FAILED TO PASS MOT PART 2

I was right, the off side repairs were easier, well in part, I'll get to that in a minute. The offside hub was soon on my bench and I had realised when I had cleaned all the old grease from the other hub, that there were two indents, opposite one another on the inside of the hub, allowing more room to access the back of each outer bearing ring with a punch, which made driving them out much easier and quicker. You can just make out in the photo the cutouts, now the outer bearing ring has been removed.

The new bearings, pictured below, were just as quickly lubed up and pushed into place and the hub fitted back onto the stub axle and brake calliper re-fitted.

OK this is where it all became a little more difficult. the track arm ball joint was easily separated with my big ball joint separator, but the new track arm ball joint is a press fit into the track arm, but first the old one has to be removed and both processes require a 10 ton press, which not surprisingly I don't possess.

I phoned my MOT garage and asked them if they could do this for me, 'No Problem' was the reply. I dropped off the track arm and new ball joint and a few hours latter received an apologetic call to say that there was a mistake on the MOT failure notice, it should have said 'Steering rod ball joint' not Suspension rod ball joint. As I suspected there was nothing wrong with the Track arm/suspension rod ball joint.

I collected the arm and refitted it to Stella and got the wheels back on and had expected to be finished with the front end, but now it seemed I was going to have to sort out the inner ball joint of the steering rack and I was running out of steam and time.

For the first time I contacted the garage and asked if them would sort this one and at the same time fit the new hand brake cable, again the answer was,'No Problem' .

The above photo is of Stella abandoned on the garage forecourt this morning. I have already had a call to say that the problem is actually in the rack and would I order a replacement steering rack and have it delivered directly to them. I have been on to my usual supplier and it should arrive at the garage tomorrow.