Gertrude Gets Total Front Leg Surgery!

[Gerald Morris]

As Promised....

I'm starting this thread now that I no longer have to haul the Babushka to & fro her job this summer. The ball joints are loose, especially on the driver side, and the driver side LCA bushing has been damaged by sundry oils too. ALL FRONT SUSPENSION EQUIPMENT ON THIS CAR IS FACTORY ORIGINAL! We've driven since October, 2021 on this old rubber and steel, and Trudy walks a good straight line, though now she veers left badly on braking. That's bad enough to warrant replacing her suspension, and THIS time, I KNEW WHAT TO GET AND HAD TIME TO GET IT! Also, I have extra parts from Mathilda and elsewhere, which I've prepared before parking Trudy for The Job. Our sole Family priority tomorrow morning will be getting my baby daughter her little birthday goodies for her Big Second Birthday!!! After that, Trudy gets in the air for a week or so.

So, I prepared what I could, and have nearly finished with THAT. I still need to take Trudy to the car wash for a careful engine compartment washing session, then roll her straight home and onto the ramps in the rear, jackstands up front. Even though I plan to work mostly early morning and nights, I thank the Lord I have a GOOD awning up, just to reduce heat absorption in ground and car. Re-radiated heat still makes one SWEAT.

While a sidewall split on my right front tire, rudely interrupting my engine build, I felt and HEARD plenty loose, new rattling from mostly the front left, and to a lesser degree the right front wheels while I replaced both front tires. I'd noticed a gradual decay in the handling the winter past, which worsened severely this April. No more 90 mph runs on I-10 or 19 until this job is DONE. I might re-shoe the brakes too, while I'm into this, but will first look them over carefully. Still, better SAFE than SORRY here. Brakes usually are the very first thing I do when I buy any car, with good past reasons. Anyway, I easily enough removed the old LCA bushing from the extra left LCA I had from Mathilda, easily pressing a nice new McQuay-Norris bushing in. Prior burnishing both LCA and bushing shell itself helps plenty with this.

I polish out the upper control arms a bit, then brushed and grit pad buffed them shiny before triple coating them with primer, which suffices for me under the hood. I had to recycle the right upper from Tilly if I wanted to have one prepped before disassembling Trudy. Turned out I had to take that one down to bare metal again too. I likely will crank in the ball joint tonight. I made damned SURE I had a GOOD 125 ft-#s of torque on the left one, using my nice long torque ratchet with some extra extensions to help that job.

Both upper control arms will be ALL Moog, using their extra eccentric upper bushings.

That yellow-white grease oozing from the zerk is INDEED Lubriplate too, BTW. Folks can still get Lubriplate greases from industrial suppliers. The better sorts of Timken bearings also can still be so obtained. THAT for later....

OK, got nice stuff, now to start taking the old stuff OFF. Will be back in a few days...

 

[Gerald Morris]

Oh, before I go to bed:

I was APPALLED to learn today that some poor souls resort to cutting the dinky little swaybar links to expedite replacing the bushings. So, I again broke open a couple out of their sealed bags, inserted them into the links earlier, and then, soaked the link bushings in WARM (145 F) water before using Dawn detergent and a rubber mallet to tap them onto the swaybar. This is Procedure folks. Mild soaps lubricate butyl rubber sans harming it. DON'T use OILS for this. It took about 10 minutes per link to do this.

Good Night!

 

[edbods]

I was APPALLED to learn today that some poor souls resort to cutting the dinky little swaybar links

omg he's talking about me! I feel special.
In all seriousness I think you're overthinking it a bit. In my other thread about drilling out holes in the brackets, it was just the bit that holds the rubber in place, and only enough to exactly fit an M8 bolt through it, nothing more, nothing less. You mentioned a concern being lateral forces against the bolts, but if something is pushing the sway bars side-to-side by THAT much (assuming the bar just doesn't slip around through the bushings to begin with), there's much, much bigger problems to worry about.
Quite a few of us down under have done such a modification with no real issues. Although in your defense, these guys just go for nice sunday drives, whereas I do plan to throw mine up and down mountain roads, and also take it to the local track circuit one day.

