This will replace the original top arm pivot shaft for both front and rear
MGF and front for the
MGTF and
Metro.These are made from
304 Stainless steel which will eliminate the corrosion usually found on the stock part.
Sold as a pair and come complete with all the parts required to rebuild the top arm. 4 oilite bushes 3/4"long, 4 O ring seals,4 thrust washers in stainless steel,4 x 1/2"UNF nyloc nuts and 2 end plates in stainless steel and the 4 outer seals,1 bearing removal tool also two M6 blanking screws to replace the grease nipple.
The bearings will require checking for alignment when fitted and reamed with a in-line reamer. Do not use a carbide honer as this will block the oil pores and cause premature failure.
Note you will require 2 kits for the front and rear of a MGF and one kit for the front only of the MGTF (See TF rear top arm spacer kit)
Introductory price shown for this new product and represents very good value for this level of quality.
NOTE. All parts manufactured in the UK except the oilite bushes (USA) but are supplied via a UK stockist.
Oilite® Bearings
After almost 90 years Oilite bearings are still the undisputed market leader in sintered self-lubricating bearings. The technical knowledge and manufacturing expertise behind Oilite bearings have resulted in a vast array of sophisticated, high-quality components that are supplied across a wide range of industries throughout the world. Oilite bearings have a rich history dating back to the 1930s when they were developed by Chrysler. They have since been used in everything from the iconic Supermarine Spitfire to Formula 1 cars. Oilite bearings continue to set the standard for all other self-lubricating bearings and Bowman International is proud to be the sole supplier of genuine Oilite bearings in the UK and Europe in partnership with Beemer Precision Inc. in the USA.
Most other replacement kits are manufactured in China some of these are manufactured out of tolerance so be careful what you buy..if it's cheap then they will be a reason for it!
Note: Before fitting any pivot kits try them in the arm with the washers and the tighten up the nuts at each end. The pivot should move freely and not lock up on the arm..if it does send them back from where you bought them from as they are made out of tolerance!! Don't try lowering the car and then driving thinking the weight of the car will 'free' them off! You'll just do more damage and affect the way the suspension works! That's modifying your car but not the way it should be done!
Are these cost effective?? The OE ones are £98+Vat each (no idea where they are made?? ) The imported Chinese made ones are £20 +Vat each and mine work out to approx £45+vat each and are a better design, better materials and made in the UK! Go figure that one out!
See last photos of stock steel pivot badly worn by the ingress of water and damage by the needle roller bearings, (notice how the needle rollers are not even square to the pivot) compared to a new stainless steel part.
After some rough calcs. the stock needle roller brgs have an surface area contact with the shaft of approx 60mm sq. (each brg) compared to the oilite bushes of 780mm sq, some 13 times more bearing/load spread. with the MK9 FCCKits the bearings are 1.25mm long giving a surface area of approx 1340mmsq some 22 time more than the stock needle roller brgs. What does this mean? As the name implies the needle roller brgs have a small contact patch with the shaft, hence the name 'needle' roller. This imparts a high load onto the shaft at the contact points. By using a well tried and trusted Oilite bush the load is spread on a far greater surface area which locates the shaft better resulting in a reduction in the shaft to arm movement. This reflects in the steering response and reduced tramlining.
Note these bushes require very little maintenance using a few drops of oil NOT grease.
As you can see from the photo of the stock pivot the design allows water to penetrate and cause corrosion. With the new design there are additional seals which sit in the thrust washers reducing the ingress of any water. If correctly fitted and routinely lubricated SAE 30 grade oil, they will give outstanding service life. If badly fitted and neglected then they could fail prematurely, this is usually down to the lack of expertise when fitting and causing damage and then blaming the parts. If in doubt then send your parts to be fitted for a small charge . Call to discuss this option.
Causes of failure:
The most common cause of Oilite bearing failure is inappropriate lubrication of the bearing rolling elements, which accounts for approximately 80% of the cases . Other causes include inadequate bearing selection (10%), improper mounting (5%), indirect failure (4%), and material defects and manufacturing errors (less than 1%) Also dirty environment when fitting,tools,hands and equipment! The moral being don't blame the parts or the supplier if not fitted correctly!! I have used nearly 4000 of these bushes without any issues except for one person blaming the oilite bushes..Why Not go figure who was the cause of that issue ;-)
Feedback:-
Hello Mike ,
I was to write these for so long, but only now in home and my son said to me that how amazing the car handles now after changing the original front bushes for your kit, the garage that got it mounted and proper aligned after, had 8 MG..some F other TF, they said that the car is with fantastic handling...probably the best, they made all the compensationg tuning to get the best. The car is awesome...it is impossible to put it on words! Thank you Mike. I also put here in attached photos of the used shafts just for you to see how the original was.
Regards,
Manuel from Portugal