What a difference 3 days work makes!

well, after lots of swearing, hurting myself and nearly torching the damn mk1.. hour and a half each side just to get the balljoint bolt/pinion out!! I've finally replaced the wishbones + mounts, balljoints and track rods

and the difference is well worth it!  :y: no longer crashes over bumps and feels like new! all that's left is to get the tracking sorted as it's a mile out!

if anyones got they're original wishbones + balljoints (you can tell because the balljoint is rivited on originally and replacements bolt on) I seriously recommend it to get that new car feeling back

only spent ?85 for the lot

next up.. new injectors (at last!!)

just thought I'd fill you all in on what I've done

Its one of the first jobs I'll be doing on mine when I get it back soon, so needs sorting and can't wait for the transformation!

i remember doing that on my old mk1, a perfect reason for buying good drill bits, i had 30 mins before my MOT retest , i thought it would be a simple three 10mm bolts, i still got it done though, with time to spare

just goes to show the quality of the vw . not many cars can go 20 years + on original ball joints . i find the best way to get em off is an exhaust cutter and a fat chisel . 5 mins job done  

I figured for the sake of ?13 a side for new wishbones and ?9 for the mounting kit that it could do with being treated  :wink:

well, if I'm honest I thought it would save me some time trying to get the old ones off.. oh how I was wrong   can't explain the difference though!

and too true deanomk1… can't imagine many cars could last that long on original balljoints!

Was it GSF for all the bits Phil?

Yep, had to wait a day as they only had one wishbone in stock

bargain prices even without asking for club discount! and the front wishbone mounts were a piece of cake to fit  :y:

refitting got a bit fiddly and had to almost completely remove the anti-roll bar!

might want to get some WD40 or similar on those balljoint bolts for a few days before trying to undo them though, unless you plan to drill them out?

oh.. the wishbone mounting kit came with everything except the balljoint bolt/pinion and anti-roll bar bracket nuts (although included the bracket so don't know why they didn't include those bolts)

How come you got them so cheap? :dontknow:   I just did the same job and cost me 75 pounds altogether from gsf, and that didnt include track rods!

I agree does make a great difference though, but I still have a rattle, I think its my top mounts :dontknow:

 :mrgreen:

good point! brought the balljoints a while ago  ops: it's been a long week, I'll dig out the receipts and work it out properly tomorrow

track rod was ?22 for the passenger side, and about ?4 for the rod end on the drivers side

have you done the top mount finger test?  

Thats not a lot of money to spend for such a transformation then! 8O

Whats the finger test?

When the top mount wears you get a gap between the metal disc on the top and the rubber - if you can get your finger between the two you need a new one! (I think thats how it works anyway!)

yep that's my understanding of the finger test  :wink:

made it back today in one peice from a 120 mile round trip without the steering failing on me so looks like it's all gone well.. still doesn't like to drive in a nice straight line (even 5 minutes after I got the tracking done) but it's getting there

for the cost involved it's well worth it.. even if it did take me 3 days  8O  

I know what you mean about the time taken, you probably had to do the job while on axle stands etc.  Luckily I have the privelage of having a friend (pimpinpolo on here) who is an apprentice mechanic and works locally, and the time difference when using a proper car lift with all tools handy is amazing!  We had the job done in about an hour and a half! 8O

I painted my wishbones white to match my car, am I very very uncool for that? :dontknow:    :mrgreen:

It's personal taste mate, although I bet they don't stay white for long!

I know what you mean about having the right facilities for the job. When I first bought my Campaign I used a mates ramp/lift for doing the gear change bushes/linkages. It was sooo quick and easy - I WANT ONE!!!

Andy

PhillTMK1GTI said

.. still doesn't like to drive in a nice straight line (even 5 minutes after I got the tracking done) but it's getting there

If the struts are disturbed (for fitting the top mounts) you need to get the CAMBER set up properly, then the tracking….