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521 Upper control arm bushings?


d.p

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I was just wondering why you needed the center link bar when you can just buy the ends... but for the price why not get all 3 parts....

And theres is No reason it shouldn't work....

The only thing I want to point out is it says it's good for the 620 and 521... as Charlie I believe pointed out the 620 should be a metric bar while the 521 is sae....

Again not a big deal because you have a complete matched set... but if you ever needed just the ends you may have to get them for a 620 next time... just something to keep in mind... plus I would keep your old bar just incase you got replacement ends that were sae next time....

 

I don't...but the center link with ends is cheaper than just the ends by themselves.  

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  • 1 month later...

Anyone got a trick to getting a stuck tie rod off?  my drivers side is pretty well seized, tried banging with a hammer and panther piss to no avail.  Passenger side came off with no much effort but it looks like that one was replaced at some point.  Center link came out easy too but the drivers side a different story altogether.  

 

UPDATE:  I got the end towards the hub off but the steering column/knuckle side will not budge even with pickle forks.  Bitch to get it from underneath as well.  Someone got to have a tip to get this fucker out.   

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I had the screw type fork separater. and it separated with a BANG.

I believe that... I had a couple also that needed some extra persuasion...

If my 5lbs sledge don't work I grab the 25lbs.... usually does the trick.... but a bitch to swing....

 

DP you could probably rent the tool hainz mentioned from AutoZone if the pickle fork doesn't work....

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Went and bought a blow torch...heated it up, hit with the PB blaster and it popped out.  About to reinstall all the new parts which brings me to my next question, how much grease do I fill this shit up with?  Idler arm, tie rods...Pump it till it overflows? 

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I always use a sledge hammer, but I also hammer around the edge where the shaft is first, same with the ball joints into the spindle.

What is really hard is getting the Pittman arm off the steering gear shaft it is mounted on, that is a bitch, and if you ever have a reason to remove it, when it lets loose do not be in the way.

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Probably easier to remove the whole steering box and then remove the pitman. I’ve always used the ball joint separators on them and they pop once you heat it up.

 

On roadsters, even the idler side has to be rebuilt. These trucks are nice since they have a cheap idler that can just be trashed and replaced with a whole new one.

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All buttoned back up.

 

New tie rods, center link and idler arm.  Only ran into a couple problems and that was the drivers side tie rod not wanting to let go.  The other was finding the right thread zerk fittings because the tie rods only came with 3 and the one that came with the idler arm didn't fit.  Other than that wasn't too bad.  Just eyeballed new the center link with my old one.  Is there a market for used 521 center link?  Was going to trash all the shit I took off.  

 

Steering is much tighter and less vibration between 55-60 which I had a fair amount of before.  

 

Tried to take some before or after pics but got lazy and just took this one after the fact.

 

40154393954_b476e7f553_z.jpg

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  • 2 months later...

Bumping this....Got a terrible squeak from the drivers side and it turns out its coming from the UCA bushings.  I took them out, put them back in and the sound went away.  I had replacement MOOG ones so fuck it might as well replace them but I can't get both in.  Too wide with 2 new bushings....  In the end I just replaced one of them.  

 

Using these: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=203845&cc=1212321&jsn=351&jsn=351

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It’s a tight fit. A REAL tight fit.

 

I used a c-clamp and smushed them in as far as they would go. Since they’re rubber, they relax and come back out a little bit. I then took a large flat screwdriver and used it as a pry bar to get the upper control arms over them. Once they’re close, the upper bolt squeezes them nicely back in.

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Bumping this....Got a terrible squeak from the drivers side and it turns out its coming from the UCA bushings.  I took them out, put them back in and the sound went away.  I had replacement MOOG ones so fuck it might as well replace them but I can't get both in.  Too wide with 2 new bushings....  In the end I just replaced one of them.  

 

Using these: https://www.rockauto.com/en/moreinfo.php?pk=203845&cc=1212321&jsn=351&jsn=351

 

They were squeaking with stock rubber bushings?  Rubber dampens vibration, so I would suspect that you had metal on metal movement.  Are the pivots on the cross shaft(frame end of the UCA) greased?  Is the bolt on the out UCA bushing tight enough to keep the inside metal sleeve from slipping?  Were you able to locate the noise with the tire off so you could tell exactly where it came from?

 

When putting in the new ones....I've never had a set that tight.  Did you clean the inside of the hole in the dogbone?  The old bushings can deteriorate and leave a lot of build up......maybe your hole is too small because of it.  You can also try putting dish soap on the outside of the bushings. It will lube them, but it evaporates or washes away without harming the rubber.

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I got them in using a large screwdriver and some force.  New ones look to be a different design then the old ones or the old ones were so far gone that they looked different.  Old ones looked they had a lip that sat against the hub arm where as the new ones are tapered.  It was definitely them, the ends had deteriorated enough to expose that metal tube on the inside which I can only assume was rubbing against the dog bone.   

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I do.

Found them. Buuuuut I already ordered another set of the moog for $3 from Amazon. Will probably just get yours anyways and stock pile them with the all the other shit I have.

 

Weren’t you working on a ball and joint for 521? Or something to do away with the kingpins?

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Found them. Buuuuut I already ordered another set of the moog for $3 from Amazon. Will probably just get yours anyways and stock pile them with the all the other shit I have.

 

Weren’t you working on a ball and joint for 521? Or something to do away with the kingpins?

 

I've got a bunch of youtube vids about the ball joint mod.  I've done a handful of sets.  They're typically custom orders.  I don't do them enough to put them on my site.  Sooner or later, 2-3 guys just have to have them, so they put down 50% deposits and I start working on them.  I don't particularly enjoy doing them, so I don't promote them. lol

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Ok, reason I want to replace is because I still get slight vibration at speed (60-65).  Changed wheels and tires which helped a fair amount but its still there.  

 

Looking around the suspension parts for wear and these were the worst of what I could see with my naked eye.  

I wish mine would do 65 MPH

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