1961 66 Thunderbird Upper Control Arm Shaft Kit and Bushing Installation
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.ย. 2024
- This video shows how to properly install the upper control arm shaft and bushing kit on all 1961-66 Thunderbirds, how to identify a bent control arm, and how to notch the shaft O-rings so grease will enter the bushing.
This is exactly where i am on my rebuild. This is a great video and very helpful! Thank you!
Thank you Noah
ENORMOUSLY helpful video! I just removed my passenger side coil spring yesterday to replace front springs and upper ball joints on my '65 T-Bird. It seems that I need upper control arm bushings...no play when I move the control arm up and down (on the car) in the standard travel path, but when I flex the control arm side to side I get noticeable play. I'll buy a kit from Muscle Car Mike. With your video I know exactly what to look for when putting the new bushings and shaft in. Thanks a million!
Your welcome Kaye Nine Two.
My dad had an old saying, "No job is complete until you draw blood". Thanks for sharing.
Aint that the truth. Thank you.
Love old t-birds...I have 3....so I enjoy watching and learning from your videos. Thank you.
Thanks Tom.
My 2 cents. As a "victim" of mid-60's Galaxie, Mustang, and now Thunderbird since 2012, Ford claimed that the suspension was "permanently" lubricated. In testament to their claim about permanent lubrication, Ford did not include grease fittings. It certainly was not a permanent lubrication system. Within 30-50 kmiles the ball joints in the front had to be replaced because the grease was gone and the bearing pieces were worn beyond usefulness and had to be replaced to restore correct alignment and control. Had to replace my front ball joints in 2016 even after my Thunderbird was restored prior to my purchase in 2012. Unfortunately, one did not find out that the ball joints were worn out until the front tires were also abnormally worn out resulting in a double whammy of replacing both ball joints and at least 2 tires if not all four. As always, thank you, Nick.
Hey James, the repro ball joints, in my opinion, are very subpar to the original. Many moons ago we took originals apart and took repros apart and compared them and then we saw first hand just how cheaply made the repros are. Its sad. The lowers are much worse then the uppers. We are lucky if they last a few thousand miles.
Thank you for posting this video. Very helpful.
Your welcome James.
Good job Nick! I will need to check mine in the spring. I liked notes on greasing
Yeah, grease is important, especially on these old turds.
Another informative video, thanks Nick!
Thanks Johnny.
So on those large end caps that screw on to the control arm the only bushing is the O - ring? Since the end cap screws on to the control arm and the shaft screws on to the end cap there can never be any parts to wear out and cause play? One started to squeak on my 64 Galaxie and I used the straw on the end of a can of silicone lube and it stopped the squeak. I thought it was really worn out and cause alignment issues? According to the shop manual you can replace it in the car, and with this video I learnt about notching the O - rings.
The O-ring is a seal and its the only rubber involved with the upper control arm shafts and bushings. The shaft and bushings do wear out though. Eventually they dry out, the grease drys out and then the shaft and bushing wear out where they ride on each other. This is why they squeak. Once they squeak, this is the clue that the grease is gone and they are going bad. Original bushings have no grease fittings and you cant grease the repros because of the O-ring like I show in the video. When they wear out, the arm starts to shift position slightly causing the alignment to shift. And the more it wears out, the more the arm becomes loose on the shaft.
I'm glad you made this video and that I got to see it before I attempted to do mine on my 66, because I'm just about to.... But!!!! What boggles me is the fact that they made it so that the bushing threads into the control arm AS WELL AS the shaft threading into the bushing... This makes no sense. It will obviously not prevent misalignment, nor adds to the ease of installation. The aftermarket suppliers should be making the replacement kits with a smooth shaft to insert into the bushings and a longer threaded portion where it fits into the control arm to aid in caster alignment. Just saying.
Hey Jesse, the threads are there to hold the bushing into the arm, without threads you have a loose bushing. I guess it could have been pressed into the arm but then it could not be threaded onto the shaft. In thinking about it, I don't see how they could have done it otherwise. Its archaic technology really. And to make the O-ring so big and completely seal the bushing so it is air tight was pretty stupid. But what did they care, it lasted 20 plus years so it was no skin off their backs when they failed from rust and wear. FYI, I straightened the bent arm that I show in the video on my press and then the bushings and shaft fit well. Thank you.
