Front beam bearings missing?

gottria · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:28 pm Post subject: Front beam bearings missing?

While doing my brakes I moved the drum up and down and I noticed a lot of play where the arms meet the beams. I'm assuming this is a stock beam and not narrowed but I'm not sure. It does have the adjuster in the middle. It seems that I only have one needle bearing on the whole thing. Or am I missing something as this is my first time working on a car.

Driver side. Notice on the top tube there is a little orange bearing/sleeve of somesort. The arm does slide in tighter than the rest.

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Passanger side.

Now both local shops don't carry the needle bearings and recommended the urethane bushing kit to replace both the needle bearings and the micarta bushing. Hell I don't even know if I have a micarta bushing in there or not. Guess I gotta keep digging.

myb356 · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 9:46 pm Post subject:

Plz don't use urethane...your car will ride like crap. I bought bearings from CIP a few years back, hopefully they still have them. I gotta guess though that your inner bushings will be most likely wrecked if the arms have been moving around a bunch. If so, then try delrin bushings to replace all of them.

lovethatconvertible · Posted: Tue Jun 14, 2011 10:07 pm Post subject:

Try WW they look like there in stock. Urethane= Junk

smitty24 · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 12:00 pm Post subject:

your beam has been obviously messed with; looks like someone cut your snubbers off. The micartas are not the easiest to get out, if that is what you are trying to do. Urethane is only junk if you buy the cheap stuff. the Bugpack poly does a good job and lasts a very long time and also rides well if you set the car up right. Delrin is better. Most people that say urethane is junk tried it once and didnt know how to set it up right. it is usually very tight in the beam so you must lightly sand the outside of each sleeve, then use good moly wheel bearing grease in there. Even though they say you dont need to lube urethane, I still do and dont have problems with anything. my cars are tight and handle. if you choose replacement needle bearings, make sure they are the correct kind and be very careful when installing them.

gottria · Posted: Wed Jun 15, 2011 3:49 pm Post subject:

So who carries a good Delrin bushing for a stock beam?

Found a guy in LA area that has them. Now he asked me if my beam uses needle bearings or marcata bushings. I have one side that has, what looks like a bushing pressed onto it and the other ends have a bushing further in the tube. I'm assuming my beam doesn't use needle bearings because I found no trace of them anywhere. Is it possible that beams use 2 of these Marcata bushings instead of needle bearings? Or did the PO take the cheap route and replaced worn needle bearings with a 2nd Marcata bushing.

gottria · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 6:44 am Post subject:

No help on the marcarta bushing? The blue bible says there is a needle bearing and a marcata bushing but I'm not sure what year my beam is from. I guess I'll order both sizes of the delrin bushings and send the other one back.

smitty24 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 7:45 am Post subject:

there is usually a seat for the needle bearings to ride against. if you put Delrin in there, you need to either remove the old bushings and use one piece Delrin or if you arms are tight on the inside, you can get by using the outer piece only- if they even make them in Delrin. or, buy the one piece and cut the outer few inches off and install that.

gottria · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 8:01 am Post subject:

smitty24 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:33 am Post subject:

I have heard of beams that didnt come with them- but never seen one. The issue here, is that if your arms are flopping around, you dont want that. You should probably check the inners for clearance and replace those with the one piece units if in doubt. your beam looks stock to me- but someone modified it. who knows if they changed the inside or not. people do all kinds of screwy things to these cars, nowadays. Im still trying to figure out why your snubbers were cut off. is your front end lowered at all?

Michael Fischer · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 1:35 pm Post subject:

You have an early bushing beam. Not an aftermarket beam. 3 of your outer bushings are missing.

gottria · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 9:22 pm Post subject:

smitty24 · Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 11:04 pm Post subject:

did you check with Jerry on the classifieds? He is selling some. You can also check with Daryl at Bugzyla on there. He sells some now, as well. (If you do a search for narrow beams, you will see both of them.) Daryl is located in Mesa and Jerry (Jer Fab) is in Cali. I can post you links if you cant find them.

gottria · Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2011 8:29 am Post subject:

Dropped in some black prothane bushings just to get it rolling for the summer and they were the wrong size. Slide the bushing in and lots of play in the torsion tube, control arm fits perfect. Theywere the 45mm. My torsion tube size is 1.765 ID.


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