Valiant Lancer steering strut bushings?

[LancerDave]

Wanting to replace the steering strut rubber bushings on my 1961 Lancer 770 4-door, all stock condition. This is the strut from the bottom of the lower control arm through the K-member.

The question I have is the replacement parts from Kanter (and Moog, etc) appear to be a small conical bushing, just one per side, and consistent with the image in the Service Manual. Mine however are the larger two-piece construction with large concave washers and 7/8" hex nut, more like what is seen on most larger American cars, including the 1960-64 Dart, Polara, Seneca, etc.

Was there a mid-year change in 1960-61 as the Lancer came alongside the Valiant? The LCA and knuckle and brakes, etc., appear to be the originals. What am I missing.

Thanks from NC, David.

 

[BillGrissom]

The 2-piece one is the "improved design". I don't know that it was ever a factory product. Best is the model with polyurethane bushings (last forever). You can buy at rockauto or Autozone for ~$30/set. I once put the 1-piece type in my 69 Dart (came in PST front end kit). A pain to install and doesn't take long for the metal frame to cut into the rubber.

It looks like your cupped washer is on wrong. It should bow away from the rubber, which seems counter-intuitive. Some washers have "this side away from rubber" stamped on them. While the LCA is off, consider replacing the bushing. A cheap part. Not easy, but several posts w/ photos. Much easier if you have a shop press. And sand and paint those parts while off. Those photos of eastern cars make us west coast guys cringe. Yours looks pretty good for NC.

 

[LancerDave]

Thanks Bill for the reply. Ordered the MOOG K7040 kit as it also listed it as an alternative for the 61-62 Lancer so we'll see how it works.

Indeed, the heavy washers the kit comes with are embossed with "this side to rubber" on the convex side.

While I have all the bushings, tie-rod ends and such from Kanter, I was really hoping to avoid doing the control arms this year.....was just waiting for upholstery and bumper replating to be finished and get back to driving by February!

D

 

[WhyteRoots]

DAVE, these early cars do look sharp in black! I've only seen a couple of Lancers (I'm Canadian, eh?) and I've got to admit I still prefer the Valiants of this vintage. There's something about that wide mouth look - a bit Mercedes-Benz, a bit Studebaker Hawk.

Where does the 770 fit in the Lancer pecking order? I guess that determines what kind of upholstery you're having done - all vinyl or cloth and vinyl.

Just today, I heard about a free-for-the-taking '62 Signet. Rusty and missing the engine but otherwise complete. When I called, though, the Original Owner! had already promised it to someone else, who's supposed to be coming by this weekend. Starting 8:00 Saturday morning, I'm going to be calling every hour, just in case this other lucky SOB doesn't follow through. ~Rob

just waiting for upholstery and bumper replating to be finished and get back to driving by February!

 

[LancerDave]

Would have loved a Valiant in this 1st generation as well - this Lancer luckily came up for auction last year. What I loved about it is that it has the 170 (not 225) and has the one-year only 3-spd on the floor. In 62 it moved up to the column, and in 63 - well, there wasn't another Lancer until 1985....

There were just two series of the Lancer, the 770 and the base 170 (similar to the 200 and 100 series for Valiant later on) as well as the "Suburban" wagon. Two-door and four-doors for each series. True enough, the 770 got the better upholstery which featured a rectangular-stitch nylon insert using the same knitted nylon as ladies' gloves (so says the ad copy). It has given way after the 65,000 original miles and I'm maintaining the OEM silver and pearl white vinyl (code 231) and having a shop insert a black 58 Buick brocade. It'll look sharp I think.

Nice to hear from a fellow Canadian - from Vancouver originally but loving living in the Carolinas......

 

[WhyteRoots]

I like the idea of a 3-speed in these cars but, like you, a column shift doesn't thrill me. A TorqueFlite is a great automatic, though, and I'd be happy with that, especially with the cool pushbuttons.

Curious: what do you like about the 170 vs. a more powerful (well, that's a relative term) 225?

By the way, I have a '57 Buick, for which I just bought the brocade seat fabric. Blue, though. ~Rob

What I loved about it is that it has the 170 (not 225) and has the one-year only 3-spd on the floor. In 62 it moved up to the column

 

[pishta]

I would consider the 170 in a manual, but never in an auto. The 225 was almost a 40 increase in both HP and torque with almost no external difference, san a short head water hose. Was that a Mopar 3 sp or that French one in 61?

 

[LancerDave]

Hmmmm....didn't know there was a French unit at that time - this one has the A903 out of Hamtramck that I know of.

 

[LancerDave]

I like the idea of a 3-speed in these cars but, like you, a column shift doesn't thrill me. A TorqueFlite is a great automatic, though, and I'd be happy with that, especially with the cool pushbuttons.

Curious: what do you like about the 170 vs. a more powerful (well, that's a relative term) 225?

By the way, I have a '57 Buick, for which I just bought the brocade seat fabric. Blue, though. ~Rob

Why the 170? - with this odd plain jane car and wonderful Exner styling, I appreciated that it had the lowest of the low in terms of options: rubber flooring, radio delete, etc.

I have always admired cars that stayed below the popularity line - if anyone has a 50-66 Nash/Rambler wagon they know of, I'd be interested one day.......

 

[LancerDave]

The 2-piece one is the "improved design". I don't know that it was ever a factory product. Best is the model with polyurethane bushings (last forever). You can buy at rockauto or Autozone for ~$30/set. I once put the 1-piece type in my 69 Dart (came in PST front end kit). A pain to install and doesn't take long for the metal frame to cut into the rubber.

It looks like your cupped washer is on wrong. It should bow away from the rubber, which seems counter-intuitive. Some washers have "this side away from rubber" stamped on them. While the LCA is off, consider replacing the bushing. A cheap part. Not easy, but several posts w/ photos. Much easier if you have a shop press. And sand and paint those parts while off. Those photos of eastern cars make us west coast guys cringe. Yours looks pretty good for NC.

Finally got the crud off to see the part number - 2071167. Sure enough on the part number guide on "mymopar.com" it comes up as a true part and later referenced as 2071443 as a strut bush all the way from 60 to 72.

What Kanter and JC Whitney and others shows as the only bushing available being that conical one with the groove is simply not the case.

Thanks everyone for the input. I'll let you know how the Moog parts work next week.

David in NC.

 

[WhyteRoots]

Yeah, I get that Back To Basics thing, although I'm more of a top-of-the-line, loaded to the gunwales kind of car guy. Not that even a flashy Signet fits that description - my Roadmaster fills my need for excess.

Those early Rambler rolltops and 2-door wagons are cute as buttons. They're often well equipped, though, because they were initially marketed as second cars for prosperous postwar families. ~Rob

Why the 170? - with this odd plain jane car and wonderful Exner styling, I appreciated that it had the lowest of the low in terms of options: rubber flooring, radio delete, etc.

 

[LancerDave]

The new and original strut bushings are shown here, for those interested in this ridiculously mundane part in a mundane car......

The original part was tapered at the rearmost end so that it could be twisted through the K-member from the front. It is clearly smaller than the later 2-piece upgrade. Therefore, to get the strut-to-LCA bolts to pass through, the extra length of the bushing needs to be taken up as compression which took a fair amount of torque (85% of the final 40-60 ftlbs recommended). They look great and should have a positive effect on caster control when braking.

Regards, David

 

[AussiePlymouths]

Thanks for an interesting thread

 

[valiantpatrol]

You made the right choice in buying the Moog K-7040 bushings. The absolute best replacement in rubber out there.