Re: Wheel Fell Off 65 Rambler.... EEEEkkkk....!

["Jim Blair" <carnuck@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

A: I found the manual for the Rambler I had and it was '64 that lost the 
balljoint. The rest of the steering was fine. I had to straighten out the 
arms to make it work again, but no trouble otherwise. The new bottom joint 
didn't allow the joint to pop apart when the lower arm dropped as the front 
tires got air under them from travelling over the potholes of Seattle!


From: farna@xxxxxxx
To: mail@xxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: Wheel Fell Off 65 Rambler.... EEEEkkkk....!
Date: Thu, 02 Dec 2004 12:09:13 +0000
Message-Id: 
<120220041209.22882.41AF05E8000C093F0000596221602807410E029D0E00@xxxxxxx>

Jim, the "problem" lower joints were the 1950-61 (63 American) lower 
trunnions. The problem really isn't the joint, it's the car owner! The 
joints need to be greased regularly, no more so than any other joint. Don't 
grease it for a long time or very often, and it will fail. The "design flaw" 
is that the steering knuckle is just threaded on the end. That end screws 
into the trunnion. The knuckle turns on the threads, the threads hold the 
knuckle in the trunnion. The threaded section is around 7/8" diameter and 
standard threads. Can you imagine how much wear a 7/8" nut would have before 
it pulled off a bolt? The knuckle is obviously a little harder material than 
the trunnion, but both are pretty solid steel. It doesn't take many 1,000 
miles to wear it down if there is little or no lubricant though. So it's 
user error, but gets blamed on the part. If a ball joint breaks or wears 
really bad (and it will if not lubricated!) it will come apart also. The 
thing is, if it happened to!
  you, you'd spend the extra money to buy a part guaranteed not put pull 
apart again almost no matter how you abused it, right?

--

Frank Swygert