upper control arm bushing notch's?

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mopar56

mopar56

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Just installing new upper control arm bushings in my son's 74 Duster, is there any relevance to the notches on the bushings?, something to do with alignment?, the bushings seem symmetrical just thought I would check before I press them in.
 
Nope, nothing about those other than I believe to "bite" into the metal as you tighten them.. At least thats what I believe they are there for. As long as they are not the offset bushings just press them in and bolt them in the car.
 
AJ/FormS said:
Bite, yeah thats it.
Have you considered the problem solver offset bushings? I highly recommend them.Our A-bodies need all the caster you can find.
Click to expand...

Couldnt think of what to say those notches did.. Bite was the only thing that came to mind LOL.

I agree that the offset bushings are a nice upgrade but not necessarily needed. Lots of folks on here running just the standard bushings and lots running the offset bushings. I would say the more performance tuned cars, or people that like to corner should use the offset bushings. If your not a aggressive driver and just casual driving then the standard bushings would be enough.. Do you agree?
 
well I have been reading lots on these and wondering if we should go this way, the car doesn't corner well, but then how much of that was just the bad ball joints?, I could take back the ones I bought and exchange them
 
ok, I ordered the offset ones today and will exchange the standard that I purchased as we have plans later on adding a Helliwig sway bay and some bigger torsion bars so might as well start with the first step
 
To straightlinespeed;
-Our A-bodies, from the factory, generally were set-up, and by design,with less than 1* positive caster and would often end up, over time, with less than zero caster. Well this tiny amount of caster makes them easy to steer at slow speeds. If that is coupled with an oem over-assisted steering box,then they are luxo-barge easy to steer, period.This may have been the hot-ticket in the days of bias-ply tires, or even polyglassers.This however, helps nothing for highway cruise stability, and may in fact lead to wandering and twichiness. Fast forward to radial tires,modern highways and a way of life that requires regular long commutes, and the oem settings are not anymore, the hot ticket. This is especially true of cars that are regularly driven.
-I used to be in the alignment business, and was allowed unlimited access to the equipment.If I told you how many alignments I really performed on my 68 Barracuda S clone, you might think me mad.The car was my DD for many years. I can tell you, from my experience, that the car is much more enjoyable to drive with 4* or so of caster,a modded less boost P/S box, and the bump-steer worked out of it. And yes, that includes low speed maneuvering, and at the big end, as they say.
-The offset bushings are a cheap,cost-effective way to get a couple of extra degrees, and start you on your way to a "better handling car", if you are already needing those bushings.
-Now, if your front end is in good condition, I certainly wouldnt advise you to rush out and get them installed. That would NOT be cost-effective.
-So to answer your question;"would I agree?" No. But, maybe yes.

And to mopar56; I have the 1.03 T-bars on mine, and they are definitely not too big.Even for a DD. Argue-ably they are borderline too small. Just MHO.
 
AJ- Thanks for the explanation. I just rebuilt my suspension and it was recommened that I stick with the standard bushings, since I wasnt a aggressive driver. Oh well, no sense in tearing it apart again. I'll remember for next time.
 
To 56
Inside the P/S box are whats called reaction discs. They translate the steering wheel turning force, relative to the force at the tire that is resisting this turning force. Its like a torque meter. So the harder/faster you are turning the steering wheel, the more boost will be delivered to the linkage. Thus when you are cruising in a straight line, no boost. When you are parallel parking, plenty boost.
-The problem is Chrysler made that reaction disc so soft, it boosts under the slightest provocation. In doing so, it becomes easy to oversteer in a corner due to the way our brains work. You see the corner, you decide how far to turn the wheel, you yank it over, holy cow-too far; because it was so easy and youre so excited.At least thats the way I see it. So the cure is to make it a bit harder to steer, so that you dont yank it over so far in the first place. Well That little disc has got to go. Chrysler used to sell a kit with multiple discs in it(maybe 3 or 4, cant remember). Maybe they still do. You just put as many in there, stacked up, as it takes to make your brain happy. I think I put 3 in mine-total. Mightabin 4.
-To change those discs, the box has got to come out and apart.Its not difficult or complicated.I dont recall using any special tools( it was about a dozen years ago). I had to do it twice because I wasnt satisfied with the number of discs that I installed the first time. Yeah pulling the box was a pain with headers on it. I was younger then. I had the extra disc(s), and free axcess to the hoist/shop.
-Was it worth it? Yeah, absolutely. Much more fun to flick around. And as a bonus it seemed the car had less tendency to wander on rutted roads and grooved highways.And parallel parking is no more difficult. I wonder who Chrysler were intending to sell all these overboosted A-bodies to? Mustabin young girls or old ladies.
-Some of those fasteners inside the box have torque specs and tightening procedures. That info is in the SM, even Haynes/Clymers. Do it right so it doesnt come apart at speed. After its back in you will need to center the valve body so it doesnt self-steer and rip your thumbs off the first time you start the engine. Its in the SM, too.
-nuthin to it.
 
That's awesome help, now if your anything like the rest of us Mopar guys you never throw anything away, maybe you still have the package with a part number on it of these disc somewhere? the guys behind the Mopar parts counters theses days are all about the new stuff and there books, ( computers ) don't go back very far I would love to search for some of these disc, thanks again.
 
The thing is I probably am just like the rest of us, and that means after 12 years if I still had the one left over disc, I wouldnt have a clue where to look for it. I just finished building a small shop, into which I will be movingta lot of my stash. However, the rest of this winter is designated to home renos. The summer is exterior paint and yardworks. So wont be digging stuff out til next winter. Ill be 62 this summer. I want to to be Mopar parts free by my 70thBD. The money generated thus will go to the mortgage, so I can be debt-free before I die.
Tell you what tho. You can find the PN in the Mopar Performance catalog circa 2002.
 
Well, after age 70, I just want to drive them a few years before I croak. And, I dont want my kids to have to deal with the shedfull of parts.Yeah, I want to just drive for a few years.
Same to you. Good luck on all your endeavors.
 
Could the "Pump it down" article be useful here?
It shows how to space the regulator valve to lower the pressure without having to remove or disassemble the box.

[ame]http://www.moparaction.com/Tech/beep/PUMP_IT_DOWN-re-v1.4.pdf[/ame]

Just a thought.
 
I just put the entire /6Sag pump on mine,IIRC.The Federal couldnt keep up. My steering wheel is a very small diam.fat foam covered piece. This combo works great. My hands get a little warm on long trips in the summer tho.
 
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