The Stovebolt Site Forums The Parking Lot '60-'66 Trucks Tracking Arm Bushings

I bought the standard tracking arm bushings from LMC but it almost looks like I need to have them pressed into the tracking arm. I'm thinking the polyurethane type would have been much easier.

Any comments? Am I going to run into the same thing with the control arm bushings?

Thanks,

OK, I figured it out incase any of you do it yourselfers replace your track arm bushings. My old shop teacher would not approve but it worked great! They do need to be pressed in and if you don't have a million dollar garage with a press I found that a 15/16" deep well impact socket is the perfect fit. It matched the outside ring of the bushing and leaves a hole for the inner to be undamaged. A little bearing grease, a 3lb hammer, and a peice of cardboard on the concrete and it "slipped" right in!

.....I've used that method a few times myself over the years. Necessity is the mother of invention!!! Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done.

I'm facing the same job in the near future. I've read many threads on the topic and most agree the polyurethane type eventually will squeak like crazy, which would drive me nuts. I've also seen where a few people have used sockets and a very large bolt to pull everything into place instead of pressing.

Hopefully your repair will last another 40+ years before needing attention again!

I used the sockets and a big bench vise worked great.

Mark,

I didn't know that about the polyurethane type. Glad I didn't go that route now. The squeaking would have driven me crazy also. That's one of the reasons I'm replacing all of this (besides the fact that most of this stuff is 45 years old.)

I always thought the regular rubber type (factory) was the sqeeker type after many years and the newer poly type did not? something from energy suspention? I also need to change mine out and "thought" I could simply use a bench vice and a touch of axle grease?

For what it is worth, on my 1966, the poly bushings did not go in any easier than the standard rubber ones.

Seth K. Pyle

I just eliminated the whole mess and went with 2 heim joints and a new pannard bar from speedway (about 20$ for the whole thing.)

How many pounds of torque did you put on the nut and bolt? Did you change out the bolts and nuts to Grade 8?
If I am not mistaken they take 250 to 275 lbs. of torque.
62 Blue
Don

Don, I just don't know the ft/lbs. I did use grade 8 but there isn,t that much load on them anyway once they are in their proper position. Am I missing somting??

A ball joint press works well too

Post #14 was all the confirmation I needed, being from a very experienced contributor:

http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/showthread.php?t=402633&highlight=bushings

Mark,

Thanks a ton. The search engine for the forum is the worst I've run across ever!

Thank God I didn't use any poly bushing anywhere! I will take the arms off, even though I didn't want to, and take them to a shop to have my rubber bushings put in. It will be well worth the trouble. Now I have to read up on how to get the rear axle to line up and get the correct angle for the differential. That's why I didn't take that apart. I've marked the axles where the U-bolts are already.

Thanks everyone!

Glad I took the control arms off. I found that the driver's side coil spring was broken way up high under the spring cup.

Any opinions on "variable rate springs" vs. "constant springs"??

if you use urithane bushings just cut a small groove around the center and put a greese fitting in the housing [ no more squeeks ].