Ball joint front end urethane bushing issue

Hi,

I bought a new adjustable beam (ball joint) from CB Performance, and decided to try urethane bushings when I realized how much slop there was between my trailing arms and the needle bearings and/or mica bushings (and no, the arms are not excessively worn.)

As with most after market stuff I have tried in the last year, I hit a road block during the install. The top tube bushings are (1) piece, so there was no problem with them.

The bottom tube uses (2) piece units on each side. The problem occurred with the inner bushing on each side of the beam. There is an interference fit between the trailing arm and the inner bushing. I dry- fit the inner bushings onto the trailing arm before assembly, and all was well. But after inner bushing is in place, the arm stops dead when the tapered edge of the arm comes in contact with the smaller inner diameter of the bushing (these are Bugpack bushings, BTW.)

My conclusion was the outer diameter of the inner bushing was out of tolerance, and when the bushing was inserted into the tube, the bushing's inner diameter was squeezed down. I am to the point where I will re-install a new set of shitty mica's just to done with the job....

If I install mica inners and urethane outers, will I create another problem since the mica was intended to work with the outer needle bearing?

Has anyone had this problem? Is anyone else out there as fed up with VW after market parts as I am?????

Tom

Reply to
Tom Jordan
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Using the urethane bushings assumes you have removed the inner bushing. Most people just use a drift punch and smack the inner bushing into center of the tube where it will lay suspended in grease. Doing no good, but also doing no harm.

The urethane inner bushing then gets installed in its place. I just left the inner bushing alone and replaced the outer ones, where most of the wear and sloppiness occurs.

Reply to
Alan Nelson

I AM I AM!!!

I don't know if this will help too much but I know some guys have a similair problem with the bushings when fitting them into "Warrior" beams (widened beams for offroad). There is a fitment problem with the bushings on them, instead of someone making a proper bushing (haw hard can that actually be?) you usually have to either machine it down or hand fit it via sandpaper and time at the bench.

Good luck, I've been avoiding the inevitable of replacing those for quite some time. But I have a beam here under the bench that will be going under the knife (or should I say torch) soon to get modified for the baja so I'm gonna have to break down and do it :( Mark Detro Englewood, FL

Reply to
Mark Detro

Any chance of posting a play-by-play of the beam build up? I'm finishing the building of a (crappy) Baja sson and need to raise the front end up. Are you welding in adjusters? Never found anything on the internet about that.

Thanks.....

Mac

Reply to
Mac

I probably will, I run 3" lifted spindles so I really don't need more than that. I am planning on reworking the shock towers though.

There used to be a somewhat detailed site on this subject, I'll see if I can dig it up. Mark Detro Englewood, FL

Reply to
Mark Detro

I appreciate that..... is Englewwod anywhere on the panhandle? I'm located in Crestview.......

Mac

Reply to
Mac

No, we're the south end of Sarasota County, right on the Gulf. Mark Detro Englewood, FL

Reply to
Mark Detro

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