ARB
drop links parts news
Following the article
on drop links as a feature in the four page V8 Newsletter in the December
2015 issue of the MG Car Club’s monthly magazine, Safety Fast!, contributed
by Nic Houslip, Peter Beadle provides a useful update.
Peter
Beadle was a founder member of the V8 Register back in 1978/79 when he was parts
manager at University Motors in Epsom and later with the Sprite & Midget Centre
in Richmond and then with Moss. He
is now with ARB (Auto Restoration Bolting) in Gloucestershire who claim they are
"holding the classic car industry together"!
Posted:
151202 |  | Peter
Beadle says that although some replacement drop links available in the parts supply
chain have been made by overseas manufacturers, the good news is that there is
still a UK Manufacturer producing genuine drop links for the MGB and V8 made using
the original Armstrong-Monroe tooling. Brown & Gammons and Moss have stocks
from that source with the MGB links, part numbers AHH6543A and AHH6544A. Brown
& Gammons also have OE Factory stocks of the ZKC5754 & ZKC5755 RV8 links.
| When
you examine these Genuine OE parts you will see along the length of the link the
markings 7932LH and 7932RH together with the date stamp in the form week and
year – for example1914 means they were made in early May 2014.
These all English made drop links
are 100% inspected and pull-tested to 3/4 Ton. The top bolt for an MGB AHC146
is (7/16” UNF) 50>60 ton (grade 5, 8.8) material S grade if not T grade55>65ton(.Grade
8, 10.9). It has a nut and washer attached. The RV8 top bolt BH606141
is a Standard HT S grade Bolt (3/8” UNF.) made to BS1768 1963 specifications.
Peter
recalls that when the MGB drop links originally came from the Factory to University
Motors in the early 1970s they came with an unplated nut and square washer. The
RV8 drop link (lower link above, missing the nut) has a slightly longer leg to
allow greater movement of the front suspension.
Peter is frustrated by
the number of poor quality parts out there is the replacement parts market and
bought on price alone, when you can still get the "right product" made
in the UK and often in the Midlands, the "Home of the British Car Industry". |
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