rss Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 my left front fender was rattling earlier today, i figured from a popped rivet. i discovered when i got home that it wasn't a rivet, but was in fact a missing nut holding the bracket, spindle and upper control arm together. if this nut was missing a cotter pin, i didn't catch it. anyone had this happen before? anyone know what size nut and cotter pin i need here and what to torque it down to? it looks like a 1/2"-13 but i hate to guess what to order, and i don't have any calipers handy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 It is a 1/2 coarse thread. I torque mine to 30 ft lbs. I use a grade 8 nylon lock washer with blue thread lock for back up and then back that up with a cotter pin I looks like yours may not be drilled for the cotter pin. It is fairly easy to drill if it doesn't have the hole. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnK Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Whoa - glad you caught that before ....! By the way, what's that spacer all about? I have one maybe 1/2 that height that's cone shaped and aluminum, which I reduced 1/4" in height to fit 13" wheels and also reduced the diameter at the top to prevent the rod end from jamming on it. Anyone know what the practical repercussions are re camber gain as this distance changes? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rss Posted February 22, 2011 Author Share Posted February 22, 2011 loren, thanks, that's what i thought. nylon lock washer sounds like a good idea too. there is a hole for a cotter pin, and presumably there was a cotter pin there too. johnk, yeah, tell me about it. i still get a little queasy thinking about what might have happened. most of what i've done so far on the car has been about safety -- fuel cell, new harnesses, etc. so i feel a little silly almost letting the front wheel and suspension fall off. re: the spacer, i have no idea. mine is the only ultralite i've seen in the flesh. hopefully someone else will chime in here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slomove Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Had a similar experience last week. I was also checking why the right front wing was so wobbly when jacked up and found the entire right wheel having some slack. Turned out when I installed the wide track suspension last Summer I installed the front steering rack-to-upright bolts finger tight for a test fit and apparently never went back to properly tighten them. At the time I would have sworn that I double checked everything. Fortunately the nylocs prevented them from falling off. But it is a lesson for me to not take anything for granted that I assume is correct. Maybe a separate nut and bolt audit after a major project by my wife would be a good idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Yes that usually has a 1/2 spacer with a tapered side. The taper goes against the rod end. If you change it you will need to realign because your camber will change a little. It might work as is you will have to measure thru travel to see if you are getting camber changes. I measure the ride height on the frame and jack the car up and block it to the ride height. Remove the shock and wheel and then move the suspension up and down a few inches in each direction from the spindles normal position with the wheel on. Usually around 13 inches to start and drop to 10 and raise to 15 or 16 inches. Use a digital level to determine if you are getting camber changes. You can use the spacer height on top to adjust for best results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestTexasS2K Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 I try to check all bolts and fastner at least once a month. I take a marker or paint pen and make a witness mark on the bolt and nut this gives you way to check and see if anything has moved with a quick glance. I also try to have multiple failure backups. IE lock nut, thread locker, and safety wire or cotter pin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDROCKT Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 Whoa - glad you caught that before ....! By the way, what's that spacer all about? I have one maybe 1/2 that height that's cone shaped and aluminum, which I reduced 1/4" in height to fit 13" wheels and also reduced the diameter at the top to prevent the rod end from jamming on it. Anyone know what the practical repercussions are re camber gain as this distance changes? John, Reducing the height of the outboard end of the upper control arm will reduce your camber gain on the outside wheel when cornering and increase your camber loss on the inside wheel. Although it is no picnic to do it, lowering the inboard pick up points by an amount equal to the lowering of the outboard end will be the right way to maintain design camber gain. Better yet, when lowering the inboard pick up points, make them adjustable so you can experiment with the camber gain for different anti-sway bar settings. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDROCKT Posted February 22, 2011 Share Posted February 22, 2011 my left front fender was rattling earlier today, i figured from a popped rivet. i discovered when i got home that it wasn't a rivet, but was in fact a missing nut holding the bracket, spindle and upper control arm together. if this nut was missing a cotter pin, i didn't catch it. anyone had this happen before? anyone know what size nut and cotter pin i need here and what to torque it down to? it looks like a 1/2"-13 but i hate to guess what to order, and i don't have any calipers handy. [ATTACH]2782[/ATTACH] Scott, As WestTexas says, that's a coarse 1/2" bolt. I can see it should be a castellated nut and definitely I would support replacing it AND using Loctite and cotter key. Tighten to 30-50# to allow the cotter key to be inserted. HTH Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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