LCA Bushings and Other Bushings

RustyRatRod said
Here is my only point of "misinderstanding". The LCA travels up and down perpendicular to the LCA shaft center line. So, that means the strut rod end must travel in a arc, since it is fixed to the LCA end. This is the reason for the rubber bushings. To allow "just enough" fore and aft with the strut rod at the K frame where it installs in the bushings. So now we're talking about replacing the stock strut rods with a swivel (which I want to do).

So now we have installed a swivel strut rod totally FIXED on both ends, with no bushings. So, my question now is, WHERE is the fore and aft movement NOW? Since the strut rod now is totally fixed with no bushings, it has no way to allow that small bit of fore and aft movement going through the arc. I can only assume that small amount of fore and aft movement is transferred to "whatever" LCA bushing we use and that now the LCA has that same amount of fore and aft movement. RIGHT?

What happens is that the heim joint allows for moving through an arc. When you install the adjustable strut rod you set the length at ride height and as 72nublu said you have to move the LCA up and down to insure there isn’t any binding. If there is, you have the rod the wrong length or something else.

The heim has to be installed so that the joint is verticals, and not parallel to the ground. IOW’s, the bolt that attaches the heim to the frame must be running left to right and not up and down. If you do that, the heim allows the strut rod to move through an arc without binding or pulling or pushing on the LCA.

And there is no way on God’s green earth that the LCA can come off the pin, even a skosh if the strut rod is installed correctly.

Like I said, even if I was going to use rubber LCA bushings I would still use adjustable strut rods.