[DeTomaso] Help needed with lower a-arm shaft kit installation

JDeRyke at aol.com JDeRyke at aol.com
Fri Aug 31 14:43:51 EDT 2007


Charlie, you can fix the fit in two ways: either use a small portable 
electric drill with a fine 'sanding roll' to slightly open up the bushings in each 
carrier, or chuck up the spacer in a drill mounted in a vise, a drill press or 
lathe if you can find one and hold a sharp fine tooth file against the end 
needing to be trimmed. Peridically, cool the spacer down with water (it will get 
quite hot and expand a little) and fit-check it. You'll need to trim all 4 ends 
of the two spacers. Progress will be slow because of the hardness of the 
spacers but in your case (no machine tools) thats good- you're not likely to 
overshoot and remove too much material. 
IMHO the problem is due to the factory using a high-carbon steel internal 
separator rather than stainless steel, combined with no external greasing 
capability. High-carbon steel is extremely corrosion-sensitive and is really not 
needed. Condensation will occur in this area over years of being undisturbed, so 
you get corrosion-welding of the spacer to the pivot shaft, which is what you 
experienced. This is so prevalent, Hall has stocked those saw-it-apart kits for 
at least two decades. I hope you selected the kit that uses a gun-drilled 
pivot shaft with zerk fittings on both ends, rather than the ones that use zerks 
in the carrier itself.  
Good luck- J DeRyke<BR><BR><BR>**************************************<BR> Get 
a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour
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