LCA pin and bushing install gotcha

[YY1]

I'm in the middle of installing PST poly/graphite and Energy Suspension (Moog) front end bushings and joints and wanted to point out a potential issue I haven't seen mentioned before.

On the LCA bushings and pivot pins, it's quite easy to press them in too far, as the inner sleeve is the same diameter as the pin.
If you do that, your LCA will be too far forword, and can hit the K frame and not rotate properly. Probably also bad for alignment.

Be careful not to press the pin any farther than where the inner sleeve lines up with the rubber bushing material. Trying to press them back to the proper position is a PITA.

Also the sleeve should be visible sticking out just a bit farther than the pin, when viewed from the torsion bar socket end, and both the sleeve and the pin should be below the bottom of the socket.

...and get a ball joint socket. MAJOR time saver.

 

[bean bandit]

On the LCA bushings and pivot pins, it's quite easy to press them in too far, as the inner sleeve is the same diameter as the pin.
If you do that, your LCA will be too far forword, and can hit the K frame and not rotate properly. Probably also bad for alignment.

Be careful not to press the pin any farther than where the inner sleeve lines up with the rubber bushing material. Trying to press them back to the proper position is a PITA.

Also the sleeve should be visible sticking out just a bit farther than the pin, when viewed from the torsion bar socket end, and both the sleeve and the pin should be below the bottom of the socket.

:huh:

I've done this on my 67 coronet and it's not possible to press them in too far, if you do it right.
First, the pivot shaft must be pressed into the bushing. The pivot shaft/bushing assembly is then pressed into the control arm.
Use a piece of pipe to apply pressure on the flange of the outer bushing shell.

If you do it the other way around, you press out the inner bushing shell.
And don't press in the pivot shaft/bushing assembly with the pivot-shaft.

See this article on Mopar Muscle Magazine website:
http://www.moparmusclemagazine.com/techarticles/suspension/mopp_0306_replacing_front_suspensions_lower_control_arm_bushings/index.html

Cheers, Remco

 

[YY1]

I did the other side today, and found a small impact socket that fit perfect in the hex recess that the T bar goes into. This stopped both the inner sleeve of the bushing and the pin from going too far. I ended up using a socket that fit inside the inner sleeve on the other one and got it back to where it should be. Didn't have access to a pipe of those dimensions at the time. Sounds like a good technique, though. Everything is within 1/32 of an assembly I saved as a refernce.

On a related note, one of my LCA pins (pass side) has a castelated nut and cotter pin, and the other one doesn't. My donor LCAs with sway bar mounts from a 66 Charger also came with pins, and they don't have them at all.

 

[bean bandit]

Yes it's strange. My pivot-shaft doesn't have a hole for a cotter pin either.
Although the shopmanual refers to it :confused1:

Maybe it doesn't need a cotter pin, because you have to torque the pivot-shaft nut with 130 ft-lb AND as long as there is tension on the torsion bar, the pivot-shaft & LCA assembly are not moving.

Cheers, Remco