[Amc-list] Ambassador suspension on American! -- not

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Welp, I made a spearmint and it got fayled.

Won't fit. But man it's close!

I pressed (junk) 01 bushings into the 80 upper arms, and got surprise #1
-- it can't be assembled normally! On the 10/80, you assemble the arm as
a sub-unit and insert it into the chassis. On the 01 you have to put the
arms on the pivot first, then insert the trunnion bolt. To assemble the
has job then requires a difficult but not impossible assembly of one
trunnion nut with the arms otherwise assembled. I actually did that once
long ago (on my 62 ambo, when I was 20) when I didn't know the real
assembly process. It's a PITA to get the two threads started in sync.

The killer isn't that, however -- it's simply that the assembled width
of the inner end of the 10/80 is 8.25", and the 01 about 7.75". So the
upper arm is too wide. Someone with the right tools and knowledge could
probably reform the arms or cut and weld but that's not me (and it's
unaesthetic).

I did figure out the right way to make the spring perch -- it's
unbelievably easy. Chop off the bottom trunnion portion of the 01 part,
chop off the bottom of the 80 part.  Bore out the 01 trunnion-less sprin
perch to accept a press-fit of the chopped 80 part. The key is to bore
the casting and leave a step that will bear the spring load. 

I doubt I'll do any of this now, due to the problems with the arms.


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