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450 Drop Link Removal

Mod Details
PremiumNo Difficulty Mod ID1043 CreditTolsen For450 Fortwo Linkhttps://www.evilution.co.uk/mod/drop-link-removal.htm Copy to Clipboard PartsBuy here

The drop link connects at both ends. One end to the anti-roll bar, the other to the wishbone. The anti-roll bar connection is generally not a problem as it can be held with a spanner (46Nm on refitting). The big problem is at the other end. The position of the fixing leaves it open to heavy corrosion. Couple that with the recessed nature of the nut and the excess length of the stud and you have issues.

Here are the special tools required for the job. M10 x 1.5mm thread cleaning tool, Thread holding tool, 16mm or 17mm deep ring spanner. The standard nut is 16mm but many replacement drop links use 17mm nuts.

Clean the thread up to ease the removal of the nut. If you can find a thread cleaning tool like this, great. If not then try a wire brush. It’s a good idea to spray the nut and the thread in copious amounts of penetrating fluid.

I couldn’t find that tool so I bought a thread cleaning nut from one of those mobile MAC tool trucks. I used a Dremel with a wire brush attachment to clean up the 1st few threads to get this on. Spray the thread with oil and twist the thread cleaner on and off to help it clean and remove the rust.

Put on the deep ring spanner and screw the thread holder onto the stud. Hold the end of the thread holder by the 17mm bolt head using another ring spanner. This stops the stud from spinning as it presses against the end of the bolt inside the tool.

The reason you want to stop the stud moving is because you don’t want to put pressure on the drop link ball joint. It’s very easy to twist the ball joint and have the ball pop out of the socket, loosening the connection. If the drop link comes apart, the main stud will still spin and the nut won’t come off.

With the thread holder held steady, you can apply force to the 16mm nut to remove it. (46Nm on refitting).

When you refit the new drop link, you will be able to use the correct Allen key in the end to stop the stud from rotating as the new nut is fitted. Generally, the old drop link is far too corroded to use this method for removal.

Where Can I Get The Thread Holder?

I don’t think it’s something you can normally buy, Tolson made his on a metal lathe…

…and so did I. If you want one, I made a small batch. Contact smartmods.co.uk about buying one.

Credits

All the credit for this one goes to Tolsen. He was good enough to let me use anything that I saw fit and this is a task I failed to complete a while back due to not having the right tools.


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