slop in lower control arm torsion socket.

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Ironracer

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My car's front end was rebuilt 10 years ago with polyurethane bushings. We noticed the alignment kept changing we also noticed when we take it out to nail the car it would not return to static ride heights it would sit there in the yard and look like a gasser for a couple of days. I started breaking down the lower control arms today. On the passenger side I got the arm out of the tent out by hand and then pops the bushing out by hand. I was able to send sing in an in and out at will, although the bushing stay when I pulled out the pants but then I can pull the bushing right out. I noticed play in the torsion bar socket. How much is to much? I figured once you load the torsion bar in the body that's going to take a lot of that out of there. I grabbed one pair though stiffening plates I was going to have a buddy of mine check on the bottom of each side when I have impressed the new pins and rubber bushings for proforged in. He doesn't know **** about our cars. He thinks all motor oil thru th push rods I had to prove him wrong on that years ago. We had $100 bet on it but I'm not an *** so I didn't take his money. Is there anything I need to look out for when I have them well those plates along the bottom of these things? And if I have him weld them up, can I add new adjusters for the torsion bars down the road? Or will the grooves in the threaded part of the adjuster not line up? I just hope this cures my situation. THANKS Y'ALL!
 
I put mine in a vice, or a press. I squeezed the two sides together, making sure the torsion bar socket rotates freely. Then I welded the stiffening plate to the bottom of the control arm. I also put rubber bushings in. I don't like the poly bushings.
 
I put mine in a vice, or a press. I squeezed the two sides together, making sure the torsion bar socket rotates freely. Then I welded the stiffening plate to the bottom of the control arm. I also put rubber bushings in. I don't like the poly bushings.
Thanks!
 
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I put mine in a vice, or a press. I squeezed the two sides together, making sure the torsion bar socket rotates freely. Then I welded the stiffening plate to the bottom of the control arm. I also put rubber bushings in. I don't like the poly bushings.
Do you think new adjusters are requirements or should I just go with the old ones? I'm going to break down the driver's side tomorrow once I get back home and try to run by a friend's to get the new pins Pressed and the plates welded on so I can bring it home and start Bolting it together
 
Do you think new adjusters are requirements or should I just go with the old ones? I'm going to break down the driver's side tomorrow once I get back home and try to run by a friend's to get the new pins Pressed and the plates welded on so I can bring it home and start Bolting it together
 
As long as the bolt threads look good, and the threads in the anchor look good, it should be fine.
 
As long as the bolt threads look good, and the threads in the anchor look good, it should be fine.
I hope these aren't too far gone I guess it's a fine line I just took it 6 in C clamp and start squeezing together right next to the torsion bar socket in board under the pit area by the adjuster if I get them tight enough to get all the stuff out I can't move the damn thing, but it does seem like I'm getting some out maybe it depends where you clamp it I don't know if you should use three clamps or?????
 
Seems like just clamping the end kind of makes it a little out of square clamping in the middle doesn't seem to do much good maybe if I use one on the in and then one in the middle crank it down real good and then loosen the one on the end slightly so the thing rotates or something or maybe ( hope not!) just worn slap out. We'll just try to use the wide jaw bench press...
 
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I added three 1” steel straps.

6503261-LCAplates.jpg
 
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I had to grind the weld off one side of the plate that holds the rebound bumper in order for me to be able to bring both sides in to eliminate the sloop in the torsion bar socket. I then reweld that same plate and add another to the other side.
 
@Jim Lusk outlines the best way to fix that in one of his many videos. Jim has a lot of years experience repairing suspensions on Mopars. He does a good job with it.

 
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I had to grind the weld off one side of the plate that holds the rebound bumper in order for me to be able to bring both sides in to eliminate the sloop in the torsion bar socket. I then reweld that same plate and add another to the other side.

Yes sir! That's how you're supposed to do it.
 
I had to grind the weld off one side of the plate that holds the rebound bumper in order for me to be able to bring both sides in to eliminate the sloop in the torsion bar socket. I then reweld that same plate and add another to the other side.
I was kind of thinking to bring everything in equally you would need to do that
 
@Jim Lusk outlines the best way to fix that in one of his many videos. Jim has a lot of years experience re[airing suspensions on Mopars. He does a good job with it.


Great video! After re inspecting, mine are just as bad as the 3rd one he was inspecting. Some of the worst he's seen. Lol The sides of The arm are not "square" or truly parallel to the anchor. We will just do the best we can! Even playing around with it this evening with a C clamp, I can see a difference...may smack it around with a bfh. Definitely cutting the weld will help big time! THANK YOU FOLKS!
 
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I wonder if its possible to get a better caster reading g by pushing the rubber sleeved LCA Bushings a lil lower on the shafts... the ones I have aren't bottomed out. .
 
I wonder if its possible to get a better caster reading g by pushing the rubber sleeved LCA Bushings a lil lower on the shafts... the ones I have aren't bottomed out. .

Wouldn't that push the lower control back? That would reduce caster.....an ever so slight amount. The machine probably wouldn't even pick it up.

No, I was thinkin backwards. It would push the control arm forward, but gosh, it would make such a small difference....I would do it though just to get the bushing all the way installed right.
 
Wouldn't that push the lower control back? That would reduce caster.....an ever so slight amount. The machine probably wouldn't even pick it up.

No, I was thinkin backwards. It would push the control arm forward, but gosh, it would make such a small difference....I would do it though just to get the bushing all the way installed right.
The LCA pin is an 1/8" from the bottom of the bushing. They came that way. Id hate to dhear the bushing with the press. It does have an inner sleeve... I flipped them back-to-back and touch the collars together their Preston exact same amount on each one.
 
The LCA pin is an 1/8" from the bottom of the bushing. They came that way. Id hate to dhear the bushing with the press. It does have an inner sleeve... I flipped them back-to-back and touch the collars together their Preston exact same amount on each one.

That's kinda strange. What brand are they? Is the clearance between the pin and the bushing or the outer sleeve and LCA?
 
Proforged. One of the guys on here that appears to use quite a few different ones over the recent years says their rubber seems to hold up better. Bottom of the sleeve to rear of pin. Maybe they have a little fixture at the factory and that's where the pain stops as the little tiny nipple locate center line or something, I'm not sure.
 
Proforged. One of the guys on here that appears to use quite a few different ones over the recent years says their rubber seems to hold up better. Bottom of the sleeve to rear of pin. Maybe they have a little fixture at the factory and that's where the pain stops as the little tiny nipple locate center line or something, I'm not sure.

I like the proforged ones. They have greasable pins. I'm pretty sure installed correctly, poly will last forever compared to rubber.
 
I like the proforged ones. They have greasable pins. I'm pretty sure installed correctly, poly will last forever compared to rubber.
The poly ones I pulled out of this car ain't worth a pinch of owl poo. Well I guess they beat a blank but I could hold the torsion bar socket tightly stick the pin in there and then wiggle it around. I ended up going with the Pro Forged pins with the rubber bushing 47 bucks apiece I ordered a couple of months ago just due to cost reasons, ie; the adjustable struts
 
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I like the proforged ones. They have greasable pins. I'm pretty sure installed correctly, poly will last forever compared to rubber.
Update. My buddy welded them up. I have an easy 1/8" lateral movement. Should I cut the welds off and start over? What bugged ( pissed) me off, the most, was I explained why I was doing that. He told me the bar going in the back of the torsion bar will hold staying there I guess he doesn't realize that's independent of the end of the arm, and the further the arm is out,the more travel is reflected... maybe I'm an ***.. I got the strut bushings (Moog, problem solvers) last year, and they ain't around these days.
 
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