Inline Tube - Technical - "Turning Point" Steering Component Rebuild

Text – John Kryta – Photography – John Kryta

The focus of this article is a 64-72 GM-Abody, how to rebuild Front End Linkage

After 40 years, steering components always need a good tug to see if they are in good shape. These components could be the source of a front end rattle when hitting minor bumps in the road, or worse, the side to side slop in the steering wheel. A loose joint is all the difference in tight steering or a loose front end. In a lot of cases, these joints just need to be cleaned and grease to perform optimally. This article shows you how to make your old components look and perform like new.

One the system is completely disassembled; it is a matter of grabbing onto the end joint and seeing how loose it is. If the threaded end is loose in the socket and there is play in the joint, it is time to replace it. If the joint is snug and hard to move, it is as good as new. If the joint moves with ease, but is still tight in the socket it should be good for many more miles. These joints seldom go bad under normal driving conditions, but driving on a flat tire or rim and hitting curbs shocks the joint and causes wear. Most joints just need maintenance, like cleaning and greasing, to prolong the life of the socket.

Besides benefiting on the maintenance end, when working on a show car it’s desirable to restore a vehicle’s original units to a concourse level. If a part is bad, it is easy to get a replacement from an auto parts store. But the details on the originals are what separate a top car from the rest.

Start by getting all of the steering components off of the car and inspecting the joints to see if they’re loose. Take the idler arm completely apart and remove the grease fittings, boots, and other hardware.

Next clean as much grease off the components as possible. Here, parts cleaner and a brush are being used to work off the exterior grease. There are many solvents that dissolve grease, including break clean and even gasoline. Make sure to do this in a well ventilated area or outside and if you decide to use gas, race fuel has a better smell. Take the grease fitting out, run the solvent inside, and blow through it with an air hose. This is the dirty part of the job.

1. Now it is on to the blast cabinet. This cabinet is filled with glass bead that looks like fine sand, but is soft, so it will not eat up or damage the parts. All the parts will be blasted, but any part with a socket joint should have the grease fitting screwed back in and the joint taped to minimize the chances of getting abrasive material into it.

From the factory these parts were close to a bare steel finish. During manufacturing, making the casting and cooling with oil causes the finish to be bare steel or grey phosphate in color. At this point the parts could be sent out to be re-plated, which takes weeks, or they could be painted, but where the parts screw together the paint will damage and cause rust; so these parts are going to be re-finished in house and the project will be complete today.

Here a propane turkey cooker with a stainless pot is used with the Palmetto phosphating kit. Mike the solution, heating it to 200 degrees, drop in the parts an when they stop fizzing pluck them out. Next, spray with WD-40 and the heat will cause it to turn to oil resulting in a dark grey phosphate finish.

Using a stainless pot is important because the solution will etch and eat through the metal of a normal pot. After the parts are heated to 200 degrees, they are pulled from the solution and sprayed with WD-40; the solution evaporates, and the WD-40 turns to oil that soaks into the part. After the parts are cool, wipe off the excess oil and the parts are done.

Using our assembly manual as a guide, we can correctly put the components back together. The grease fittings, cotter pins, and slot nuts are new Inline Tube hardware that finishes the part off. Inline Tube rubber boots are also used; they are an exact match to the original with a snug fit, ribbed surface, and correct part number on the side.

Running a die over the threads to clean up any burs of bad threads is a good idea. A tap and die set is a great restoration tool and easy to use. Sometimes these components have been hammered on and the threads are beat up. If you have to tap on the top of a joint, always put the nut on to protect the threads.

The end links and idler arm are restored, greased, and ready to go back on the car. With the new boots and hardware, these look like brand new parts with all the factory details.

1. On the center line we were not so lucky, one of the joints was severely worn and was replaced with a close aftermarket part from Inline Tube. This piece is too long to fit in our pot so it will have to be painted. Plasti-kote cast color is a good color match the natural cast, dries quickly, and can be found in most auto parts stores.

Sources:

Inline Tube - Brake & Fuel Lines, Parking Brake Cables, Hoses, Valves, Brake & Fuel Clips, Disc Brakes

15066 Technology Drive
Shelby Twp, MI 48315
586 532 1338 - email sales@inlinetube.com

www.Inlinetube.com

Palmetto Enterprises - Grey Phosphate Plating

2311 A Old Parker Road
Greenville, SC 29609
(864) 246-3836 ph