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[amba]

Have a noise coming from ns front drop link so intend replacing both sides along with ARB just to be sure all cured.

What is the recommended drop link source now as current set are Lemforders and have only lasted around 2 years.

Suspect ARB are original so is the extra cost of Poly Bushes worth it on these or stick with just std rubber

Advise appreciated

[Doctor Gollum]

Buy as cheaply as possible and change with the oil annually 

[amba]

Fair comment .

[Bigron]

Pardon my ignorance, butwhat does a drop link do, please?

Ron.

[Doctor Gollum]

Fair comment .

Poly arb bushes is a matter of opinion. I did mine, but some will say that they regretted doing so. I suspect this is because wishbone polys really tighten the front end compared to 120k mile factory bushes and the ARB ones get the blame.

Personally, I would do them if the original ones are getting squishy

[Doctor Gollum]

Pardon my ignorance, butwhat does a drop link do, please?

Ron.

Stops the noise in the passenger seat from falling into your lap as you turn left

Technically they connect the suspension to the Anti Roll Bar which does exactly what it says on the tin.

Front ones generally turn with the steering hence two ball joints and lots of abuse/wear. Rear ones* invariably last the life of the car... Certainly at 285k miles, the rear ones on my Plod were original and fine, whereas I must have changed the fronts half a dozen times

* The rear ones on the Omega are a steel rod and two rubber bushes and basically don't wear.

[Bigron]

Thanks DG.
The noise in the passenger seat usually comes from 'Er Indoors; will it cure that?

Ron.

[amba]

Front ARB are probably nearer 200k and fully expect original ,so will change them whilst I do the Drop Links as getting a noise over speed bumps and whilst its apart not much more effort

[TheBoy]

For drop links, I'd try to source some Meyle HD.  They seem to last well, and is what I have on mine.

Buying cheap shit just makes it an annual chore to do, and ultimately ends up costing more if you keep the car.

[amba]

Hi TB,

Found pair of Meyle for £25 delivered ,and standards are around £15 a pair so also agree with your advise.

Curious though about Poly ARB as they are over £40 a pair and std which have lasted 200k are only £6 a pair

[Doctor Gollum]

Thanks DG.
The noise in the passenger seat usually comes from 'Er Indoors; will it cure that?

Ron.

Not entirely, but enough to make it tolerable 

[TheBoy]

Hi TB,

Found pair of Meyle for £25 delivered ,and standards are around £15 a pair so also agree with your advise.

Curious though about Poly ARB as they are over £40 a pair and std which have lasted 200k are only £6 a pair

£25 sounds about right for Meyle HD (make sure it is HD, but think they all are).

Never had to change the ARB bushes on any Omega I've owned, surprisingly.  Thats despite all the hump bridges and my Dukes of Hazzard stunts.

[Doctor Gollum]

I've seen a few that are starting to perish, but changing them is a subjective matter

[TheBoy]

I've seen a few that are starting to perish, but changing them is a subjective matter

True, but to me a bush either has a tiny bit of play as the rubber deforms slightly, or lots of play with little pressure when its failed, with not a lot of middle ground.  Though ARB ones may be different, as I've yet to feel one that I think has failed

[amba]

My theory was at 200k they are probably on the wrong side of good and whilst I have both wheels and links off its only another 4 bolts to swop...assuming Im not taking a nightmare job for granted as like TB I have never replaced a set in 3 Omega ownerships and close on 500k miles across them

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Thanks DG.
The noise in the passenger seat usually comes from 'Er Indoors; will it cure that?

Ron.

Iv spent a lifetime searching for a cure for that Ron, and Im afraid I have to inform you that there isn't one. If there was, I would have found it. 

[Migv6 le Frog Fan]

Im pretty sure I fitted Meyle to mine and had no trouble since. 

[amba]

Hope they last longer than the Lemforders on there at the moment as they have lasted less than 2 years or 45k...maybe I being optimistic but don't remember replacing them every 2 years before

[Doctor Gollum]

Hope they last longer than the Lemforders on there at the moment as they have lasted less than 2 years or 45k...maybe I being optimistic but don't remember replacing them every 2 years before

Hence my annual suggestion  if you're doing that sort of mileage then you're probably doing the pads every year, in which case you already have the wheels off...

[Nick W]

Poly ARB bushes are a waste of money. Standard ones are a few quid each IF you need them, which you probably don't. A quick look with a torch will confirm this.


I'd just buy whichever droplinks are readily available, even a £20 pair will last a couple of years which isn't bad for a 15 minute job. And your mileage in two years is a large percentage of the entire OOF Omega mileage

[tunnie]

Meyle HD drop links went on my 3.2 must have been 7/8 years ago now, all good still 

[Doctor Gollum]

Meyle HD drop links went on my 3.2 must have been 7/8 years ago now, all good still 

How many miles?

