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

[Tomas Gunnarsson]

If it won't go in smoothly it won't turn smoothly. Bad idea.

Tomas

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Art Stephens" <artstephens at charter.net>
To: <detomaso at realbig.com>
Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 9:04 PM
Subject: Re: [DeTomaso] Help needed with lower a-arm shaft kit installation


> Charlie,
>     One way might be to freeze the part you are trying to install. Freezing 
> should temporarily shrink it slightly.
> 
> Art
> 
> 
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Charles McCall" <charlesmccall at gmail.com>
> Sent: Friday, August 31, 2007 11:00 AM
> Subject: [DeTomaso] Help needed with lower a-arm shaft kit installation
> 
> 
>> Hi all,
>>
>> I've had off-line conversations with several people but am currently 
>> stumped
>> and would like to know who else has done this task looking for other 
>> ideas.
>>
>> I'm told that one of the most overlooked maintenance tasks on the Pantera 
>> is
>> the lubrication of the lower shaft of the rear suspension - the shaft that
>> supports the hub carrier through the lower a-arms.
>>
>> So I decided to lubricate this part before it was too late and it rusted 
>> in
>> place.
>>
>> It was too late. It was rusted in place.
>>
>> So I ordered a kit with all the parts - all the washers, spacers, sleeves,
>> shims, o-rings, the works. And I began cutting stuff apart - cutting 
>> between
>> the hub carrier and the a-arm to remove the old shaft in three parts.
>>
>> Long story, horrible task, but it's done.
>>
>> Turns out that it had only really frozen in one side of the a-arm, and
>> moderate pounding removed the offending part.
>>
>> I am now in the stage of installing the replacements.
>>
>> The first step is to install two brass bearings in the hub carrier. (I 
>> think
>> they are brass - they are brass colored and soft metal).
>>
>> That is done.
>>
>> The next step is to install the sleeve, through the bearings, and in the 
>> hub
>> carrier. That's my problem.
>>
>> Before installing these parts, the clearance between the bearings and the
>> sleeve is approximately 1 thousandth of a micron. Installing the bearing 
>> in
>> the hub carrier compresses it ever so slightly, making it impossible to 
>> fit
>> the sleeve in the bearing.
>>
>> I've chamfered the leading edge of the bearing just to insure that it 
>> didn't
>> get a lip when I pressed it in.
>>
>> Does anyone else have first-hand experience with this installation? Did 
>> they
>> have a similar problem?
>>
>> If you did NOT have a problem, who did you purchase your kit from? The 
>> parts
>> are all machined to what appears to be a very high tolerance, but it 
>> allows
>> very little room for error.
>>
>> If you DID have a problem, how did you solve it? If I just beat the hell 
>> out
>> of it to get it in, then I've pretty much defeated the purpose of 
>> installing
>> bearings and lubricating so that everything rotates smoothly.
>>
>> If you have NOT looked at your lower shaft recently, do so and grease it
>> before it is too late. This task is NOT fun.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
>> Charles McCall
>> 1985 DeTomaso Pantera GT5-S #9375
>> "Raising Pantera Awareness across Europe"
>> http://members.aol.com/PanteraGT5S1985/
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>>
>> 
> 
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