Quote: Yes we can see a broken bolt, we don' t have enough info to know if the bolt failure initiated the collapse or was simply a cascade result of another or other failures
Hence the need for a forensic investigation to determine what failed and why. Which is exactly the point of this whole thread. The aftermarket stuff just doesn't have the engineering resources and testing put into it that the OEM stuff does. Most of the MII suspension based aftermarket items have strayed so far from the original MII design that they can justifiably be called their own designs. While I am not a big fan of the OEM MII system, at least it was engineered and validated to an extent that I doubt the aftermarket derivatives have been.
The original MII setup became popular simply because it was compact enough to fit under an early rod, allowed for better than 30's technology braking, suspension and steering. But it was ugly. So tubular arms and such were made and things snowballed from there. Some attempts were made to improve upon the inherent issues int he MII but some of them still remain. Is it better than the stuff original to the 30's? Yes. Is it better than the T bar suspension? Doubtful. If someone where to make a tubular K member that accepted the T bar suspension, what blueprinted to correct the assembly line defects and maybe included a rack and pinion setup it would sell like hotcakes.
They say there are no such thing as a stupid question. They say there is always the exception that proves the rule. Don't be the exception.