[TheBoy]

Hope they last longer than the Lemforders on there at the moment as they have lasted less than 2 years or 45k...maybe I being optimistic but don't remember replacing them every 2 years before

It appeared that ECP were, a few years ago, selling Lemforder stuff likely sourced from dodgy sources...  ...as Lemforder they weren't.  I suspect if there were some fakes going around, all the usual places that this membership uses, such as ebay, would be full of them.

The way I look at it is £20 for a cheap set that *might* last the 1yr warranty period, or £25 for a set likely to last way beyond 5yrs...

...to me, the latter sounds infinitely sensible, cheaper and less hassle. But I'm just the stupid kid from the local comprehensive.

[amba]

Agree on all sides.

I suppose at the end of the day its how much you are prepared to spend for how often you get the spanners out ..well that's the theory.

As age creeps on the former does sound a better option

[Andy B]

Hope they last longer than the Lemforders on there at the moment as they have lasted less than 2 years or 45k...maybe I being optimistic but don't remember replacing them every 2 years before

It appeared that ECP were, a few years ago, selling Lemforder stuff likely sourced from dodgy sources...  ...as Lemforder they weren't.  I suspect if there were some fakes going around, all the usual places that this membership uses, such as ebay, would be full of them.

The way I look at it is £20 for a cheap set that *might* last the 1yr warranty period, or £25 for a set likely to last way beyond 5yrs...

...to me, the latter sounds infinitely sensible, cheaper and less hassle. But I'm just the stupid kid from the local comprehensive.

This was the thinking years ago on the Autobahnstormers. Pattern drop links were lasting 12 months ...... Similar to brake discs,  some things are worth buying from the respective dealers.

[Bigron]

Serek fitted my ATP kits for me (wishbones, track rods and drop links) two years ago with no apparent problems. Without getting my aching bones under the car, how would I know if all is still ok - how would driving be affected?

Ron.

[Doctor Gollum]

The car will behave like a jelly whenever you accelerate or brake. Drop links bang as though a wheel has just fallen of at every bump

[Bigron]

Phew, thanks DG - I must be ok then!

Ron.

[Enceladus]

Use a slim spanner to stop the ball joint rotating whilst you tighten the nuts. A standard open end pushes the rubber sleeve off it's boss/shoulder. Because of the grease inside it's nearly impossible to push the rubber back onto the shoulder and have it stay put. Road grit and water gets in and wears the joints. The original GM rubbers are less likely to push off and so last longer. Made by Sachs/Boge I would guess.

[cam.in.head]

Use a slim spanner to stop the ball joint rotating whilst you tighten the nuts. A standard open end pushes the rubber sleeve off it's boss/shoulder. Because of the grease inside it's nearly impossible to push the rubber back onto the shoulder and have it stay put. Road grit and water gets in and wears the joints. The original GM rubbers are less likely to push off and so last longer. Made by Sachs/Boge I would guess.

Absolutely . Yes this is the reason most ball joints fail. Very few actually ‘wear out ‘ naturally with useage 99% of them fail early due to water / dirt ingress.ive had my carlton since 1990 and only replaced the original drop links with qh items mid 90’s and they’re still fine to this day.

[jefflem]

On Monday I replaced the drop links for SKF ones together with everything around it (wishbones, shock absorbers, steel brake hoses). Although the box states that it contains “SKF approved supplier” content so let’s see how long they will last. The original ones did their job up to 230.000 kms / 17 years.

[Andy B]

Phew, thanks DG - I must be ok then!

Ron.

Your car or you Ron? 

[Bigron]

Definitely the car, Andy - I'VE never been ok!

Ron.

[Andy B]

Definitely the car, Andy - I'VE never been ok!

Ron.

 

[VXL V6]

Meyle HD drop links went on my 3.2 must have been 7/8 years ago now, all good still 

How many miles?

Can vouch for Meyle HD, longest set I have had fitted are over 100k / 3 years, other two have done far less miles on them... To put in perspective, last set of GM's I had lasted less than 10k...

[johnnydog]

Use a slim spanner to stop the ball joint rotating whilst you tighten the nuts. A standard open end pushes the rubber sleeve off it's boss/shoulder. Because of the grease inside it's nearly impossible to push the rubber back onto the shoulder and have it stay put. Road grit and water gets in and wears the joints. The original GM rubbers are less likely to push off and so last longer. Made by Sachs/Boge I would guess.