Hi Nick. Thanks for all the wonderful videos over the years. I'm in the middle of rebuilding the front end on my 66 T-Bird. I was lucky to find a MOOG spring compressor on FaceBook Market Place! Makes the job feel somewhat safe. I ordered upper arm shaft bushings from a well-known TBird parts dealer and am not happy with them. They will not go onto the factory shaft far enough to tighten snuggly into the A-arm threads. Would you put "China bushings" on an OEM shaft or buy a China kit? I don't know where to purchase American made options. I looked up Muscle Car Mike and seems he only sells wholesale. Do you know where I might be able to buy their products? I'm considered buying the shaft/bushings set from Eckler's but worried it too might not fit correctly, not sure if it's MCM product or not. My big question is - how do you know when these bushings are bad or going bad? Thanks again!
Hey Lance, I think Muscle Car Mike sells to the Birds Nest. You can ask them. Ive been using their shafts and bushings for years and Ive had no issues with them. I used to sell used ones too but those are all gone now. You know they are bad when the inside of the bushing and the shaft itself is worn out. In most cases, the shaft is so badly worn out, its very obvious. Ive taken them apart and sometimes after cleaning they look like they have no wear on them. You can tell when the threads on the shaft are worn out. When looking at them while they are still on the car, if they are bad, usually you can see that the bushing is no longer centered on the shaft because of wear. this is usually very obvious. IN most cases, they squeak badly when they go bad. Not always but usually. I always take it for granted that they are bad when the arm itself is old and crusty, and or the ball joint is also original, and there is no zerk fitting. Then you know they are probably bad just from age. Its also not uncommon to find replacements installed improperly too. Did that help? Good luck.
@@vintagethunderbirdrepair9426yes that helps. Thanks for the quick and detailed reply!
@@vintagethunderbirdrepair9426 I spoke with MCM. He says "hello" to you. He confirmed that Larry's T-Bird carries his parts.
my 63 has some rubber bushings in the middle on each side of that shaft, but watching your video they seem to serve no purpose? I'm guessing they are there to hold the grease in and mine have no orings. They are not original as they do have grease fittings on the bushings. Such a weird design.
Hey moose, Ive seen some shafts that have a rubber "cap" or whatever between the bolt that holds the shaft to the car and the bushing. I dont know who reproduced those and they are very rare. Originally the bushing had an O ring with no zerk fitting. Reproductions have a zerk fitting.
Hey nick im currently trying to remove the old shafts on my control arms but those big hex are tight on there… I have the right size socket n all but no budge. Any tips? And what’s your process
Hey Adrian, I put them in my vice on my work bench and use my impact gun or, if you don't have an impact gun, use a large 1/2" wratchet with a pipe to extend the length. Leverage always works. If you have a really bad time with them you can heat the arm around the bushing but that is a last resort. Ive never had to do that. Leverage always works. Thanks.
Newbie question here. Nick mentions notching the O ring. Can someone help me out explain how much of a notch is needed. do i just cut a small V into the O ring?
Thanks in advance. I'm actually going to have a mechanic do the work, but I don't know if he know's about this.
Hey Manuel, the original O ring is very thick so I cut a deep notch, almost cutting through the O ring. Then I put the bushing onto the shaft without installing it onto the arm yet, put it in a vice, and then apply grease to make sure that grease passes. Once I'm sure that I've notched them properly and that grease is passing, I then install them onto the arm. I always use a new razor blade too. Good luck.
@@vintagethunderbirdrepair9426 Thank you, Nick. I can't tell you how much I appreciate your videos and willingness to help. If you don't mind, I have a couple of questions: I scheduled to replace my ball joint, and now I'm about to pick up a control arm shaft and bushing kit from Larry's. What about the lower bushings? Do they also come in a kit with the arm? While everything is apart, is there anything else I should change on the front end? My car has disc brakes up front, but because the ball joints are still riveted in place, it looks like the rest is original. Thank you, Nick.
