If you think it's worthwhile mucking around with spacer lengths, the short, long spacer (7408967) is 3.64" long; and the long, long spacer (7410958) is 3.70" long. Not much difference in it. (Yep. The shop manual says they differ in length by 0.060".) The short spacers come in 0.60", 0.66", 0.72" and 0.78" lengths.
EK shop manual says that with the vehicle weight supported by the front crossmember, there should be 0.200" compression in the front rubbers, and 0.140" compression in the rear rubbers. Compression is measured by the difference in bolt protrusion underneath, taking the difference between nuts tight and nuts just loose.
Perhaps if you removed say 2 - 3 mm from the front spacer stack, the outrigger tongue would be more centred in the rubber. Or, you could put a 1/2" spring washer between the rear spacer stack and the lower rectangular washer.
Rob
Rob it may be worth having a fiddle with but will it make any difference to drive ability?
Also the new rubbers are hard as hell and I doubt it’s the same rubber grade as original so that whole compression measurement theory I think would be blown out the window.
62ekute wrote: Thu Dec 16, 2021 9:10 pm
here's a pic of mine before I did any work in that area (probably not touched in 40 odd years)
1 - Copy.jpg
and a pic with the new section welded in. I was thinking that when I got to working on the front end, I would check out changing spacer lengths like Rob has said - but in the meantime put in a slab of metal to save the rubber a bit
5 - Copy.jpg
Patrick
Patrick I think that is a solid suggestion, I might just packs the front outrigger down 1/2 inch to fill the gap and compress the rubber.
My brother said to do the same thing actually.
You asked - "Rob it may be worth having a fiddle with but will it make any difference to drive ability?"
Yes, it does, but the effect may be slight. (How's that for legalese?) If you notice that the steering is slightly wandery, and there's not much self-centring effect when you exit a bend, even with the maximum positive caster, then you need to tilt the front crossmember up at the front.
And I'll agree with you about the difference between original and reproduction rubbers.
You asked - "Rob it may be worth having a fiddle with but will it make any difference to drive ability?"
Yes, it does, but the effect may be slight. (How's that for legalese?) If you notice that the steering is slightly wandery, and there's not much self-centring effect when you exit a bend, even with the maximum positive caster, then you need to tilt the front crossmember up at the front.
And I'll agree with you about the difference between original and reproduction rubbers.
Rob
Ok that makes sense, if positive caster is an issue I will try to make it better and adjust the shims to raise the front.
Hey Drew I had similar with my Ute when I put the HR front end in it I didn't like the gap and thought the Rares rubber was quite soft so I took it out and put a Nolathane one in it fitted much better.
Neil
Member of WA FB/EK Car Club
Frankenstein EK V6 Ute
The Reverend FB Station Wagon Project
1950's Commer Light Truck (2.5 Ton)
Brett027 wrote: Fri Dec 17, 2021 2:39 pm
Hey Rob, I'm confused again. Wouldn't lifting up the outrigger make negative caster? Putting it down would make +ve?
Just spending quiet time down the shed this morning nursing a pretty solid hang over… no loud noises for me today haha.
So I am sorting all the pieces for the steering linkage and I’ve got everything ready to go, just going to sand blast a few little bits in the cabinet and give it all a rattle spray with some etch primer and Matt black.
However ther is one small piece that I haven’t got for the linkage…
It’s called the ‘spacer cover’.
I have 1 good one (need a 2nd) out of 6 that I had access too, 5 were total mashed when I disassembled the spare parts linkages.
I have been thinking about the linkage and it seems the spacer cover may be more of a cover to hold grease in place under the ‘dust cover’
So the questions are-
Does anyone have a spare ‘spacer cover’ in good nick I could buy ?
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Most of the new type sway bar rubbers are cut on one side so they open up and slip over the bar, to be honest I cant recall if the originals were like that or not ??
Thanks Patrick. What would I do without you?