C2 Front A arm washers

[Greg H.]

I am rebuilding my 67 roadster and the original A arm washers are flat - no concave. Have they been over tighten to the point that they need to be replaced?

[Russ S.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

Over tightening them wouldn't flatten them out as they seat hard around the bolt hole not around the out side edge. It isn't as if they were tightened down on a solid steel surface under the entire surface area of the washer.

[Tracy C.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

I would replace, your's sound like homemade replacements.

tc

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

I am rebuilding my 67 roadster and the original A arm washers are flat - no concave. Have they been over tighten to the point that they need to be replaced?

Greg------


I'm not aware of any 1963-82 front a-arm bushing retainers ("washers" on ends of a-arm shafts) that were flat. All were convex (as they appear when installed on the car). If yours are flat, I'd say those are not the ones that were there in 1967 when the car was built.

[Russ S.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

Does your car have poly bushings? I just dissasembled a 66 that prior owner had installed the polyurathane bushings and it had new appearing cad plated flat washers. I am assuming they came with the poly bushing kit.

[Doug L.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

I used the orignal washers when I rebuilt the suspension of my '64. They are concave and against the rubber bushing, so original washers could not have been flattened by tightening if installed correctly.
Doug

[Joe L.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

I used the orignal washers when I rebuilt the suspension of my '64. They are concave and against the rubber bushing, so original washers could not have been flattened by tightening if installed correctly.
Doug

Doug-----


Yes, the retainers seat against the steel center tube of the bushings. There's no way that over-tightening could distort ("flatten") them. The only thing that over-tightening could do is to break the bolts or strip out the threads in the shafts.

[Ronald L.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

The originals will have have embossed into them the bite marks from the original bushing sleeves.

[Greg H.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

Thanks for all of the feed back and comments. Photos are so helpful when dealing with these detailed questions, I apploigize for not including photos of my actual parts with my origonal request. So that you are aware of the history of this project, I puchased my 67 roadster in 1984 from the second owner. The car was 95% origanal with the exception of after market headers / side pipes and the owner has trimmed the return edges off all 4 wheel wells. This car had been used in East Coast SCCA type parking lot events and had the placks still stuck to the glove box door. The car had been in storage here in So Cal for over 4 years when the owner decided to sell. Having had been setting for so long, I did not try to start the 350 hp 327, just a compression check that looked OK and I was on my way with a new project. IMPORTNT BENCH MARK - Time Stamp , when I started this frame off re-conditining - I was unaware of this wonderful orginazation called the NCRS and only became aware of its existance after all of the major componets (IE engine, trans, suspension, frame, body) were re-assembled and I was installing the new interior. Looking back on that process, I did replace some of the original parts, calibers, water pump, master cylinder and radiator with non date sensitive parts. Most all other components were left original.

Now, times have changed. I have full access to our technical library and the time to re-do my re-conditioning.

So now let's talk A-arm bushing washers. The original bushings were replaced by me in 1984 with NOS from my local GM parts guys. All original hardware was cleaned and cad plated and re-assembled. I am now aware that the plating is not correct and can solve that. Please look at my original washers, they are distorted, they are almost flat. I think they were in this condition when I first removed them. I have replacments, they are on the left. I do not want to distort them.

[Joe R.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

You have proven again that a picture is worth a thousand words. Those are distorted originals just like you stated in your original question. Somehow or someway somebody flattened those out.

Anyway, the washers should be convex or concave, which ever way you look at them.

JR

[Edward J.]

Re: C2 Front A arm washers

Judging from looking at those washers I think maybe someone used the washers and bolts to press in the bushings into the control arms, The faces are pretty chewed up.