What spindles do I need?

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doogievlg

doogievlg

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I have a 73 swinger that I converted to disc brakes. I used mostly F body parts besides the upper control arms. My drivers side spindle is bent so now I need a new one. Will I have to use an F body spindle? Here is a picture if that helps with anything.

19AE3A9D-D912-400A-A323-04BF69CB7EAD.jpeg
 
You need an F/M/J spindle, the A body spindles are shorter in height. But you can replace BOTH with A body spindles and use all your existing components.
 
Professor Fate said:
You need an F/M/J spindle, the A body spindles are shorter in height. But you can replace BOTH with A body spindles and use all your existing components.
Click to expand...

Do the abody spindles need to be from a disc brake car or will they all work?
 
Show a pic of that bent spindle. Never seen a mopar bend spindle. Wonder were they end up bending.
 
autoxcuda said:
Show a pic of that bent spindle. Never seen a mopar bend spindle. Wonder were they end up bending.
Click to expand...

I can’t at this point. The car is over at the shop where it was getting an alignment done . The guy working on it said it looked like someone ran it into a ditch and they could not get that side any better than negative 2 degrees. Other side is perfect.
 
If interested I believe I have a fbody spindle out in the garage message me if you'd like
 
doogievlg said:
I can’t at this point. The car is over at the shop where it was getting an alignment done . The guy working on it said it looked like someone ran it into a ditch and they could not get that side any better than negative 2 degrees. Other side is perfect.
Click to expand...

I might be over reaching but my bat signal is flashing with that response.

is this shop familiar with older cars? Did you talk with the person that aligned it. Is it a tire store or do they do general repair?

I think the frames or an upper A-arm, or lower control arm would bend first.

I’ve bent (at different times):
  • Lower control arm
  • a steel rallye rim, dimpled up shock stud
  • broke a K-member lower control arm hole,
  • cracked frame at K-member bolts
Another time I slid off a road course track into desert brush, luckily didn’t roll, and didn’t bend anything (beat up one side of brand new headers)

NONE of those situations bent a spindle

Your’s could be bent. But I think you should ask the shop to show you where it’s bent.
 
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Yeah, they're pretty tough alright. I have seen a couple of crash bent ones, but, most of the ones I've seen bent were ones that cooked a bearing and deformed the stub. I don't know if it's caster or camber specs that the OP can't achieve, but, I would suspect strut rods, K-member, control arms, and frame rails before I suspected a spindle. We're assuming, of course, that the bushings and ball joints are all within specs.
 
autoxcuda said:
I might be over reaching but my bat signal is flashing with that response.

is this shop familiar with older cars? Did you talk with the person that aligned it. Is it a tire store or do they do general repair?

I think the frames or an upper A-arm, or lower control arm would bend first.

I’ve bent (at different times):
  • Lower control arm
  • a steel rallye rim, dimpled up shock stud
  • broke a K-member lower control arm hole,
  • cracked frame at K-member bolts
Another time I slid off a road course track into desert brush, luckily didn’t roll, and didn’t bend anything (beat up one side of brand new headers)

NONE of those situations bent a spindle

Your’s could be bent. But I think you should ask the shop to show you where it’s bent.
Click to expand...

This is a shop that specializes in frame and suspension work. If you search the threads I’ve posted on here before about my car you will see their name come up from a few different members. Old school guys that know old cars well.
 
autoxcuda said:
I might be over reaching but my bat signal is flashing with that response.

is this shop familiar with older cars? Did you talk with the person that aligned it. Is it a tire store or do they do general repair?

I think the frames or an upper A-arm, or lower control arm would bend first.

I’ve bent (at different times):
  • Lower control arm
  • a steel rallye rim, dimpled up shock stud
  • broke a K-member lower control arm hole,
  • cracked frame at K-member bolts
Another time I slid off a road course track into desert brush, luckily didn’t roll, and didn’t bend anything (beat up one side of brand new headers)

NONE of those situations bent a spindle

Your’s could be bent. But I think you should ask the shop to show you where it’s bent.
Click to expand...