Anyway, how hard was it to tighten the upper ball joint onto the arm? In my case I ended up just using the impact and rattling it on as far as it'd go, then finally tightening with a torque wrench to a minimum of 125 ft-lb as per the FSM. Although it definitely wasn't needed, the impact dished out a lot more force than I ever could with a breaker bar. and no it definitely wasn't cross-threaded, I screwed it on by hand as far as I could before it became impossible.

 

[Gerald Morris]

omg he's talking about me! I feel special.
In all seriousness I think you're overthinking it a bit. In my other thread about drilling out holes in the brackets, it was just the bit that holds the rubber in place, and only enough to exactly fit an M8 bolt through it, nothing more, nothing less. You mentioned a concern being lateral forces against the bolts, but if something is pushing the sway bars side-to-side by THAT much (assuming the bar just doesn't slip around through the bushings to begin with), there's much, much bigger problems to worry about.
Quite a few of us down under have done such a modification with no real issues. Although in your defense, these guys just go for nice sunday drives, whereas I do plan to throw mine up and down mountain roads, and also take it to the local track circuit one day.

You ARE SPECIAL Br'er edbods! I'm picky about brakes and suspension because I drive my car just about daily, as The Family Car. I haul my children and wife in it, and thus try to be as safety conscious as possible with Old Gertrude. One of my First Rules of Safety is: Never rely on anything too complicated to maintain well. That's why I shop for the stuff from the 1960s as much as possible, and love Mopar above all the others. When our first baby came, 10 yrs ago now, I started looking at old Mercury and Chrysler stuff, because while I got spoiled to the ease of working on Mopar C ody cars from my previous '66 New Yorker, old Mercs had pretty solid steel in them too. We were blessed to find that '66 Newport, though it proved to be FAR too rust raddled to be truly safe!

Anyway, how hard was it to tighten the upper ball joint onto the arm? In my case I ended up just using the impact and rattling it on as far as it'd go, then finally tightening with a torque wrench to a minimum of 125 ft-lb as per the FSM. Although it definitely wasn't needed, the impact dished out a lot more force than I ever could with a breaker bar. and no it definitely wasn't cross-threaded, I screwed it on by hand as far as I could before it became impossible.

I too used my rattle-gun after starting the threads in by hand. I'd hit it for a turn or 2, squirt a little more penetrating oil onto the threads, then hit it again. When I got the thing down to where thread wasn't visible any longer, I then got my long torque ratchet, a 4 ft cheater pipe to slide over it, and made damned sure both of those were snugged down to at least the 125 ft-lbs specified In Ye Manual of Field Service. I use my pipe bender handle through the holes for the bushings to anchor the CA in the plane perpendicular to the torque, and give the final CLICK parallel to that.

Both of the control arms, the ball joint socket and ball joint all heated up enough to warrant leather gloves by the time that chore was finished. Good Sign! Work was done, and heat is a by-product of that. So long as not abused, impact wrenches can save one a good bit of time on some of the high torque screwing necessary to properly assemble machines. I also use a Snap-on pneumatic ratchet for lighter torque stuff, once I'm sure of the threads.

I would love to be able to machine my own sway-bar links, and beef up those brackets on the K-frame too! I know from experience that while the stock stuff looks under-size, when those rubbers deteriorate, you can sure as **** tell by how that front end starts drifting on the freeway. A good pair of shocks and new sway-bar rubbers are an effective, cheap Band-Aid until you can properly overhaul the front suspension. That's exactly what I used on this car, and it bought us 3 good years of use until the more substantial stuff wore down to the point beyond which I dare NOT ignore it. Today, I put Gertrude on the jacks.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

Got Trudi up on jackstands and ramps in rear. Inventoried my parts, pulled out good pair of strut rod bushings sold by Mevotech. These ARE HARD rubber, but at least it was cast in this country.

