is there any reason why you couldnt use lower control arm BEARINGS instead of bushings?

put a dust seal on it, use some wheel bearing grease, and it would run smoother then stock..

right? or is there a reason noone has done it?

or has the reason that noone has done it is that its totally uneeded?

Yes, it works. I know that Herb Adams VSE makes them for first gens. Don't know about what other years.

They are a spherical bearing with the proper spaces and sleeves to hold them in place.

RBob.

Isn't this idea much like the Global West Del-a-lum bushings? I looked into using rod ends with spacers, but that would take a lot of fabrication. Also the rod ends alone would be more than the Global West parts.

Somewhat. The del-a-lums are more of a bushing. And will bind if the lower control arm frame brackets are not in perfect alignment with each other.

The VSE bearings are like the bearing in a rod end. Except that they are in a housing w/o the threaded portion. MSC sells them. Only need to put together a few sleeves to fit them.

RBob.

OK, I'm interested. MSC?

Manhatten Supply Company:

http://www.mscdirect.com/

Try:

http://www.mscdirect.com/PDF.process...8590&Keyword=Y

-and-

http://www.mscdirect.com/PDF.process...8590&Keyword=Y

For selections.

RBob.

Wow, here goes another project that consumes way too much time.

So has anyone gone through with this? All thoughts and opinions are welcome.

I haven't made my own but I've installed and use a set of VSE's on a 1st gen.

I believe that Gobal West makes/sells them for the 3rd gens.

They do make for a smoother ride with stupendous cornering ability.

RBob.

I took a look at the Global West web site again and saw that they offered the spherical bearing for the rear LCAs. It looks like they only use the del-a-lum stuff for the fronts.

Right you are (I looked again too), they used to offer them. They do have them for the 4th gens though.

Anyway, have a pic for you. Need to mill out the A arm bushing holes to 1 7/8", may need to change that for the 3rd gen. Notice the zerk fitting at the bottom. Bearing is listed as Spherco SBG-145 (or SBG-14S).

In the pic #1 is a sleeve that fits inside of bearing and the A arm bolt goes through it.

#2 are sleeves that hold the A arm centered between the frame mounting points.

#1 & #2 is held solid between the frame mounting tabs by the tension of the mouting bolt (not shown).

#3 are sleeves that hold the bearing centered in the outer sleeve & A arm.

#4 is the outer sleeve.

Pieces 1, 2 & round part of bearing pivot. There is an air gap between 2 & 3.

Just be sure to fit everything up into the frame before welding the sleeves in. I tack welded then pulled the A arm out for the final.

RBob.

This is way too tempting, fortunately the del-a-lum work out to be cheaper. The rough math says they are about $70 cheaper. Thanks for all the info, maybe if I run into some money I'll consider it more then!

honestly, i donno if you would ever see any kind of improvement on the street from them...

its jsut occured to me as i was driving down the road the other day.... it was tough to move my friends poly mounted LCAs when we dropped his axle.. and if they were bearings, they would have moved much smoother...


heh, im just always thinking... doesnt mean its the best idea or that the result will be worth the effort..

The down side of the Del-A-lums is that the two separate A arm mounting points have to be in alignment with each other. If they are not, then the del-a-lums will bind and quickly wear.

That is the reason Herb (of VSE) went with the spherical bearings.

If set on del-a-lums then at a minimum it may be a good idea to drop the A arm and place a rod through the two bolt mounting points on the frame. This will show how well they are aligned (or not).

RBob.

Thats a good point about using the rod to check for true alignment. I'm not going to change anything soon so I'll have time to figure out what I want to do. I've got poly bushings now so they will do for a while.

On the street the vehicle rides smoother over bumps and such. Once I installed the upper bushings and lower bearings, partly assembled the front end (just upper, lower & spindle) I was able to freely move the suspension up & down, by hand.

If your plan is to create a vehicle the handles like it is on rails and rides great on the street, then the bearing setup is worth it.

Four bearings, several simple sleeves, and watch out for the folks trying to keep up with you at the on/off ramps. Not unusual to see spins outs and other fancy maneuvers.

RBob.

heh, funny you should mention that... my friend following me in a pickup truck almost spun it into a ditch trying to follow me today... lol..

Would spherical rod ended bushings be any different?