The Stovebolt Site Forums Welcome! Welcome Centre Do It Yourself (DITY) Gallery 1953 GMC 3/4-ton, deluxe cab, long bed -- "My Biggest Project"

Great idea for welding the bolt and bushing to the arm to lock them in place.

My suggestion, following your plan to weld those in place would be to source a bolt with a longer smooth shank so the yoke can ride/rotate on that surface, yet allow the use of a lock nut and flat washer(s) on the threads beyond the yoke to secure from lateral movement. That would resolve the excessive wear on the yoke.

Depending on what you find for a suitable bolt, it may need to have the threads extended down the shank (if the existing threads are not close enough to the outer face of the yoke to tighten down enough) and possibly over long threads (extending beyond the needed length to use a washer and lock nut) may need to be cut of to shorten the bolt?

Others may have an alternative suggestion or solution.