Topic

One of my front wishbones failed last night at the rear pivot. My question is what's the difference if any between thr original MG Rover and Rimmer aftermarket wishbones, apart from £50 the pair? Are there any other brands which are equal in quality but better price?

That looks a bit crumbly! I’m a bit alarmed that an MOT tester hasn’t picked up on that before it failed. I’ve changed a number of these & I’ve not come across a failure there.
There can’t be many companies rushing to make replacements, so my guess is that although they may be peddled by a number of “names” most will come from under the same press. They do range in price by quite a bit so if budgetory considerations are important get in touch with Darren At MGFnTFBITZ in Glossop, he will have new & also recon’ units. And can I assure you that his recon parts are a tour de force.
I was down there earlier this week picking up an exhaust & was inspecting an assembled ready to fit subframe, it was flawless. His range of recon items is most impressive, the entire organisation is impressive. It is everything I would want from a supplier; well ordered stores, incredibly knowledgeable staff, clean, tidy, nothing out of place & a place for everything.
Five star from me.
M

Blimey. It really shows that we all ought to be checking the state of our wishbones regularly.
The more usual fault is for the centre of the pressed steel section to rust through and then be picked up on the MOT before it becomes too much of a safety concern. Failing at the pivot is much more concerning.
The cheaper replacements should probably be ok so long as they are made of the same weight of steel and the swivels are ok.
I have to confess i played safe and bought from Mgfntfbitz too. I like to fit the same parts that they use in their workshop as they know what is reliable.
As these are just pressed steel it's definitely worth spraying a load of Waxoyl / Dinitrol / Lanoguard etc into the new wishbones.

Got it apart and it's encouraging to see that the poly bushes I fitted five years and about 35,000 miles ago are still in really good condition so they will be going on the new wishbones Thanks for the suggestions I'll try some of the other supplies and see what their prices and deliveries are like.

Parts ordered from MGFNTFBITZ who I've used before. Much cheaper than Rimmers, and I agree it's unlikely there's lots of people making these parts, so they all probably come from the same fabricator. Depending on the finish when they arrive, they'll get a coat of hammerite if required and a coating of dinitrol, and a spray of cavity wax for good measure.

It's always worth checking on Ebay as well, a pair from several suppliers are between £68 and £70 including postage. Last year I paid just £50.11 delivered so 35% inflation. With just 5532 TF's on the road at the peak last summer (2022) and the number still declining at the rate of 500 per annum there is a fast declining market for any TF spares. My TF had its originals changed in 2016 and when I rebuilt the suspension last year I decided to replace then again even though they looked reasonably good. It appears that the majority of owners have replaced them once by the time they are twenty years old, in which case there will only be a small ongoing demand I suspect that there is now just one manufacturer supplying everyone.