I reckon the actual company that cast these bushings is the one named on the face. No slit in these, and that's standard for Mevotech strut rod bushings, unlike Moog. Alas, these daze, LOTS of Moog products are Moog-gu-gai-pin! Glad I shopped for NOS stuff from that outfit.

Notice some nasty business with my front brake shoes! The front shoes of the front wheels have worn OUT in their middles! Will replace these when I put it all back together. These are NOS mesothelioma shoes too, oft touted by a Certain Person who pops into threads when the prospective odor of profit arises. I didn't buy from THAT source, but got the same stuff, enough to last us a couple decades. I vacuum up the dust and bag it ASAP any time I open the front wheels.....

This wear is very recent, as is the deterioration of the left LCA bushing which finally compelled this job. The lower ball joints likewise are VERY loose! I was able to stick the flat blade of a screwdriver into the left one this morning, confirming to my satisfaction that its worn beyond spec.....

No doubt whatsoever all this Old Steel is Factory Original! Check out the yellow paint still visible on the end of the left strut rod here:

and the steering link end of the lower ball joint! Decades of rat-**** chemically bonded to grease and AZ caliche dust protected these last vestiges of what came from MOtor-PARts Division, to make a Chrysler Newport, circa Feb, 1968.

The left links and rod all look original also.

Anyway, the noon sun here is too fierce for this Son of Erin. Siesta time!

 

[Gerald Morris]

Friday, 05-30-2025, 1410 MST: Work preceding with ABSURD EASE, excepting only cleaning the FILTHY OLD PARTS when necessary for painting and/or installation. Paint preparation takes 90% of my time on this job, but I shan't cheat myself on this; parts last longer when protected from oxidation. Possession of good tools and EXPERIENCE account for much of the relative ease this job has compared to the two preceding ones, with a car in MUCH BETTER condition being a third blessing on this job. Still, having a 2 yr old toddler under foot or dragging at my overalls and the near tropical solar intensity of afternoons this time of year both impede the work a great deal. I WANTED to do this job this past winter, but circumstances didn't permit it then.

Anyway, with one worthy exception, all my tools now are professional, vintage manufactured tools for the task. The sole remaining exception I'll keep, as it actually is clearly superior to what gets sold on the Net these daze; my torsion bar remover:

GOOD, solid OAK blocks, cut from heavy forklift skids, now 9 yrs since cutting and well fitted for the standard 7/8" torsion bars common to 1960-70s MoPar.

The right angle cuts measure 1/2" per side, making a vertex at 1/(2)^1.5 inches depth, which allows for much surface contact between hardwood and steel rod. The big 6" C clamp provides plenty pressure on the blocks to hold them exactly where placed without marring the torsion bar. I only struck the blocks 6 times to move the torsion bar back plenty far enough to easily remove the LCA, as can be seen here:

I'm sure these bars haven't been moved since factory assembly. The old rubber balloon boots in front of the cross-member are whole, though aged. I have new replacements from Detroit Muscle Tech, which I probably will use. The packing grease was CLEAN, though old. I will only supplement it with some Lubriplate bearing grease which I have for these cars. What's in there is good. The rear of the bars requires just a little cleaning before removing the spring retainer. Remarkable!

The pittmann arm shaft seal had ENTIRELY DISINTEGRATED on the steering gear-box which came with the car. The arm itself was the ONLY remaining retainer of power steering fluid in that region of the gearbox. I'll take a pic of this without the pittmann arm in place this evening, having easily pulled it off just before noon today. I'm amazed as much fluid stayed IN the system, given the severity of this absence. Small wonder that both nut and arm came off easily, being superbly coated with and lubricated by fresh power steering fluid. Be this as it is, I seldom needed to add more than 1 fl oz weekly to keep the reservoir topped up. BUT, this sufficed to dissolve the LCA bushing very badly, compelling me to do this job now.

