13 replies to this topic

[spannerboy]

OK so the knocking from my wheel well is a worn Hardy Spicer joint and a buggered wheel bearing on the 72 clubman.

 

I have never replaced The Hardy Spicer joint before so any advice would be helpfull.

But when I am doing this is there any thing else I should be doing?

 

I plan on replacing the suspension and bushes, all the wheel bearings and refurbish the wheels and new tyres, new cv boots on the wheels, new steering rack gaiters.

 

Is there anything else I could be doing down there because I would like to do the job and it to be finished once and for all.

 

 

We also found some serious rust spots/holes so a bit of welding and body work is going to be needed, and a full respray will be on the cards as well.

 

Seems I have my work cut out for me eh!

[nicklouse]

Your 72 Clubman would not have HardySpicers unless it is an Auto.

[Spider]

Maybe post up a photo of your Unijoints so we can be sure of what type you have.

[spannerboy]

Maybe post up a photo of your Unijoints so we can be sure of what type you have.

The car was over the pit yesterday, the mechanic called me over and told me that the drive shaft had a problem, he took me down into the pit and showed me the play in the joint.

He said this is more than likely where the knocking sound is coming from, he said it would be an MOT failure.

He also said he was surprised as most mini's he had seen had CV joints and mine didn't.

 

It looked like the part shown at 3:30 in this video.

 

 

[spannerboy]

Your 72 Clubman would not have HardySpicers unless it is an Auto.

What would it have?

[wile e coyote]

Sounds like you've really got some work on!  Worth a visual check that you actually do have hardy spicer joints as opposed to the rubber coupling type - cursory glance they look similar and the latter a few minutes to fix in situ and decidedly cheaper! Having said that '72 was a "crossover" year in production so anything is possible from the factory - and your car could have been retrofitted at some point in it's life - there's nothing complex about replacing a hardy spicer joint though - unbolt from the gearbox flange and theoretically just slide the joint off the shaft - it's been a VERY long time since I dealt with one so memory a bit rusty but I don't think you even have to pop the top balljoint (to gain clearance) to change one out....

 

To the question at hand - I think you've all bases covered....... until you get into it and fine something else!!!

[imack]

A 72 clubman would have normally had the rubber coupling type inner joint, the first one shown in the video.
The hardy spicer type was fitted to the cooper S and early auto models. Your car may have been converted to hardy Spicer, maybe it's been converted from auto and the shafts have been retained.
Plenty of YouTube videos on changing hardy Spicer. Don't need any fancy tools other than circlip pliers, hammer, selection of sockets, a vice is helpful.

[nicklouse]

 

Maybe post up a photo of your Unijoints so we can be sure of what type you have.

The car was over the pit yesterday, the mechanic called me over and told me that the drive shaft had a problem, he took me down into the pit and showed me the play in the joint.

He said this is more than likely where the knocking sound is coming from, he said it would be an MOT failure.

He also said he was surprised as most mini's he had seen had CV joints and mine didn't.

 

It looked like the part shown at 3:30 in this video.

 

 

And if your original rubber joint has been upgraded with the nylon and roller bearing alternative they can look very similar.

 

big difference in cost. As said let’s have a photo of your parts. 

[spannerboy]

So nicklouse made me doubt myself.

I could swear I saw a Hardy Spicer joint while looking at it for a couple of seconds in the mechanics pit.

 

So I put the front on a stand, crawled underneath and this is what I saw.

 

 

 WP_20200610_10_43_44_Pro.jpg   67.79K   2 downloads

 

So it is a drive shaft rubber coupleing kit I need from mini, spares GCD101

It seems to be cheaper and easier to replace than what I thought it was.

 

So no Hardy Spicer joint I was wrong. But a big thanks to everybody who pointed me in the right direction!!!

 

BUt while I have everybodys attention is there any thing else I should be looking at replacing while I am down there and things are apart?

[imack]

That's the correct rubber coupling for a 72 car. I'd sort the oil leak as oil contamination destroys those rubber couplings, they swell and rub a hole in the back of the gearbox case.

[mitch19]

I have some brand new couplings that I don’t need anymore if your interested.

[Spider]

When fitting up new ones, can I suggest not over-tightening them, This is a common mistake with them that will cause the new ones to fair in short time.

 

The other important thing is that the nuts should only be tightened once it's back on it's wheels. Your Pit is ideal for doing this job.

[62S]

As Moke Spider advises definitely do not over tighten the nuts. It has been a long time since I replaced any so I cannot recall the proper setting but the correct torque is only about 15lbs ft or 20nm which isn't even a grunt on the grunts meter scale.

The ADO16 Austin/Morris 1100/1300 range used the same size couplings as a Mini.

Depending on what nuts you are using, the originals were high spec Stover, Cleveloc or Philidas nuts, (the ones in your picture look like Philidas nuts but might be Cleveloc), there will be some torque required to turn them and you should allow for that. You'll probably just get nylocks these days but you can reuse Stovers or Clevelocs.

There used to be a choice of strength/durability indicated by colour. The standard was green for most applications, yellow for Cooper S, white for competition use. There is someone selling some couplings on eBay at the moment and they look to be white, Unipart ones in the 1970's were normally yellow.

[Cooperman]

You need to measure the torque required to turn a Nyloc nut when it is free on the U-bolt, then add 15 lb.ft. to that figure for the correct fitted torque.

Or just do what I have done since about 1961 and just 'nip' them up until they feel right.