Sprint upper front ball joints

[simonhorton]

Hi,<br>
Did very early sprints have fitted to them upper front ball joints with grease nipples?<br>
Rgds Simon.<br>
If so, were can i buy some from?

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[Richard the old one]

I do not know when the design changed but the original ball joints were still being fitted in 1977 based on my 1500 dolomite. These did not actually have the grease nipple fitted but there was a plug (bolt) that could be taken out to allow a grease nipple to be fitted. I used to grease my balls regularly<br>
<br>
I do not think you can purchase any new units of the original design. However you might be lucky enough to pick up an old unit at an auto jumble or from a fellow dolomite owner and then refurbish it with a kit from the club stock if Malc still has some.

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[tinweevil]

How different are the two designs? Could a modern joint be treated to some blunt force trauma to remove the pin and converted?<br>
<br>
Tinweevil

<p>1978 <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/704">Dolomite Sprint</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br>
1968 <!--EZCODE LINK START--><a href="http://www.triumphowners.com/705">GT6 II</a><!--EZCODE LINK END--><br>
1972 Spitfire IV<br>
39 anorak points on the Nicholas scale<br>
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[Richard the old one]

The modern design of units does not have a plug fitted and it is not possible to drill and tap the unit to take a grease nipple as it is not possible to split the unit. The original design unit can be stripped so that parts could be replaced.

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[alun n]

You can get the later ones apart...eventually, but in doing so you end up removing the metal that is then required to be peened back over to reseal them. Without the machine that made them in the first place any such peening would be difficult to achieve anyway without resulting in excessive play in the joint.<br>
<br>
There is insufficient depth of metal in the one I took apart to have a groove machined to receive a circlip<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START : --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... ohwell.gif ALT=":"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END-->

<p>1973 Dolomite Sprint<br>
1974 Dolomite Sprint<br>
1977 Dolomite Sprint (Pageant)<br>
1977 Dolomite Sprint (White)<br>
1979 Dolomite Sprint<br>
1979 Dolomite 1850HL<br>
1980 Dolomite 1500HL<br>
1998 Lotus Elise<br>
1999 Alfa Romeo 166 2.5 V6<br>
1999 Alfa Romeo 166 3.0 V6 (Didn't sell, still for sale!)</p><i></i>

[MalcGE]

Make the 'sealed' aftermarket 'no grease nipple aperture' joints into rebuildable format. I sent him one as a sample and he reckoned he could do, mind you, he was going to do a sample but it never materialised.........<!--EZCODE EMOTICON START : --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... ohwell.gif ALT=":"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END--> <br>
<br>
Bloody well hope he was right cos I've got a big box full of S**gged sealed joints for the day when a job lot of 50 looks to be a far more attractive proposition to him <!--EZCODE EMOTICON START :eek --><img src=http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/im ... ns/eek.gif ALT=":eek"><!--EZCODE EMOTICON END-->

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