sloppy steering on my '40

[FLYER15015]

O.K. all you rebuilders out there, i have a question for you.

On a 1940 buick series 90L.

I have just replaced 4 tie rod ends, thanks to Kanter....

i have adjusted the drag link per the shop manual.

I have adjusted the "highpoint" in the sector. (only the old guys will know what that means).

I'm down to the center idler arm, you know, the one that resides inside the front cross member and transferrs the forward/back motion of the drag link to the tie rods, that go side/side.

The manual shows 2 ball bearings, and a "bellville (look it up) washer under the adjusting nut.

My question is; have anyone of you guys ever pulled the 4 bolts that hold this assembly to the front cross member, and can you take it out, (to tighten up or replace the bearings and or shaft) ? Note; the manual says this joint is prelubed and good for the life of the car. Little did they know it would live so long.....

Mine is the only source of slop in the steering, and I can see the idler arm tilt just a bit when the wife rocks the steering wheel back and forth just within the limit of the "play" which is about 2-3 inches @ the steering wheel o.d.

I would welcome any tips or tricks on pulling this assembly, hopefully without having to disconnect my new tie rod ends from the idler arm. I'm hoping there is enough slack in the system to pull the mounting plate out enough to get the hinge pin out and pull the bearings to repack them, and inspect the pin/bolt.

Thanks in advance for your insight.

Mike in Colorado

BCA# 45728

AACA# 994416

:)

[FLYER15015]

O.K. guys 32 lookers in 7 hours and no replys. What's up ?

Mike

[Guest Grant Magrath]

Only have a 39 Series 40, so I can't offer anything, sorry!

Cheers

Grant

[danhar1960]

Geez Mike, some of us only ever get to dream about having a '40 90L so I too can offer nothing.

Sorry amigo.

Danny

[JoelsBuicks]

Mike, I really wish that I could see what the setup for that car looks like. For my '36 Series 80, I performed the fix with the body off and the engine removed. I was able to pull all four bolts to that assembly and then completely removed it by disconnecting the link from the sector and the ball joint. I had to jockey the piece a bit but it came right out - no problem. I believe that I could have done this with everything together - albeit a much more challenging task.

When I disassembled the bearings and shaft, both bearings totally dry and completely worn out - in fact, it all just fell apart. I took what was left of the outside and inside races and went to a place called Allied Bearing and they pulled off the shelf two non-sealed cone type bearings with outside races of the same dimensions as the old original ball-type. I then fashioned a nylon reinforced rubber washer to go under the bellville washer in preparation for holding grease.

I then took the body of the assembly and drilled a hole through to the inside chamber and tapped the hole to take a grease zerk. I put it all back together, tightening the nut enough to give a little resistance when turning by hand.

I am still in the restoration process and so this fix is untested but I have no reason to believe that it will not work. It was quite telling that this non-greased but highly active assembly was the only such place on my car that had significant wear.

Again, this is not a '40 and so it may only be useful as inspiration. Good Luck!

[FLYER15015]

Joel,

Thank you for this response. It is good to know somebody else out there has walked this path before. Since i'm doing a frame on restoration, (rattle can) and i have just put on 4 tierod ends, i'm hoping to remove the bracket and do this type of repair "in residence". First glance tells me there just might be enough clearance to remove the hinge pin without lifting the motor. We'll see.

I'll post pic's before during, and after as i go along, for the benifit of those who follow.

Q= would you remember the p/n of the bearings you used ? and post them here.

Best regards,

Mike simpson

Colorado

[JoelsBuicks]

Mike, chances of having the p/n are slight but I know right where to look to see if I kept the receipt. You are right about pin clearance and it took quite a bit of hammering to loosen the pin as it is a tight fit at the top. Before I lifted the motor, I would do some serious head scratching about pulling the piece out, even if I had to get out the fire wrench to remove the bolts.

Joel