[Amc-list] 63 American suspension together!

[Tom Jennings <tomj@xxxxxxx>]

Got the whole thing in yesterday, and last night the UPS truck with the 
wheel cylinders came, so I might actually be able to drive it this weekend.

It all went together fairly easy, once I figured out the trunnion assembly 
biz mentioned earlier.

Though more looking at it, and hearing Franks' loosening trunnion problem 
made me study it more closely, and the more I look the less I like.

That lower arm is a design problem, period. Right where the heaviest load 
is, force in all three planes!, is a non-positive fastener. Non-positive 
meaning no retaining locknut, just the threads of the trunnion nut engaging 
the sheet metal arm. It's weak by design.

Big brakes and modern fat tires would make this a ton worse! You could 
apply forces to that lower trunnion that would have been impossible in 
1963. 9x2 brakes and 6.00 tires, there's your force limiting!

I did make one big improvement. The lower end of the shock mounts to the 
lower A-arm, with a through bolt and solid spacer. It's elegant, but that 
spacer also adds stiffness (fore/aft and twisting) to the trunion.

The spacer was about 0.75" diameter, and a bit corroded since it lives 
inside the bottom of the shock eye rubber.

I replaced it with a 1.5" diameter solid spacer. Now it provides real 
support for the end of the arm.

I made a shock mount for a stud-type shock (both ends) by weldin up a "U" 
shaped bracket that fits between the lower arms, mounting tab angle 
matching the "V" of the arms. It also somewhat stiffens the lower arm. It 
also necessitated moving the lower end of the shock inward about 2" (bad) 
but I got to drop it another 1.5" lower (good).

Now I gotta find a shock that fits!
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