Hello, I'm looking for help diagnosing and/or troubleshooting a possible issue I observed with the front suspension on my 1960 while I was doing a brake job.
I noticed that there is some radial movement in the upper control arm pivot pin and bushings on the passenger side. I have an ST-12 and think that Figure 23 is the pertinent drawing of the suspension component I'm dealing with. When grabbing onto the brake drum/backing plate (with the wheels off, lower control arms resting on jack stands), and pushing inward/outward as if checking for play in the front wheel bearings, the pivot pin appears to toggle back and forth within the bushings. The bushings appear tight within the upper control arm. The steering knuckle moves with the pivot pin, so I think the clamp bolt is tight. The driver's side seems OK so I guess this is not normal.
With the tires on and the car parked on the ground the front wheel is not visibly out of alignment. There is no abnormal wear on the tire(s) - I don't drive the car much and haven't purposely rotated the 14-year old tires (maybe driven the car 10,000 miles in that time).
I have never rebuilt or done any work to the front suspension on my car, and to my knowledge it has never been apart, so with the age and mileage (~150,000 mi) on the car there are probably several worn out front suspension components. A few questions I'm looking to have answered:
1. Does this indicate the bushings are worn out?
2. Is there a problem with the pivot pin, such as a sheared pin? (I don't think so, but it's possible.)
3. Is this something I can adjust/tighten?
4. Is this a safety issue, such that I shouldn't drive the car until this problem is fixed?
5. Does it sound like I need to get a pivot shaft kit to fix the problem?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Michael Tess
NCRS #38092
Ferndale, MI
I noticed that there is some radial movement in the upper control arm pivot pin and bushings on the passenger side. I have an ST-12 and think that Figure 23 is the pertinent drawing of the suspension component I'm dealing with. When grabbing onto the brake drum/backing plate (with the wheels off, lower control arms resting on jack stands), and pushing inward/outward as if checking for play in the front wheel bearings, the pivot pin appears to toggle back and forth within the bushings. The bushings appear tight within the upper control arm. The steering knuckle moves with the pivot pin, so I think the clamp bolt is tight. The driver's side seems OK so I guess this is not normal.
With the tires on and the car parked on the ground the front wheel is not visibly out of alignment. There is no abnormal wear on the tire(s) - I don't drive the car much and haven't purposely rotated the 14-year old tires (maybe driven the car 10,000 miles in that time).
I have never rebuilt or done any work to the front suspension on my car, and to my knowledge it has never been apart, so with the age and mileage (~150,000 mi) on the car there are probably several worn out front suspension components. A few questions I'm looking to have answered:
1. Does this indicate the bushings are worn out?
2. Is there a problem with the pivot pin, such as a sheared pin? (I don't think so, but it's possible.)
3. Is this something I can adjust/tighten?
4. Is this a safety issue, such that I shouldn't drive the car until this problem is fixed?
5. Does it sound like I need to get a pivot shaft kit to fix the problem?
Thanks in advance for your assistance.
Michael Tess
NCRS #38092
Ferndale, MI
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