Absolutely . Yes this is the reason most ball joints fail. Very few actually ‘wear out ‘ naturally with useage 99% of them fail early due to water / dirt ingress.ive had my carlton since 1990 and only replaced the original drop links with qh items mid 90’s and they’re still fine to this day.

Quinton Hazell were very good quality aftermarket components in their day - very often genuine manufacturer items reboxed in QH packaging.
I doubt however that they are the same quality today though unfortunately....

[aaronjb]

Quinton Hazell were very good quality aftermarket components in their day - very often genuine manufacturer items reboxed in QH packaging.
I doubt however that they are the same quality today though unfortunately....

They went into liquidation in 2013 and were subsequently bought by Tetrosyl (who make chemicals): https://www.tetrosyl.com/brands/qh/
Mind, it changed hands a lot over the years:

In 1973 it was sold to Burmah Oils and then again in 1986 to the America firm, Echlin. It was owned by Dana Corporation from 1998 and Affinia from 2004 before being acquired by Klarius just over two years ago, in 2010.

Anyone's guess as to the quality of components now - although Tetrosyl say they kept the same suppliers, I'll bet everything pops out of one factory in China..

[cam.in.head]

Yes quite possibly.
This is why I’ve got an attic of spares for my cars that I’ve bought ,new old stock,as and when they pop up on ebay over the years.rather than current new spares.!
Can’t beat older or original quality stuff over new pattern for majority of bits

[cam.in.head]

It’s a bit like wishbones. SOME of the replacement VECO items were very good quality and had a realy good full rubber rear bush that no one else seemed to offer. They occasionally pop up as new old stock on ebay so I get them when I see them.

[Nick W]

Yes quite possibly.
This is why I’ve got an attic of spares for my cars that I’ve bought ,new old stock,as and when they pop up on ebay over the years.rather than current new spares.!
Can’t beat older or original quality stuff over new pattern for majority of bits

that isn't necessarily true for components that have rubber parts. My experiences over the last thirty years mean I would always buy current, recently manufactured parts over NOS. And Omega parts are still common enough that I don't see any need to stockpile them

[cam.in.head]

dont worry thats just me .im a hourder !
although to be honest im glad ive hoarded some cav and viva parts because some bits are now impossible to find .

[cam.in.head]

plus ,as ive every intension of keeping my cars for the rest of my life il have start collecting omega parts soon whilst they are common items !
some bits will no doubt be harder to find in 20 years time like cambelt kits ,brake pad pins,sensors,etc to name but a few!

[Nick W]

plus ,as ive every intension of keeping my cars for the rest of my life il have start collecting omega parts soon whilst they are common items !
some bits will no doubt be harder to find in 20 years time like cambelt kits ,brake pad pins,sensors,etc to name but a few!

I strongly suspect that are already more of those parts than there are cars that need them. Regular service parts for mass-market cars are rarely a problem even for old cars. It's the parts that rarely need changing that will cause problems for the 10 Omegas that are 40 years old.

[johnnydog]

Yes quite possibly.
This is why I’ve got an attic of spares for my cars that I’ve bought ,new old stock,as and when they pop up on ebay over the years.rather than current new spares.!
Can’t beat older or original quality stuff over new pattern for majority of bits

This is precisely what I have done since the mid eighties with Triumph parts. Then I ran a 2000 as my every day car and liked it so much that I couldnt envisage myself selling it. I now have six of them including that one, and my large collection of original genuine parts that I bought for little money then are now hard to find and in some cases worth a small fortune. I have recently totally recommissioned two Triumphs that had been off the road for over 25 years and I needed to buy very few parts to do it. I often get contacted to see if I have parts by other Club members and if I have surplus, then I will sell them.; if not, I keep what I have for my own use.
I have also owned Omegas since 2004, and class them similarly to my Triumphs. I have 3 very good examples and can't see any need to sell them. I have accumulated many genuine and original VX service items and parts, some of which are now no longer available.
If correctly stored, then I have a good supply of original parts for my own use - if I never use them, then ultimately there will always be someone who wants genuine original parts, especially the unobtainable or NLS parts.
There are financial and storage factors that come into it, plus the intended period of ownership, but if this is doable, then I don't see any arguement for not doing so.
There is too much negativity in my opinion about how long Omegas will remain a viable car to own and run. If someone enjoys their car and maintains it well, doing as much preventative work as possible to keep corrosion at bay, then they may last a lot longer than some owners are giving them credit for.
If I had had the same negative outlook about my Triumphs in the 80's when there were lines of them in scrap yards and they were corroding away around you, then I wouldn't have had six good examples today.....

