1963 220b

[pbaldner]

My son has been driving his 220 for almost a year now without too many mechanical issues. He complained the other day about the car starting to pull to the right so I had a look at his tires for wear and when I looked under the car I about had a heart attack!! The right side lower A frame was hanging down in the back side.

Upon closer examination I found that the lower right side pivot pin had sheared off on the rear and the A frame was only attached by the front part. I don't know how long he had been driving it that way but it sure scared the heck out of me.

So, any ideas where I might be able to find one of these? It's a 111 chassis so can a '65 110 swap with it?

Thanks,

Phil

[wbain5280]

Without looking at it and only going on your description, I would say that lack of proper greasing caused it to fail. Overhaul the front suspension.

There are many grease points on the car. Get a grease gun and some grease, I use Mobil 1 synthetic grease on my 220S. I need to fix a few grease points on mine.

[300SDog]

Just the pivot pin and securing nut? Maybe try dealership. The problem with junkyard swap parts for kingpin suspensions is they too are probly frozen after 40 yrs. But yeah, my guess is that 110/111 pivot pins are interchangable throughout the series.

[cth350]

108/109/110/111/112/113 suspension parts are interchangable (well, not counting springs and air suspension bellows).

A new pivot pin should set you back a bit over 100$ aftermarket OEM (no reason to visit the dealer). A used one is likely severly worn and dangerous.

The pivots are not easily checked for wear because of the spring tension. But a visual inspection should reveal grease seals in place. If yours are missing, you have a problem in the making (and possibly an overdue failure).

Another thing to be wary of, is that the cup on the end of the pivot screws into the A-arm. I would consider that A-arm suspect if the cup has gone missing. I don't know which failed first, the cup's grip on the A-arm or the pivot's grip on the cup. Also, the A-arm might well be bent at this point in time.

You don't want to buy a new A-arm, even if it's available. Find a donor car with springs at a yard. there are no shortage of them.

-CTH