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Drop links
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 9:48 am
by Graham
I'am after a unconverted bongo and have spoken to the chap who is advertising his now on this site its a 1995 silver one all looks good and sounds ok apart from he says it needs new drop links,which all sounds very honest but how easy aare they to purchase and at what cost and is it somthing that I could do.
Re: Drop links
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 10:54 am
by westonwarrior
drop links can be got for £10-12 per corner from a motor factor and is an easy diy job
Re: Drop links
Posted: Sat Jan 30, 2010 11:41 am
by dave_aber
Make sure the links you get (fronts) have a big enough threaded pin. If the nuts are 17mm, then the pin can rattle in the hole (M10 threads). The ones with 19mm nuts (M12) are a proper snug fit, and shouldn't rattle.
Just taken a nearly new pair off another Bongo, and they were M10 studs - they were rattling like good uns, but the joints were OK - just the pins loose in the holes. No idea what they were from. The replacements (M12) IIRC were from the Fury shop, and have fixed the ratting-ness.
Re: Drop links
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 12:20 am
by The Great Pretender
Graham wrote:I'am after a unconverted bongo and have spoken to the chap who is advertising his now on this site its a 1995 silver one all looks good and sounds ok apart from he says it needs new drop links,which all sounds very honest but how easy aare they to purchase and at what cost and is it somthing that I could do.
Just got new ones for the rear of mine, easy job to do.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mazda-Bongo-rear- ... _500wt_956
Re: Drop links
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 8:03 am
by wonkanoby
depends how rusty the nuts are
inthe end had to get garage to air gun mine off
Re: Drop links
Posted: Sun Jan 31, 2010 1:57 pm
by mikeonb4c
wonkanoby wrote:depends how rusty the nuts are
in the end had to get garage to air gun mine off
Quite right. Dangerous to assume it will be an easy job even though, with luck and absence of rusty nuts - it should be. I used a six sided socket (for good grip, to avoid risk of rounding) and an extension bar, and treated them beforehand with some penetratig oil.
I used Vauxhall Vectra front droplinks on mine (bought from local motor factor) and they've lasted 2yrs so far with no probs and were cheap to buy.
Re: Drop links
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 1:16 am
by The Great Pretender
Sorry guys.............. meant easy = not technical................... not ooooo it was awkward. 
Re: Drop links
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 3:39 am
by wonkanoby
its a simple matter of undoing bolts replacing and redoing them up
its recommended vans back on level with a load on suspension as normal
before you fully tighten them up
Re: Drop links
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2010 9:46 am
by thepickles
Can someone post a picture of the drop links and explain what do they do please
I am more of a bike man than van man
cheers
Steve

Re: Drop links
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 2:24 am
by cheffy34
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/ ... e002-1.jpg
http://i59.photobucket.com/albums/g320/ ... e009-1.jpg
My cheap ebay fronts that died after 9months if i remember rightly

they were replaced free of charge and doin better this time round
i will leave the techi description to the oracles

Re: Drop links
Posted: Tue Feb 02, 2010 3:29 am
by missfixit70
Re: Drop links
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 12:12 pm
by thepickles
Thanks for the piccies
How do you know when they are gone?? what noises etc and anyway of checking,
I have heard people say the drop links have gone , How do you know????
cheers
Steve

Re: Drop links
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 4:51 pm
by westonwarrior
Ususaly there is a definate noise, a clunk or knock
Re: Drop links
Posted: Wed Feb 03, 2010 11:25 pm
by busguy
I have just had a set of fronts from an ebay supplier which were nowhere near as good a design as the worn factory style ones I was taking off. The factory ones had a thicker threaded diameter and a fine pitch thread, but the main difference was that the old ones had a nut with a flange to fit either side of the anti roll bar hole. The socket size was 17mm but the flange part of the nut was 25mm. No chance of it moving.
I sent the new ones back, and to his immense credit the supplier entered into a dialogue with me on what he had to do to make his product as good as the factory style ones which are very expensive.

This guy currently sells them for around £23 a pair with free postage so can afford to beef them up and still provide them at a very competitive price. I certainly don't mind dealing with suppliers like that. His rear drop links fitted perfectly and were cheaper than anyone else, so no problem there.
Re: Drop links
Posted: Sun Feb 07, 2010 4:07 pm
by mikexgough
The Great Pretender wrote:Graham wrote:I'am after a unconverted bongo and have spoken to the chap who is advertising his now on this site its a 1995 silver one all looks good and sounds ok apart from he says it needs new drop links,which all sounds very honest but how easy aare they to purchase and at what cost and is it somthing that I could do.
Just got new ones for the rear of mine, easy job to do.
http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Mazda-Bongo-rear- ... _500wt_956
Were these up to scratch?....... some folks on here had some dubious Front and Rear Drop links from this seller in the past