You don't need new arms, just get new bushings. :)

an update...

i drove to Richmond and back on friday to pick up my mom from the airport. i happened to notice that when braking from a much higher speed the vibration was more noticeable. i'm really beginning to suspect brake rotors or pads. i also noticed a vibration through my steering wheel. is this pointing to brakes still, or bushings?

thanks!

obin

Obin,

I have Weltmiester springs on my 83. First, they are shorter in length than stock. They are also stiffer. I used a spring compressor to install them. However they were loose in the unloaded position, I could spin them too. Please do not attempt to take them apart without a spring compressor tool. However, loaded, they work just fine.

Having just rebuilding my front suspension, I don't believe your rotors are warped. If your spindles are solid ( no end play or looseness), the rotor should run true. You can clearly see that because the rotor clearance in the caliper is very small.

If the caliper is 'frozen' The rotor won't rotate as free. I would check the difference between them. The anti vibration pad is an adhesive backed metal laminate that sticks to the back side of the brake pad. It's been my experience that the pad will go first before the laminate.

Since you are replacing the lines, remove the caliper; the piston should move easily, by hand. Be careful, the rubber dust cover (attached to the caliper and piston), it's made from thin rubber. Do not tear it or you will be fixing that also. But if it is cracked, you will need a piston rebuilding kit, not the end of the world. And if your that far, you just might clean up and paint the damn thing. That's what I did.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1184509000.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1184509040.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1184509059.jpg

Nice work JIM!

Icey,

The only bushing difference I can assume would be the length, outside diameter and/or mounting bracket. My 83 has a different bracket for the end bushings of the front sway bar than newer models. The catalog shows the later version. I don't trust pictures.

Wouldn't life be easier if they color coded springs??? I haven't a clue what my original springs were rated at. The Weltmiester springs have the model number painted on them. It's nice when everything is clean, but over time, they will look my originals. I have doucmented the changes / repairs to my car but that's me.

PET says the OEM springs were colored. White, Blue, Yellow, and a Red set. Your aftermarket springs may be shorter because they are so much stiffer. The stock springs are physically longer and need to be compressed into the strut assembly. Yours will compress under load.

I think you're right about the bushing. Might be the same OD for the swaybar but a different bushing becausing of the mounting bracket.

Icey,

You might be on to something. I recall blue paint on my originals, but it looked like more of a mistake rather than diliberate.

Sorry I'm confusing posts here. I cut, copied, and pasted my eariler response to the correct post.

No prob... lol... caught me off gaurd! Thought I didn't know how to copy and pate a link from my email. :) We use different color springs at work, that is very normal to identify them that way. They by no means get a nice paint job. They just look like some grabbed a can of spary paint and hit them quick. Maybe it was the same process for these springs.

jim

could you give me some more detail on the "no end play or looseness" in the spindles? do you mean to check and see if the bearings have been properly tightened to the spindles?

thanks!

obin

The hub/rotor assembly rotates on (2) tapered roller bearings. If you remove the caliper, the hub/rotor should freely rotate. You should not be able to wiggle, push/pull the assembly. If there is any 'play' wiggling it or if you sense/feel movement pushing or pulling the assembly, you have a problem. This assembly needs to rotate smoothly without any lateral movement.

There are only (2) ways to resolve this problem.

Assuming the PO (JO, that's what I call em') did some previous work and didn't know what he/she was doing. I would get an Allen wrench, loosen the spindle nut and tighten the nut to reduce the end play of the bearings. What you are doing is moving the bearings and minimizing the clearance between the outer bearing and the inner part of the bearing race that rides on the spindle. You do not want to tighten up to the point you can no longer turn the hub/rotor. Tighten the nut and rotate the hub/assembly.

You do the above and it still wobbles. Time for new bearings.


While you are going through this, you might as well have the bearings repacked with new grease. Do not wash the bearings in solvent or anything like that. It is the worse thing you can do other than over tightening the nut.

This ain't that hard. Patience..................
attached, 2 pics, the spindle w/o the assembly and the hub/rotor

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1184529610.jpg http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1184529659.jpg

we installed the new bearings as well as packed them thoroughly with high temperature grease. we did it right because we used a hydraulic press. i've done bearings before so i know that they were packed and installed properly. the one thing i am wondering though is if i properly tightened the spindle nut? it wouldn't hurt to at least take everything off and make sure if i have it adjusted exactly. what i'm wondering is if this problem is due to something expanding at high speed? in essence are the clearances nice and tight when cold but are they that fraction of a millimeter too loose when everything heats up?

obin

No I don't believe that. Sounds like you did eveything right; this is what I did (not that I'm perfect but I know about bearings) . I would look somewhere else to solve your problem. You could re-check. I do this stuff just to make sure I'm not losing my mind. I know when you eliminate each variable, you will get to the problem. In the meantime, you are doing the right way to solve the problem. Take your time.