Front end rebuild 1972 Duster
I took measurements of the overall width of the chassis and the UCA mounts.
9 3/8”.
Same there.
The measurements with the new bushings was 9 1/2 so I had to tap it in with a rubber mallet.
I wire wheeled the alignment cams and hardware, then smeared them with RPM paste. This stuff keeps bare metal looking fresh with no flash rust forming later.
With the alignment cams in place, do NOT tighten the hardware, just run it up until the nuts seat. If you tighten everything right now, the bushings are locked in place with the suspension in extension. You want to tighten the nuts during alignment with the car at it’s final ride height. The reason for this is because with the bolts tight at ride height, the bushings are in their neutral state. The suspension will move up and down twisting the bushings as intended. If you tighten the hardware with the suspension hanging, once you set the car back on it’s tires, the bushing is now in a twist and will wear out much faster.
With the UCA in place, I screwed in the upper ball joint.
Backing up a moment. Here is what it looks like just before stuffing it into place.
I took measurements of the overall width of the chassis and the UCA mounts.
9 3/8”.
Same there.
The measurements with the new bushings was 9 1/2 so I had to tap it in with a rubber mallet.
I wire wheeled the alignment cams and hardware, then smeared them with RPM paste. This stuff keeps bare metal looking fresh with no flash rust forming later.
With the alignment cams in place, do NOT tighten the hardware, just run it up until the nuts seat. If you tighten everything right now, the bushings are locked in place with the suspension in extension. You want to tighten the nuts during alignment with the car at it’s final ride height. The reason for this is because with the bolts tight at ride height, the bushings are in their neutral state. The suspension will move up and down twisting the bushings as intended. If you tighten the hardware with the suspension hanging, once you set the car back on it’s tires, the bushing is now in a twist and will wear out much faster.
With the UCA in place, I screwed in the upper ball joint.
Backing up a moment. Here is what it looks like just before stuffing it into place.