Lower suspension arm (Front suspension)

A dust shield and bump stop rubber is fitted between the damper unit and the top mounting, to protect the damper rod from dirt and damage.

Lower suspension arm

The suspension lower arm is of the wishbone type and is designed to provide fore-and-aft stiffness, to restrain braking torque. Both lower suspension arms are interconnected by an anti-roll bar which provides the required stiffness to prevent body roll.

The front lower arm has replaceable, pressed-in bushes which should be lubricated with Merlene 148 rubber lubricant.

The lower ball joint is attached to the lower arm via a bracket and three rivets, if the ball joints need to be replaced, the rivets have to be drilled out and the new ball joint attached to the lower suspension arm using three nuts and bolts. The lower ball joint has a tapered stub which is attached to the hub using a pinch clamp and a bolt and locknut. The ball-joint allows vertical movement as the wheels pass over dips and bumps and side-to-side motion as the wheels are turned for cornering.

Upper suspension arm

The upper suspension arm uses a pivot shaft incorporating needle roller bearings to facilitate up and down movement of the arm at its inner end. The lower mounting of the suspension damper connects to a fixing point in the centre of the upper arm. An upper ball joint is attached to the outer end of the upper arm and connects to the hub steering knuckle through a tapered stud held in position with a nut and tab washer.

Anti-roll bar

A 20 mm solid spring steel anti-roll bar is used which operates via anti-roll bar links on the lower suspension arms. The anti-roll bar is attached to the front subframe with two PTFE bushes which are secured with clamp plates and bolts. The low friction PTFE bushes require no additional greasing and allow the anti-roll bar to rotate freely with quiet operation. This allows the bar to respond quickly to roll inputs.

Each anti-roll bar link has a ball joint fitting at each end which improves response and efficiency. The top ball-joint is attached by a bolt and self locking nut to a bracket which is riveted to the lower ball joint / lower suspension arm assembly. The lower ball-joint is attached to the anti-roll bar with a nut and bolt.

CAUTION: The head of the bolt securing the anti-roll bar links to the lower suspension arms must face forward. This is to allow clearance between bolt head and front hub.

Front subframe

The subframe is fabricated from hydro-formed tubing providing a light and strong structure. All machining of critical geometric locations is performed after fabrication to ensure accurate location of the front suspension and steering components.

The subframe is mounted to the body at the front and rear and has a cross-bracing fitted beneath, with fixings at front rear and centre to provide additional rigidity.