Hydraulic oil leaks simply can't be neglected in front of the control arms on MoPars! This is the THIRD rotten left LCA bushing I've had to replace since 2016. I knew this would come when we put this car on the street, and only waited as long as I have because ALL the suspension rubber is OLD on this machine, and warranted replacement the day I signed the title. I'm going to gamble on the steering gear-box I had bought for Mathilda, which worked perfectly without losing a drop of fluid while in that machine. I've had no leaks while storing it, and notice there remains fluid in it, as I deemed best. Thus I hope the seals will not have dried out with it being near full of what was clean, fresh PS fluid when that wreck occurred. I had but to scrub a surface patina of rust and more DUST from the storage locker off this unit to prepare for installation this evening.

I need to replace the return line fitting for the 5/8" one currently in use. I LIKE the larger return lines, and have a good line filter sized for them, as well as a fluid cooler which I still hope to install, perhaps this summer even! Once this necessary diversion from suspension gets completed, I will begin replacing the upper control arm on the left side, then the lower, then the steering links will be assembled for both sides, although the right won't be installed until I remove the old stuff from it.

I used one of those Milwaukee "paint pens*" to mark out exactly the boundaries of the cam bolts on both UCAs. Since there are no defects in the frame of THIS Newport, I expect little trouble with getting the new bushings set within the bounds of the old. I will strive to keep camber, caster and toe-in all within spec, and as close to what the car has driven so well with for so long.

Again ALL the ball joints are worn WELL beyond spec, and while the car steered and drove straight enough until the left LCA bushing rotted dangerously, the car would drift at highway speed these past 6 months, more than I liked. Its a Tribute to Old Mopar that this car WAS driveable 57 years after it rolled out the assembly plant, with ALL ORIGINAL PARTS!

*I'm not too impressed with these GADGETS, which Milwaukee Tools of my youth would NEVER have put their then Good Name on! When forced to purchase any modern power tool, meaning cordless, I shop for DeWalt, and the Made in U.S.A. stuff at that. Again, I'm hardly a modern MAGA-ot-Paytriotard, but in solidarity with my working comrades everywhere, I buy American made tools for GOOD QUALITY WHICH COMES FROM (relatively) FREE PEOPLE!!! Slaves produce only ****, and it shows. I don't BLAME THEM, but I won't subsidize any slave system either.

 

[Gerald Morris]

MAJOR-UPDATE! Got ALL the front left suspension and steering stuff installed, though not yet adjusted! Everything going together smooth and easy. Happy to see these old NOS American made parts all going together so perfectly on a vehicle they were MADE for. Despite weather and toddler, Gertrude's getting some good front legs under her.

Everyone can't have one of THESE 20 ton presses, but I suppose a pre-tariff one can still be found for a couple C-notes. I'll keep this 80 yr old one all the same. The pivot shafts on this car are in MUCH better condition than what we had in our '66. One small difference; Mopar decided to drop the cotter pins on these in favor of longer threading the front portion of the shaft. Given that 150 ft-lbs of torque are required to keep these in place, I think that change worked for the better. I have one of the pair from the older car, but the threads are badly eroded, and my die is also, so I shall keep that one for shop duty only....

I wrestled the upper control arm into its slots on the K frame with just a little less ease than I cared for, due to the ferrules on these Moog extra-eccentric bushings. Be that as 'twas, I got it in, with the cams on their marks. I expect there will be a bit more positive camber on the tires when I put it back on the ground, though I pray not too much.

This car drove beautifully on the settings it had, which enhances my desire to keep it on them. Unfortunately, until I set the car down, I can't predict with any great certainty if it will still walk straight, or bow-legged. At least I can turn the cams back in a little should the latter be so. The eccentricity of these is 2.25 degrees, twice the OE spec. Caster looks the same, as far as how the spindle hangs down in the air anyway. (AFTER the knuckle is bolted onto the lower ball joint mind you!)

I delight in using NOS parts when I can get them at REASONABLE cost. This TRW LBJ ran me $75 3 yrs ago, and now will at long last serve its purpose, having waited from December, 1977 to do so.

I have a tie rod end to match it, BTW.

