Hi Rick,
I'm working my way through this exercise right now, and it's been ... uh ...
educational, yeah, that's it. I'm rebuilding a set of Alpine control arms,
which allows me to keep the Tiger together until the new stuff is ready to
go. I'm using SS ball joints, and Doug Jennings' Delrin bushings and fulcrum
pins.
Sources:
You can get ball joints and neoprene bushings (these are a new item) from
Rick at Sunbeam Specialties.
You can get ball joints, Delrin bushings, and 4130 replacement lower fulcrum
pins from Doug Jennings at Tiger Auto Service.
Curt at Classic Sunbeam probably also carries bushings and balljoints, but I
don't know what flavor.
Dale A has replacement lower fulcrum pins as well as lower control arm
assemblies available.
None of the above require club membership. CAT may have NOS and replacement
parts as well, but you have to be a member.
Recommendations:
While I was pressing the new (upper) balljoints in I popped the steel ring
that retains the balljoint off of the control arm. The recommended fix is:
BEFORE you remove the old balljoint, get someone with a MIG or TIG welder to
put a few weld stitches around the perimeter of the steel ring. If you do it
with the balljoint out, then any distortion in the ring may prevent you from
being able to press the balljoint in.
Someone also recommended that you do a few reinforcement welds around the
steel bushings that hold the rubber bushings in. I did this, and as a result
the Delrin bushings I'm trying to install don't fit anymore (they were a
perfect fit before). Any suggestions? I haven't done the lower control arms
yet, and while I think that putting a few tack welds there has a lot of
merit, I don't want to compromise the fit of the bushings.
Good luck,
Theo Smit
-----Original Message-----
From: rhoefle@ctlinc.com [mailto:rhoefle@ctlinc.com]
Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2000 11:51 AM
To: tigers@autox.team.net
Subject: A-Arm Bushings and Ball Joints
Sorry gang, but I missed any recent discussions about A-arm bushings and
ball joints, but I need both (plus front shocks, if anyone cares to comment
on that issue too).
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