Non-Volvo car chat megathread

[BlackBart]

I did this this weekend.....

Disassembling my Alfa's LF suspension to rebuild. Control arm big bushings (spherical bearings really) hard to get out, but got them. But then one of those bearings is bonded onto the "dogbone" or structural piece that holds it all onto the cross member. Tried 3-jaw puller, big 3-jaw puller, four hands, lots of PB Blaster soaking.....nothing.

Last resort - cut it off.

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Still wouldn't budge with two cuts. I chiseled on the two cut faces and it finally rotated a bit, and I could twist it off with a big channellock.

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But it's hard to judge depth as your cutting wheel wears down, so I scored the spindle shaft, ugh. Could be in the blooper thread.

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A couple of people say find a good used one. Another two say it's fine for a street car. Another says what about a stress crack starting? Another says what kind of steel alloy? Could you stitch-weld the crack and file it smooth? What about heat damage?

Another guy said Just use it, it's fine. I'm not sure what to do next.

Assembled lower control arms attached to the "dogbone" in question. The spindle shaft is 16mm diameter.

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[volvolugnut]

I vote with the "it's fine, just use it" guy. Why? It is not very deep. You are not racing. It has a radius at the bottom of the groove so is less likely to start a stress crack. The other 'repairs' may make the problem worse.
volvolugnut

[matthew1]

Dude, what a headache. That control arm bushing design is like the Russian nesting doll of suspension BS.

People wonder why we have our car DIY hobby... I agree with them.

[BlackBart]

It really bugs me to damage really old parts, especially if I could have prevented it by being smarter. These are out there in people's hoards I assume, but not very many of them. Then you see where I took one whack with a ball-peen at the top of the spindle with the nut barely on, and mangled some threads? Now I need to find an M16 x 1.00mm pitch die chaser that's not made in China.

[volvolugnut]

Use a fine triangle file to clean up the threads. Slow, patient work with satisfaction when the nut fits again.
volvolugnut

[Sveedy]

Nice job getting that off ! And I agree - don't worry about the shaft. Being a bit anal myself, I'd probably put some JB Weld or equivalent in that cut and smooth it out. Just because....

And they make thread chasing files. I have one around. Square with maybe 8 different thread pitches on it. It has saved my *** on more than one occasion.

[BlackBart]

Oh, I've never seen those. I just have a couple of generic equal triangle files, maybe a quarter inch on a side. I don't want to ruin the threads. The nut doesn't ride very far from the top when tightened.

I was looking for dies and came across a US-made ingenious thing - a split die with small springs that hold the halves together. You open the halves, locate it farther down the threads, close it, use a big deep well socket, and back it off the bolt or stud! You can't cross thread the die, you can't cut them crooked, it rides up the threads until it gets to the ones that need cleaning up.

I'll think of the name......


Here it is -
Thread Tool Supply split die thread chaser. Just doesn't come in 1.00 thread. Slick idea though.
https://www.threadtoolsupply.com/murray ... ystem.html

[BlackBart]

Thread files - these guys?

https://www.amazon.com/General-Tools-17 ... R1DOM?th=1

Here's a German one in chrome Vanadian steel -
https://www.amazon.com/BGS-1922-Interna ... r=8-7&th=1

These are ingenious.

[abscate]

Fill in groove with JB Weld and check in 20 years

[BlackBart]

There’s no movement at this joint, it’s a fixed bushing, so smoothness isn’t as important as strength.