FWIW, I have another tub of the same grease, made some decades later, but I like having a steel can to re-seal when I'm not into the stuff. I repacked my bearings with this, as well as the torsion bar, exactly as the authors of the FSM specified. I pumped the new ball joints and tie rod ends full of Lubriplate also, having ordered their stuff some years back.

Even the chore of protecting the torsion bar in its crossmember socket has been seen to this time. My specialty tool for sliding the new rubber balloon over the hexagonal end of the torsion bar consists of a cut down length of 1.0 inch SCH 40 electrical PVC conduit with the coupling end spread to fit at the end of the torsion bar. One then must heat a bit of water to ~190 F, allow the balloon to soften in this for about 5 minutes, soap the PVC spreader and the inside of the balloon, while GREASING the end of the torsion bar, then sliding the balloon orifice up to the edge of the PVC, matching this to the torsion bar end, then slide it right onto the torsion bar! With this done, quickly slide the balloon down the bar to permit the rubber to contract to the 7/8" i.d. it requires to seal the torsion bar at the crossmember. The bar should be CLEAN also.

The tie-rod came last, with the ends as earlier mentioned:

I must continue my conclusion of the front left suspension upgrade/restoration in the next posting, having reached the server's 10 pic ceiling in this posting.

 

[Gerald Morris]

MUCH has occurred since my last entry here. I completed the re-assembly of the front suspension, using initially the old cam bolt settings and tie rod dimensions as a starting point. As mentioned in my "Catastrophic..." thread, this proved exceedingly detrimental to the aged factory rim on the front left, though, miraculously, noBODY, living or steel suffered as a consequence of my extreme folly. The curious might read the "Catastrophic..." thread for details.

Having acquired additional tools for measuring camber and toe-in, I will do all I can to perfect the front end wheel alignment on the new suspension system I've built from almost exclusively NOS U.S. made parts. I rather hope and pray this proves to be a short, monotonous Coda to this thread, reporting something like, "And the Morris Clan of Barrio Emery Park cruised happily Onward in their beloved Gertrude, safe and secure with good front suspension and steering worthy of Old Mopar...." We shall see.

 

[Gerald Morris]

Happy News! Took Gertrude out for a test run this early morning, and she rides and steers par excellence! I'll put her back on that precious level concrete slab to get good numbers regarding her ride height, camber and toe-in, which I set yesterday in the air at 1/8", but I believe she's going to drive very well now, with numbers giving weight to this belief. I saw that camber looked a good deal more positive with her weight back on her, and her handling indicates the same. She stays true when aimed straight, sans any sneaky pull one way or the other now, and turns nice also. No noise can be heard save the quiet hum of the drivetrain.

I'm glad I bought that cheap chinese angle steel for measuring toe-in. The way they INSTRUCT users amounts to utter waste of effort, but I knew that when I bought the stuff. I used their crap along with my own squares, levels, rulers and measuring tapes, as well as some extra 1/2" - 20 all thread and rod couplings in order to create some fairly accurate guides. FWIW, their cheap angle steel isn't even SQUARE, but that didn't matter once I got things together as I had planned.

Here's the left front wheel with my much-improved toe-in guide:

And now for the right:

I had already conceived of something VERY similar to this, using angle aluminum, which I'd considered purchasing from our local metal yard. I then would've been obliged to precisely drill and cut it for the purpose of making a good pair of toe guides to screw onto my studs in the exact same fashion I used with this cheap shiny sino-iron, which they managed to at least slot well enough to permit me to center and level the wheels. Using large flat washers behind the guide and then held firmly in position by some extra lugnuts kept the back side of the metal perpendicular to the stud, thus parallel to the plane of the hub/tire. I adjusted my tie rods to exactly the same lengths, got my 1/8" toe-in, then rotated the guides 90 degrees to vertical and checked camber. I concede that this doesn't accurately yield the true camber, which MUST be done with the weight of the car fully on the suspension, but it gives one an idea of whether or not it will at least lean in or out. I wanted OUT, and got it. I'll try for numbers later this week, if I get a little time on that slab. I'm not the only user of that, BTW....