'55 Stude suspension - why doesn't it work?

Finished up the suspension rebuild on my '55 Studebaker coupe today (old style kingpin front end - has rubber bushings on the inside of the control arms and trunions with threaded steel bushings on the outside) - installed a new lower trunion on the pass. side, and all new rubber bushings (left the upper trunion alone as it felt tight and worked freely.) Put everything together, dropped it on the ground, and the passenger side suspension is bound up tight! Doesn't move a bit. Any ideas why that could be? My friend JP is thinking that it has to do with a slight misalignment we noticed when putting the upper and lower control arms back together at the knuckle (since I didn't replace the upper trunion, I dont think the kingpin is perfectly centered in the control arm - the driver's side went together like butter because I'd had both of those trunions apart) but I think that the rubber bushings should take that up OK. JP disconnected the shock but that isn't the problem. I'm fairly certain there's no tools left in strategic locations... I had to quit at that point because it was about 97 degrees out and the power had gone out so I didn't even have a fan blowing on me, it was damned hot. But I'm out of clues as to what to check next time I have a chance to work on it. I was really hoping to get it aligned next weekend... :/

thanks for any ideas

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel
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"Nate Nagel" wrote

Did you use the "special" spreader (if you installed new metal bushings)? They yak about it here:

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I assume this is what it looks like?

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I see you also got a bunch of replies on the Studebaker newsgroup. Probably a lot more help there.

Reply to
MasterBlaster

Yes I did spread the control arms slightly, I'm not sure what that does but I've had enough people tell me it's necessary. All of the pivots were working freely before I assembled it, anyway.

Someone mentioned the camber adjustment pinch bolt hanging up on the frame, that's the theory I'm going with, at least until the weekend when I prove myself wrong again :)

nate

Reply to
Nate Nagel

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