have ovalled out the x-member holes or worn down causing some slop
HINT: DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR UNTIL IT IS FIXED
The original pins have a tapered section on them which mates up to a tapered end in the x-member tube.
Reversing the x-member without removing and rewelding these tubes will cause the problem you describe
Maddat can supply you with a reversed x-member with the tubes cut out and rewelded to make it all engineer approved, but you may need to supply a changeover unit.
If it is just the dodgy pins that are damaged, then all should be OK.
Give Craig Williams a call on 0412 1600 25 and see what can be done.

Thanks for your help Graeme.

Just another quick question - when a cross member is 'slotted' - what does this mean? And if the rest wasn't done properly is there a chance that this wasn't either?

Thanks heaps

Charlotte

slotted front xmember means lower control arms are moved (new holes drilled on crossmeber) 2 change camber
a pretty dodgy thing 2 do on the front not so bad on the back

It also means that the holes through the crossmember that get bolted on to the chassis have been slotted. The 1600 crossmember when reversed will not line up with the original mounting holes so they are slotted to make them line up. Considering that this is a weak spot,on standard crossmembers, slotting the crossmember to fit further weakens this important attachement point. The mounting bolts then only bear on one side of the hole and the crossmember can slip upsetting the alignment. Also there is no positive location point to align the crossmember as the elongated holes allow the crossmember to move around. If your crossmember is slotted then a thick washer should be placed under the bolt, the crossmember aligned to the center point and the washers tacked to the crossmember. The member is then removed and the washer fully welded in place.

Wow thanks for that reply, much appreciated.

Charlie

I have a set of spare pins in you need them too.

just in case you are finding them hard to source locally or are getting charged stupid amounts.

anyway give us a yeli if you are interested etc

regards

James

Thanks muchly James I will keep it in mind.

So once the cross member has been reversed, the sleeves removed and rewelded the other way around and the holes that line up with the body on the cross member have been slotted and fixed up, does this mean the standard pins are ok to be used??

Hi Charlotte,

Yep, once it's reversed properly, the lower control arm pins then fit as they should have, with the large taper facing the rear of the car. Give me a call or drop an email and I'll help you though it if you get stuck.

Thanks for your help Cam.

Oh and James I have a spare cross-member sitting in the shed so I will probably end up using the pins out of that, thanks though.

nw charlie

good luck with it