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I'm trying to remove the panhard rod.

On the drivers side, theres a nut and bolt. i can get my breaker bar in on the bolt head, but the nut has like a bent wire loop welded over it stopping me getting anything onto it. Before i get medieval on the wire loop, is there something i'm missing?

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I believe the correct term for that bent wire loop is 'A castellated nut' or 'castle nut'. I may be wrong. Someone will be along to correct me. I think you need a tool to do them.

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blueplasticsoulman wrote:

I believe the correct term for that bent wire loop is 'A castellated nut' or 'castle nut'. I may be wrong. Someone will be along to correct me. I think you need a tool to do them.


OK then, I'll correct you :)
Aragorn is talking about this:
enter image description here
Much debate about the purpose of this loop around the forums. Some P38's have them, some don't. General consensus is cut it off, and if really paranoid, weld it back on when you've finished.

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Black box with an X. I don't have any of them on my car. ;-)

I only surmised at castellated nut as I was watching a video from landrover toolbox about steering etc and one of the nuts was castellated and it had the bit of split pin wire on it.

I put two and two together and guessed it would be the same thing as he's working on his steering.

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Its not a castle nut. Its a normal nyloc, but welded to the chassis is a piece of folded wire thats stopping me getting a socket or spanner onto it...

As per Mr Oranges pic :)

I'll give it a belt with a hammer.

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Mine doesn't have the loops. The easiest way I found to remove the rod for bush replacement was to use two Filipinos.

Easy job! :-)

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It's an honour you used my pic Mark (free of charge of course)

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Good it's sorted now but what exactly are those wire loops added for (and 'best guess' OB) ?
Had a quick check on other fora but could not find anything..... intriguing....
Might be to stop someone 'borrowing' your Rod but I doubt it....

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Well, the discussion rotates around:
To keep the nut in place, should it vibrate loose, countered by the fact that if the bolt works back as the nut loosens it'll all fall off anyway.
My personal theory is that it performs the same function as those plastic things you put on sharp furniture corners etc to stop falling toddlers injuring themselves.
NA models don't seem to have it- obviously they don't care enough about small children.
Oh and belated photo credits to Tony the Ferryman (as he mentions above), without whom this topic would have been just a collection of empty words :)

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It cant be to stop the nut coming off, as you say the bolt would just back out and it would fall off anyway.

My initial guess was to stop the factory putting the bolt in the wrong way round. But i cant really understand why it would matter if the bolt was in the other way, theres nothing in the way of it!

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bleh. things fighting me the whole way.

An hour with two breaker bars finally got the nut and bolt off. 1/8th of a turn at a time.

Started on the other side now. ended up popping the new track rod back off its taper to get access, and again about 1/8th of a turn at a time. This sides even worse, i can barely move the breaker bar, and it keeps going "BANG" and jumping so my backs done in from all the jolting.

also found this:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/mnfv0xmcxr0hb8l/2017-07-18%2018.22.08.jpg?dl=0

Which certainly wont be helping the handling...

Looks like 5 years sat in a shed does wonders for the balljoints!

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had dinner then went back out. It creaked another turn or so then released a bit and got steadily easier. Once apart its clear why it was such an arse, someones reused an old bolt, and slathered the rusty mank in loctite.

Finally got the bar off:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7yrf4mi3pumjka3/2017-07-18%2019.21.09.jpg?dl=0
Ruined bushes:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/o878oorg56l48bx/2017-07-18%2019.21.20.jpg?dl=0

Used a hole saw to cut out the old rubber, then hacksawed the case and hammered it out with a chisel (screwdriver)

Managed to press the new bushes in with the vice and a big extension bar over the handle!

Ready to go back on:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xyez6g3tdfltd3y/2017-07-18%2020.19.05.jpg?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/7i796qauix4za4g/2017-07-18%2020.19.13.jpg?dl=0

I'm going to order replacement bolts and a new nyloc to replace the ones on there, as they've clearly been wildly overstressed removing them, and clearly been off and on at least once before as well.

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With a front axle that is flopping from side to side and a busted anti roll bar drop link, I'm surprised you ever managed to get it to drive in a straight line. I think you are going to notice the difference when you put it back together.

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If you have mains electricity where you are working might well be worth investing in one of the inexpensive electric impact wrenches. Mine was around £50 from Lidl. Magic. Bought it to do the rear dampers on mine after an investigation last year with a 2 ft breaker bar showed that the top bolts were going to be stubborn. Put the impact wrench on the left hand side, pulled the trigger and the bolt shifted so easily I thought the socket had jumped off. Just as easy t'other side. Only downside is that its a bit bulky so might not be able to get onto everything underneath.

Darn sight better than the windy one I have in the workshop.

Beat the hell out of arranging supports for the long extensions so I could go postal with my super breaker bar. Short 3/4 extension welded to a 5 ft scaffold pole, with a joiner piece for another 5 ft of pole when things get serious.

Clive

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Gilbert: yep, i hope so. I think it really needs the balljoints done on the end of the axle case. the top drivers one is creaking a bit when you turn. But i'll get this round of stuff out the way first!

i have air and a good Ingersoll Rand impact gun, but i've never had much luck with siezed bolts like this and an impact gun.

I guess i should have tried it, but i didnt.

For the nut and bolt it wouldnt have fitted anyway i dont think, but the axle case side probably would have gone in.

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Well the bolts arrived today, i'm away at the weekend and being able to move the rangey while i was away would be handy, so i set about trying to finish it off tonight after dinner.

First problem was the body had moved across, and didnt want to move back. In the end i reattached the drag link, and just hauled on the steering and that pulled it back across so i could get the panhard bolted in.

Torqued everything up with the car at ride height.

Then got stuck into that drop link. It came off easily enough. New one went on fine. I couldnt decide which side of the bar it went on. It originally was mounted on the outside, with the nuts on the inside. It seemed to me that it would fit better the other way round, as when fitted that way you couldnt get a spanner on it to hold it still. In the end i put it back the way it was, but i thaught i should probably check and see!

https://www.dropbox.com/s/bo7cx6kw6p0fshd/2017-07-20%2019.49.16.jpg?dl=0

It seems stupid, as it specifies a really high torque figure, but with it mounted that way its pretty much impossible to counter hold the top balljoint while tightening.

Went for a test drive, seems better, but not sure its 100%. However the steering box isnt centred and the drag link isnt adjusted at all, so i'll wait until thats sorted first before passing judgement! What was noticeable was a drastic reduction in bodyroll. Who'd have thaught!