I stopped by tonight and talked to one of their guys. He showed me the difference between the two sides. They cant get it any closer than -2 degrees on one side. These guys are all much older than my car and have been doing it for a long time and said everything else looks good. Would putting off set washers on one side be a stupid thing to recommend to get it better than -2?
 
autoxcuda said:
I might be over reaching but my bat signal is flashing with that response.

is this shop familiar with older cars? Did you talk with the person that aligned it. Is it a tire store or do they do general repair?

I think the frames or an upper A-arm, or lower control arm would bend first.

I’ve bent (at different times):
  • Lower control arm
  • a steel rallye rim, dimpled up shock stud
  • broke a K-member lower control arm hole,
  • cracked frame at K-member bolts
Another time I slid off a road course track into desert brush, luckily didn’t roll, and didn’t bend anything (beat up one side of brand new headers)

NONE of those situations bent a spindle

Your’s could be bent. But I think you should ask the shop to show you where it’s bent.
Click to expand...

Nevermind. Those seem to only effect caster.
 
Contact Bridger Bollinger on the FM/J site, he is in Valdese, NC. He as a bunch of FM/J bodies if your other source doesn't come through for you.
 
doogievlg said:
I stopped by tonight and talked to one of their guys. He showed me the difference between the two sides. They cant get it any closer than -2 degrees on one side. These guys are all much older than my car and have been doing it for a long time and said everything else looks good. Would putting off set washers on one side be a stupid thing to recommend to get it better than -2?
Click to expand...

you got too much negative camber. That’s the top of the tire tilted in. The washers between the spindle upright and the lower ball joint give you more negative camber. Not the direction you want to go.

You could run offset upper bushings, Moog K7103, installed the same direction on both sides in the way that pushes the UCA outward

if the spindle axle is bent in relation to the upright you brake calipers would be wearing sideways.

I’m just worried if you replace the spindle and your alignment numbers stay the same.

are you paying the shop to changeout spindle ?
 
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autoxcuda said:
you got too much negative camber. That’s the top of the tire tilted in. The washers between the spindle upright and the lower ball joint give you more negative camber. Not the direction you want to go.

You could run offset upper bushings, Moog K7103, installed the same direction on both sides in the way that pushes the UCA outward

if the spindle axle is bent in relation to the upright you brake calipers would be wearing sideways.

Is just worried if you replace the spindle and your alignment numbers stay the same.

are you paying the shop to changeout spindle ?
Click to expand...

I am. I talked to the owner today when I dropped off the new spindles and he said he knows it’s the spindle. He has been doing this for 40 years so at this point I’m just trusting him. I have only taken this car to one other shop in my 16 years of owning it so it’s difficult for me not to annoy them but the bottom line is that these guys know much more than I do about alignments so I’m putting trust in them.
 
doogievlg said:
I am. I talked to the owner today when I dropped off the new spindles and he said he knows it’s the spindle. He has been doing this for 40 years so at this point I’m just trusting him. I have only taken this car to one other shop in my 16 years of owning it so it’s difficult for me not to annoy them but the bottom line is that these guys know much more than I do about alignments so I’m putting trust in them.
Click to expand...

hey, he’s there looking at it in person. Even in pictures it would be hard to tell.

when you get that bad side off, could you post the area that it’s bent so others know what area to look out for?
 
autoxcuda said:
hey, he’s there looking at it in person. Even in pictures it would be hard to tell.

when you get that bad side off, could you post the area that it’s bent so others know what area to look out for?
Click to expand...

He taking it off so I’ll see if he can snap a picture. My guess is it’s the top tab is bent down if it’s stuck at -2 but I’ll see.
 
autoxcuda said:
hey, he’s there looking at it in person. Even in pictures it would be hard to tell.

when you get that bad side off, could you post the area that it’s bent so others know what area to look out for?
Click to expand...

Cars done. Spindle was indeed bent. Pretty wild.
 
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