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Old 07-24-2017, 09:10 PM   #209
HO455
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Join Date: Feb 2016
Location: Portland Oregon
Posts: 10,903
Re: My caster mod (with pictures)

I thought I would add some additional information to this thread. I went this route on my Burban by obtaining an extra set of used control arms and rebuilding them. By the time I was done I had four used control arm shafts off of three trucks. The measurements I show in the photos below. All of the used ones were 3" plus or minus a 1/16". The two new Moogs (K6147) I used were at 2 15/16". The measurements are from the end of the shaft to the center of the index hole. I did this to avoid the differences in the machined areas for the seals between old and new shafts as previously discussed. (Second photo) After much measuring and double checking I milled a 3/4" index hole (and finished it off with an 5/8 drill bit just in case the rivet was taller than I expected) at 3 3/4" from the end of the shaft.
I haven't got the truck on the alignment rack yet. (Still waiting for a tie rod end). But I will post the spec's when I get them. A couple of things I noticed when doing this. One is as the lower control arm moves forward it changes how the brake hoses flex and I had to tweek the brackets on the cross member to keep the hoses from rubbing when the wheels are hard over. In addition I had to move my sway bar frame mounts forward 3/4" to keep the ends of the factory sway bar from rubbing on the airbags.
The factory index holes measured 11/16" and the Moogs were 23/32". The index rivets were 19/32" in diameter. That means with the replacement shafts there is 1/8" of slop forward and back. As both of my shafts had been knocked back and had damaged the rivets, I had to drill them out and replace them with 1/2" socket head cap screws as the OP did. The old rivet holes had to be drilled out to half inch. As I didn't machine the index holes deep enough I had to grind a 1/16" off the top of the cap screws to keep them from holding the shaft away from the saddles.
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Thanks to Bob and Jeanie and everyone else at Superior Performance for all their great help.
RIP Bob Parks.
1967 Burban (the WMB),1988 S10 Blazer (the Stink10 II),1969 GTO (the Goat), 1970 Javelin, 1952 F2 Ford OHC six 4X4, 29 Model A, 72 Firebird (the DBP Bird). 85 Alfa Romeo
If it breaks I didn't want it in the first place
The WMB repair thread http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...d.php?t=698377
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