1950 front suspension

C

chopper york

Member
Evening all,can anyone shed a bit of light on how the front suspension works?i have stripped down a spare front end i have to rebuild and re fit on mine,firstly the bottom control/A arm where it joins the upright has no bushes anywhere! the closest thing i can find to a bush is a steel sleeve type thing,threaded internally and externally though the external thread is flat almost like a buttress type thread...the bolt that threads through the bottom arm/upright and is captivated by a large nut on the other side surly can't be the pivot? the whole thing is threaded from one side to the other! it can't pivot on that threaded bolt can it?
Also the top of the upright is similar in the fact that it's all threaded! and how do you set up the concentric adjuster at the top? i would guess it's for setting up the camber but how do i know where to set it?
it's a bit confusing getting my head around it...hope someone can help!!
Cheers!!
 
chopper york said:
Evening all,can anyone shed a bit of light on how the front suspension works?i have stripped down a spare front end i have to rebuild and re fit on mine,firstly the bottom control/A arm where it joins the upright has no bushes anywhere! the closest thing i can find to a bush is a steel sleeve type thing,threaded internally and externally though the external thread is flat almost like a buttress type thread...the bolt that threads through the bottom arm/upright and is captivated by a large nut on the other side surly can't be the pivot? the whole thing is threaded from one side to the other! it can't pivot on that threaded bolt can it?
Also the top of the upright is similar in the fact that it's all threaded! and how do you set up the concentric adjuster at the top? i would guess it's for setting up the camber but how do i know where to set it?
it's a bit confusing getting my head around it...hope someone can help!!
Cheers!!
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You are correct, the suspension pivots on threads! its all pretty self explanatory to take apart except maybe the upper outer pivot pin. there is a 3/8 bolt you loosen and remove, then remove both of the large end caps from either side, and after those are out use an allen on one side of the pin to remove it. it has left hand threads if memory is right. this pin is an eccentric, and used for alignment.
Ordering the new parts might help with making sense of it too, you're looking at about $300 or so. Its also a good time to rebuild the centerlink bar and brakes while you're under there, maybe the shocks if you feel like spending some money. No one makes a ball joint or other suspension upgrade kit for these. The only real upgrade I've found is entirely replacing everything to Jaguar suspension.


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Thanks for the reply,yeah i thought it pivoted on the threaded bolts,i have a slight problem with one of my uprights in that the odd type of thread in the bottom lug has almost gone and the threaded sleeve rattles in it,does the sleeve have to thread in tight?can it be welded in?
i like the idea of Jag front suspension...got plenty of them over here!! Looks a good job there,does it drive good?
 
chopper york said:
Thanks for the reply,yeah i thought it pivoted on the threaded bolts,i have a slight problem with one of my uprights in that the odd type of thread in the bottom lug has almost gone and the threaded sleeve rattles in it,does the sleeve have to thread in tight?can it be welded in?
i like the idea of Jag front suspension...got plenty of them over here!! Looks a good job there,does it drive good?
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Do you have a picture of it? Im having a hard time picturing what you mean. What do you mean by bottom lug? There should be zero welding required.

The jag suspension was actually cheaper (not counting labor at least). It drives wonderfully. I've had factory and the jag set up and it's worlds better. I did a 3,000 mile trip in July and it was a breeze.
 
jacob said:
Do you have a picture of it? Im having a hard time picturing what you mean. What do you mean by bottom lug? There should be zero welding required.

The jag suspension was actually cheaper (not counting labor at least). It drives wonderfully. I've had factory and the jag set up and it's worlds better. I did a 3,000 mile trip in July and it was a breeze.
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I was talking about the bottom eye on the upright,there is some sort of sleeve that threads into it,on one of my uprights the thread in the bottom eye? has worn to allow the threaded sleeve to rattle around...i was considering welding the sleeve into the upright..unless it needs to rotate in the lug...i know what i mean LOL...i'm not very good at explaining it!!
 
Ok, I think I know what you mean. the lower pivot pin threads through a sleeve thats at the bottom of the spindle. I would not weld it, I would find another used one. welding it could make the metal brittle, the weld could break loose, you could get the angle a degree off, etc. Not worth chancing when its an inexpensive part. Also, I know the small and big cars share the same part. Im pretty sure they used the same one on a lot of buicks.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/41-42-46-47...ash=item1c50f419b1:g:o7IAAOSwBahVJX3s&vxp=mtr
 
Thank you Jacob,that's $100 with shipping! the one's im working with here are a spare set i was going to re furb and swap with mine,it now looks like i'll have to pull mine apart off the car to get the one decent upright..cheers
 
I just replaced the lowers this year and stole the right upright from my 50. the new parts had a little slop between the bolt and insert. the insert to the upright did get tight.
 
LONG said:
I just replaced the lowers this year and stole the right upright from my 50. the new parts had a little slop between the bolt and insert. the insert to the upright did get tight.
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Yeah the insert on one of my uprights is very loose,won't tighten at all...thread has worn in the upright!
 
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