@@manuelvoss1973 Hey Manuel, what year is your car? The lower control arm bushings are different than the upper and there are no shafts, its just one bushing on each side that is pressed into the arm. Hopefully your mechanic can see if they are bad and need replacing. If you have everything apart, maybe its a good idea to just replace everything?? When I do a front suspension, I always ask the customer if they want to powder coat the suspension pieces or just paint them black because I always clean them and they look very bad after so many years. Either way, something should be done. Shops usually don't want to get into that because its too time consuming. You might want to look at the strut rod bushings and all ball joints. Its also a good time to replace shocks, the shock mounts and such while those are out. And what about the springs?? Are they any good? You have to look at all this stuff while you have it apart. Good luck.
@@vintagethunderbirdrepair9426 Hey Nick, my car is a 64 convertible. So far, I have purchased ball joints and will change the top and bottom bushings. Based on the model number, I have Monroe shocks; my coil springs have boosters, so I believe they are original. I was afraid that changing my shocks would change the height of the front end. I currently like how the car sits. I'll take a look at strut rod bushings and your other suggestions. My primary concern is safety, so I will probably do as much as possible. Thank you very much!
Hey nick question regarding the lower suspension control arms.. I have a 63, just received all my parts from the powder coater, and I have to put the bushings on the lower arms, wondering what’s the best way to install them without a press… I have the center bores sanded very smooth at 320. Thanjs
Hey Adrian, I use my vice on my work bench. I put a socket on one end that matches the size of the flaired end of the bushing, and the box end of a very large wrench on the other end. I do not press the bushing in using the vice, it only holds the assembly and helps to ease the bushing in. I then use my air chisel with a blunt end fitting on it and I zap the metal next to the bushing. This vibrates the bushing into the hole with help from the vice. Use the air chisel to help push the arm onto the bushing. Does that make any sense? Good luck.
@@vintagethunderbirdrepair9426 gotcha yeah that makes sense, thank you appreciate the reply and tips , cheers 🍻
Nick,
I never could get those fat O-rings to slide over the shaft ends, so I was forced to leave them out. I tried everything. Question: Did you leave the straight zerk fittings in?
Regards,
John
Hey John, after lubing the bushing and seal with moly suspension grease, I had to almost force the bushing onto the shaft with the O-ring in place, then thread it on the rest of the way. I do this in the video. They are way too big. I then use 90 degree zerk fittings since straight ones will not clear the shock tower walls around the arm.
Nick,
Glad you replied saying 90 degree zerks. Straight ones won't do the trick. Perhaps pointing it out in the next vid would be helpful.
Regards,
John
I just looked up muscle car mike and he is wholesale only??? How can I get his parts? Thanks
Birds next sells his upper shaft kits. If your looking to save money, you may be able to reuse your original shaft kits as long as they are not worn out. I have reused those many times but they must be in very good condition with virtually no wear. I do not have any for sale unfortunately, I used them all up. I had a box full once upon a time.
Were you able to fix that other bent arm or do you have to replace it? just wondering what to do if I ever encounter the same issue thanks and God bless.
Hey, I replaced it. I didn't want to bother with it. I might try straightening it later. It all worked out nicely, the car rides great now. thanks.
You said that the original bushing did not have a grease fitting but the replacement does?
How did they grease the original without a fitting?
Hey Glenn, you did not grease the original, they were not serviceable. Even if they did have zerk fittings to grease them, the grease could not enter the bushing because the large oversized O-rings created an air tight seal. The dumb thing is, the reproductions that do have a zerk fitting didnt take into account resizing and/or redesigning the O-ring so this is why you have to notch them as I show in the video.
Is it possible to unload the front end and remove the end caps to add grease? Can this be done without removing the coil spring or control arm from the car? I have some squeaking from my ‘63 Galaxie and I think this is where it’s coming from.
I don't know what the Galaxy front suspension looks like but if it is the same as the Thunderbird then NO, you cannot remove the end caps, I think you mean the bushings, from the shafts. The upper control arm holds the spring in the car and if you tamper with that, it will release the spring and someone will get killed if they are in the way. The spring must be removed first to remove the arm, then you can remove the bushings. If they are squeaking they are bad anyway. This means there is no grease and they are starting to wear out inside. Good luck.
Brilliant! Do you think the engineers at Ford were aware of this? Just saying.
It makes you wonder. I bet that they were only interested in getting the car together and out the door with no obvious problems. If something happened down the road, then it was up to the dealers to deal with it so the factory just wanted them out. Im guessing but it makes sense to me. They had quotas to fill.