Wire wheels questions

[Jay Laifman]

Wire wheels questions NOW A Arm Bushings

I've been out of the Sunbeam loop for a long time. Lots of job changes, and little Alpine driving. You know what it's like.

When braking, I'm now getting a clicking sound from the front. The wheels are on tight. So, I'm assuming it's not the splines slipping, but perhaps some spokes being too loose. But, none of them feel particularly loose and the wheels don't seem out of round. Is that what it is anyway?

 

[Jay Laifman]

Well, I finally got around to jacking up the car and figured out what it is. It's not the wheels at all. It is one of the upper A arm bushings. Completely shot.

What's the deal with the bushings? About 15 years ago, when the car was 27 years old and about 120,000 miles, and the original bushings still "bushed" but were cracked, I restored the car and put all new bushings in. It's been half the years and maybe a quarter of the miles, and the thing is completely gone, the A arm just rattles side to side on the pin in there.

Are the ones available today any better? Were the ones available then particularly bad? Does it seem likely that I should replace all of them now?

Thanks,
Jay

 

[Jay Laifman]

Oh, and I'm actually forced to drive this car tonight and tomorrow. I know it's not as safe as it would be. But, does anyone think it is incredible unsafe and that I should avoid freeway speeds? I think that's probably the case. But, given that I do stupid things from time to time, I thought I'd just check. the upper A arm, as I said, noticably wiggles, moving the wheel side to side. I have been driving it on and off with it not realizing what it was.

I know the Tigers break these things from time to time. But, I think those are the lowers, and it's from the severe angle on backing up.

 

[Jay Laifman]

Well, I learned some new information. Some of the older bushings did fail exactly as mine did. Part of the problem is that the metal sleeves are bonded to the rubber. So when the A arms go up and down, they twist the rubber. The twisting helps accelerate the disintegration of the rubber inside.

The new polyurethane ones don't have the inside sleeve bonded, so there is no twisting.

That said, I recall that the polyurethane ones squeek. I think Tom Hall had modified some to put in a grease fitting. That's a lot of work that I'm not going to go through at this time.

I remember there being some greases that work better than others on the squeek front. But, I don't remember which ones they are. Graphite is out, that I know.