Upper Wishbone Pivot Shaft; Upper Wishbone Bushes; Upper Ball Joint; Lower Wishbone Pivot Shaft - Suffolk SS100 Build Manual

SS100 Build Manual (Export Edition)
1/2" ID x 1/2" spacers for shock absorber upper mount (4)
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1/2" UNF x 31/2" bolts & nyloc nuts (Upper shock mounting - 2)
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1/2" UNF x 21/2" bolts & nyloc nuts (Lower shock mounting - 2)
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7/16" UNF x 2" bolts & nyloc nuts (Upper wishbone pivot shaft to chassis - 4)
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3/8"UNF x 23/4" bolts & nyloc nuts (4)
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3/8"UNF x 1" set screws plus plain washers & spring washers (4)
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9/16"UNF castellated nut & split pin plus large serrated washer (Lower wishbone inner pivot shaft -
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2 of each)
1/2"UNF nyloc nuts and plain washers for fixing upper wishbones to pivot shaft (4)
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0.8mm stainless steel locking wire
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Important Note: The front suspension of some older donor cars differs from others and a number of parts
are not interchangeable. Both types can be fitted to the standard Suffolk chassis and Suffolk will supply
reconditioned parts, which are compatible. To identify which you have, examine the lower & upper
wishbones. On most cars the lower wishbone ball joint bracket is kinked forward and the wishbones are
handed. These are the "new" type. On some older cars the ball joint bracket is not kinked and the wishbones
are identical – these are the "old" type, see figure 4.
Now examine the upper wishbones. On later cars the wishbone halves are identical, the "new type". On
older cars the upper wishbones are not identical, the "old" type see figure 4. The build information below
assumes you have the "new" type in each case. If either the upper or the lower wishbones are of the
"old" type, or you are unsure, consult Suffolk Sportscars for advice.
The following is the assembly procedure for each side.
4.2.1

Upper wishbone pivot shaft

Bolt the upper wishbone pivot shaft to the chassis with the 7/16" UNF bolts and nyloc nuts, make sure the
nuts are on the inside of the chassis otherwise it will be impossible to remove the pivot shaft if necessary
after the body is fitted. Torque to 50 ft-lbs. Experience with the chassis has shown that no adjusting shims
are necessary to establish the correct front wheel camber.
4.2.2

Upper wishbone bushes

Lightly lubricate the upper wishbone bushes and assemble in the wishbone. Hand pressure is usually
sufficient. Lightly lubricate the pivot pins and assemble the wishbones together with the chrome washers
onto the pivot shaft, there are four washers on each side of the car and they need to be dished in towards the
bush. Fit the nyloc nuts but do not tighten at this point.
4.2.3

Upper ball joint

Fit the upper ball joint with the dedicated 3/8" UNF bolts from the donor car fitting sufficient castor
adjusting shims to prevent the wishbones being pulled together as the ball joint bolts are tightened. Fit all the
shims between the front wishbone and the ball joint, see figure 4 for location.
4.2.4

Lower wishbone pivot shaft

Take the lower wishbone pivot shaft and test fit it to the receiving tube welded into the chassis. It should be a
good sliding fit. Do not use force above a light tapping with a copper mallet. If it is too tight, which is
unlikely, then the only reliable way to correct this is by reaming with a 13/16" reamer. Please contact
Suffolk Sportscars who may be able to supply one on loan if you need one.
4.2.5
Lower wishbone bushes
Press in the new lower wishbone bushes using an improvised puller as shown in Figure 1 or similar. Now fit
the lower wishbones to the chassis using the 13/16" diameter pivot pins pushed through from the rear and
installing the 3/8" spacers between the rear wishbone bush inner edge and the chassis tube (fig 4) also install
one serrated washer between the spacer and the wishbone and one serrated wishbone in front of the chassis
between the chassis and the wishbone bush. Loosely fit the large serrated washer and castellated nut.
See photo 4 as a guide:
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Rev 10 November 2013