Reliant Rebel 700 1967 Workshop Manual page 11

Description
The independent front suspension comprises upper and lower
wishbone assemblies and vertical links assisted by coil spring and
damper units.
The upper wishbones are bolted to a ball joint on the vertical link and
secured and pivoted to the vehicle chassis suspension tower.
The lower wishbone assembly, secured to a trunnion attached to the
vertical link, supports the coil spring and damper unit. Two brackets
bolted to the chassis support the wishbones, which are also pivoted.
Routine maintenance
Every 15,000 miles (24,000 km) the front wheel bearings should be
packed with grease. The vertical link lower pivots should also be
greased by removing the plugs and screwing in a 45° angled grease
nipple.
Front Hubs
To remove and dismantle (see Figure 1)
1. Jack up the vehicle and pace on suitable stands. Remove
road wheel.
2. Unscrew the two countersunk screws (one on later
vehicles) and remove the brake drum from the hub
assembly.
3. Screw a No 10 set screw into the grease cap and force the
cap from the hub.
4. Extract the split pin, unscrew the castellated nut and
withdraw the hub assembly from the stub axle, complete
with the "D" washer.
5. Remove the inner and outer bearings from the hub.
6. Using a soft drift, drive the outer tracks of the bearings and
the grease seal retainer from the hub.
Reassembly
1. Locate the inner and outer tracks in the hub using a suitable
drift.
2. Fit the bearings to the hub. Do not fit the sealing felt and
retainer at this stage.
3. Position the hub assembly on the stub axle and secure with
the "D" washer and the castellated nut. Tighten until
resistance is felt when turning the hub.
4. Slacken the nut back until a bearing end float of between
0.051-0.152 mm (0.002-0.006 in) is obtained. A dial gauge is
preferable for this measurement but if not available,
slacken off the retaining nut half a flat, equivalent of 30°.
See Figure 2. If the split pin hole in the stub axle shaft does
not line up with the castellated nut, slacken the nut a little
further until it does.
5. Mark the position by centre punching the nut and stub axle,
see Figure 3.
6. Remove the hub assembly and pack the bearing assembly
with the recommended grease.
Note: it is essential when re-packing the bearing that the space
between the bearings and the bearing tracks must be completely
filled. A smear of grease over the bearings is not sufficient.
Figure 2 Hub retaining nut.
Figure 3 Centre punch marks on nut and stub axle.
7. Attach a new sealing felt to the seal retainer with jointing
compound. When the compound has set, soak the seal in
engine oil and squeeze out the surplus oil.
8. Fit the seal retainer to the hub positioning the felt face
towards the centre of the vehicle.
9. Refit the hub assembly, "D" washer and nut to the stub
axle, tightening the nut until the centre punch marks align.
Secure the nut with a new split pin and fit a new hub cap.
10. Shake the hub assembly to ensure that end float is still
present.
Front suspension removal
1. Jack up vehicle, place on suitable stands and remove road
wheel.
2. Disconnect the brake flexible pipe from the suspension
tower and plug the pipes to prevent ingress of dirt and fluid
loss.
3. Unscrew the two bolts and nuts from the top and bottom
fixing points and remove the damper unit through the
wishbones.
4. Disconnect the outer track rod from the tie rod lever.
5. Unscrew the two nuts from the inner chassis frame and
withdraw the lower wishbone from the chassis. Note the
position and sizes of the shims.
6. Support the lower wishbone assembly and unscrew the two
nuts from the upper wishbone pivot pin. Carefully tap out
the pivot pin. The front suspension assembly can now be
withdrawn for further dismantling if necessary.
7. Replace in the reverse order and bleed the brakes. Check
the steering geometry (see Section D)
Page 11