While replacing the dust cover boots on the ball joints and steering knuckles I noticed the upper A-Frame moved forward and back on the right side. After checking the left side I ordered a set of upper A-Frame
spindles and bushings for each side of Mr. Hyde. Replacing these parts was not terribly difficult, and when
completed there was no horizontal movement of the upper A-Frame.
The spindle and bushing kit I received included a new spindle for each side of the car, 4 bushings, 2 dust covers, and two lock tabs. It was complete and ready to install without
additional parts required.
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New spindle and bushing set |
TESTING THE A-FRAME BUSHINGS
1) Jack the front end of the car up and securely support the car with jack stands.
2) Using a floor jack or bottle jack raise the lower A-Frame until the lower A-Frame is at the top of it's travel. This step removes the load from the upper A-Frame and allows for
inspection of the upper A-Frame bushings.
3) Take hold of the upper A-Frame and push it horizontally to see if there is any movement. There should not be any movement if your bushings are in good condition.
In my case the outside tip of the right A-Frame moved about an inch and a half. The left moved about 3/4".
REPLACING THE UPPER A-FRAME SPINDLE AND BUSHINGS
Replacing the spindle and bushings is not a particularly hard job, but it does take a little time and care in places.
Start by ordering the spindle and bushing kits and gathering the basic tools you will need.
In my case the wear was excessive to extreme.
I ordered complete spindle and bushing kits for both sides. Talk
to your vendor about your wear and you may find you only need new
bushings and seals rather than the entire kit.
POSSIBLE VENDORS
(in alphabetic order)
Datsun
Fairlady Products
Datsun
Roadster Parts
Rallye Enterprises, Inc.
Rising Sun
Racing
TOOLS
Short drift or punch - 4-6" worked well for me.
Long drift or punch - About a foot or so will make some parts of the job much easier.
Small hammer
1/2" wrench or socket
5/8" short or deep socket
1 1/8" box wrench.
1 1/8" socket. May or may not be needed.
Jack stands and floor or bottle jack
Torque
specifications can be found here.
Begin by placing the car on jack stands and raising the lower A-Frame to
it's upper travel limit. Raising the suspension takes the load off of the upper A-Frame and makes the whole job a lot easier.
I found it easier to remove the front bushing first while the A-Frame was still securely attached to the frame and upper ball joint. The rear bushing is difficult to remove at this point and was removed later.
Begin by using the small punch and hammer to straighten the lock tab folded over the upper side of the bushing.
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At this point the upper ball joint and front A-Frame bushing have
been removed.
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Once the tab is out of the way use a 1 1/8" box wrench to remove the bushing. In one case the bushing would not move no matter how hard I tried.
After the wrench slipped off of the bushing head several times I finally used an impact wrench and socket to remove
the bushing. As of this writing I am still looking for the bushing.
Next use a short punch to flatten the head lock tabs on the upper ball joint
bolts and use a 1/2" socket or wrench to remove the 4 bolts securing the ball joint to the upper A-Frame.
Next use a 5/8" socket to remove the two bolts securing the spindle to the frame. Access to these bolts is from the inside of the engine bay.
You may have to remove some parts from the engine or engine bay to gain clear access. In my case I had to remove the GM alternator on the right side of the
engine and slide the battery a bit towards the firewall. I did not remove the windshield water container on the left side,
but it might have been easier in the long run.
NOTE: THERE ARE ALIGNMENT WASHERS BETWEEN THE FRAME AND A-FRAME
SPINDLE. When you remove the spindle bolts the washers will drop into the valley under the spindle. I did not see them while working on the first side and only found one by accident on the second side. Long fingers or a magnet will retrieve these washers. Be sure to keep these washers
for installation during reassembly. Make sure you put the washers on the
same side of the car they came from. In my case I had to disassemble
the first side a second time to install these washers.
At this point the upper A-Frame is loose on the car, but I could not remove it from the car because there was not enough space between the frame and body to clear the spindle. To remove the second bushing I rotated the A-Frame so the spindle was on the outside of the shock mount. I placed a drift through a spindle bolt hole to prevent the spindle from turning and then used
a 1 1/8" wrench to remove the second bushing.
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The A-Frame is rotated and
shown with the new spindle and bushings installed |
With both bushings removed use a small screwdriver or anything else that will fit into the dust cover and tear it away from the A-Frame spindle. Now you can slide the spindle sideways and remove it from the A-Frame.
Clean up the A-Frame as needed and you are ready for reassembly.
ASSEMBLING THE A-FRAME SPINDLE AND BUSHINGS
Reassembly is basically a reverse of disassembly.
Replace the A-Frame over the shock mount with the spindle side facing
out.
Grease the mating surfaces between the spindle and bushings.
Put the new dust covers on the spindle and fold the outer edge back over the inner edge to make room to
insert the spindle into the A-Frame. Once the spindle is in the A-Frame roll the dust covers into their normal position and they will seal against the A-Frame.
Normal dust cover position |
Dust cover ready for installation |
Thread the bushings on and tighten them down. Don't forget to install the new locking tabs and fold them over the side of the
bushing nut after it is tightened.
Install the new grease fittings. Here I did make one modification to the kit I received. Instead of using one of the angled grease fittings on each side I used a 90 degree fitting on the rear bushing to make it easier to clear the brake line with my grease gun.
Now comes the fun. Place the spindle against the frame with an alignment washer between the spindle and the frame. If you have a helper have them insert a spindle bolt and start the threads. If (like me) there is no helper you can insert these bolts from under the wheel well using the space between the frame and the body. It is not easy to keep the washer in place while you pass the bolt through the
spindle and washer, and then get the threads started using the tips of your fingers, but it can be done. Once the first bolt is in place install the second washer and bolt and torque them down.
Be sure check the valley under the spindle to be sure a washer did not fall out during assembly.
Now you are ready to set the A-Frame over the upper ball joint and secure it to the ball joint using the 4 bolts and lock tabs.
Grease the new bushings and you are done.
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