[johnnydog]

Yes quite possibly.
This is why I’ve got an attic of spares for my cars that I’ve bought ,new old stock,as and when they pop up on ebay over the years.rather than current new spares.!
Can’t beat older or original quality stuff over new pattern for majority of bits

that isn't necessarily true for components that have rubber parts. My experiences over the last thirty years mean I would always buy current, recently manufactured parts over NOS. And Omega parts are still common enough that I don't see any need to stockpile them

My experience of using nos parts compared with newly manufactured aftermarket is that the nos win every time. The nos fit perfectly, and way outlast new. Rubber bushes, gaitors and mountings are a good example. All modern manufactured rubber parts for classic cars  in my experience of owning Triumphs for nearly 40 years,  are rubbish  - the rubber perishes quickly, bonded items don't last, and the rubber is invariably the wrong composition. For example, Triumph (or Stanpart) rubber items manufactured by Metalastik or Avon were excellent quality; modern manufactured replacements are not worth even considering fitting. Buy quality nos when you come across them, and possibly pay a little more, but then fit and forget unless you dont mind replacing the part again in the near future.
This also goes for many parts on Omegas now in my experience. There are very few aftermarket components I would consider fitting.

[dave the builder]

I Agree with cam.in.head & johnnydog 
I have a hoard some stock of parts 
and some parts have become hard to get for Omega ,vented rear brake rattle springs ,level sensors to name 2 
I have many spares , e.g . brake pads ,drop links, spare mirrors and mirror glasses for much of the fleet
a used omega mirror can be had for £20 now, peanuts compared to what the will cost when there is  "the 10 Omegas that are 40 years old"
plus ,if they get damaged, i go to the hoard and get one,fit it , not wait 7 days for one to get delivered 
though I should get rid of some old stock like astra G parts (only 2 remain on the fleet) and carlton parts (none on the fleet) 

[BazaJT]

I still have some parts for cars I've previously owned-some of which were donated[e.g. all 3 pieces of n/s window glass for a Senator B]while I owned them.Then there are some that are "curiosities"[e.g. a brand new grille never fitted to a car for a MkIII Cavalier]which I've no idea where they came from or how I acquired them-certainly not bought them-for cars which I've never owned and have no intention of buying

[Bigron]

I have a brand new, boxed and unused radiator for a Carlton in a safe place in my garage - maybe I could get some pennies for it?

Ron.

[dave the builder]

I have a brand new, boxed and unused radiator for a Carlton in a safe place in my garage - maybe I could get some pennies for it?

Ron.

there are many different Carlton rads , engine size, auto or manual box plus oil cooler locations
search Ebay to find what similar have sold for
Assuming you are not going to buy another Carlton 
may as well sell it and invest the cash wisely ,or just put fuel in that thirsty Omega 

[Nick W]

I have a brand new, boxed and unused radiator for a Carlton in a safe place in my garage - maybe I could get some pennies for it?

Ron.

This is what Ebay is useful for. Procedure is:


List your item with as much detail as possible including clear photos, part numbers and what it fits.
Put a low reserve on it.
Ensure that you are charging enough postage. Check, don't guess!!!
If it sells, you're good. Hopefully it sells for more than the reserve.
If it's a new part, relist it a couple of weeks later.
If it doesn't sell then bin it as you've undoubtedly got better things to do with the space.


Yes, I've done this. After 10(11? 12?) Capris I had a large stash of parts; some new, some used, some that had been replaced or upgraded, some rare. When I realised that I wasn't going to own another, I sorted through them. Some was obvious junk - keeping the wornout parts that I had replaced was a stupid thing to do. They got binned without a second thought. As did useable parts that were readily available - they're not worth the time unless you can get one person to collect them ALL. Good luck with that, it's easier for you to deliver them on your own unicorn. I gave other bits away to people I knew needed/wanted(NOT the same thing!) them.


I sold a load of stuff, mostly for more than I'd paid for it, although that didn't count storage. Renting storage is expensive! Filling your own storage with stuff that doesn't move for years is stupid because you could be using that space for stuff that matters - tools to complete your existing projects would be my recommendation.


What remained went to the tip. Good riddance to it. And I still think that several years later when I see what that stuff is worth now - tired Pintos and Type 9 gearboxes for example.

[cam.in.head]

Oh yes we have all done this. Thrown away stuff or not even kept certain bits at all and sent cars to scrap .then years later some bits become as rare as hens teeth.obviously it's a case of where to stop,etc .
For example cavalier / manta wings used to be £27 each pattern.they were pretty good fit too. Now they would be selling at £100 each a pop easily if you could find them .or more.
Omegas might be classed as throwaway cars now but so would Morris minors and the like back in the day .all cars can be made to last forever if you wish and modern cars like the omega do not rust in any significant way compared to cars from pre 80's.
So that bit of them is not a major issue but finding certain parts will be eventually.