lower control arm question??????
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Freshman User
Joined: Mar 2010
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lower control arm question??????
I have a 51 ford straight axle,does anyone know about how loose the control arm be?if at all. It is connected to the drag link, and it looks like it may need a little up/down play. Its the control arm with the big nut that connects it on the driver side of the axle. thanks all
Posting Guru
Joined: May 2010
Posts: 2,068
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From: Moyie, BC Canada
I have a 51 ford straight axle,does anyone know about how loose the control arm be?if at all. It is connected to the drag link, and it looks like it may need a little up/down play. Its the control arm with the big nut that connects it on the driver side of the axle. thanks all
Cargo Master
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 2,571
Likes: 22
From: Oxford, Indiana
I'm with Mervy. The C-shaped steering arm should be TIGHT to the spindle with no movement. The shop manual doesn't list a torque spec for it that I could find, but it's probably on the order of 150 ft/lbs or more.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 16,188
Likes: 4,796
From: Burbank, WA
Just so we're all on the same page and have our terminology correct, a straight axle suspension system does not have a lower control arm. It sounds like you're talking about steering components, so let's see if we can figure out which one you're concerned with.
From the steering box, the sector shaft pokes through the frame rail, where the pitman arm attaches and is retained by a large nut and lockwasher. At the other end of the pitman arm is a ball that the drag link attaches to. The forward end of the drag link attaches to the steering arm, which bolts to the spindle. The spindle pivots on the axle ends via king pins. Connecting the left and right spindles is the tie rod. Aptly named tie rod ends screw into both ends of the tie rod.
None of these connections or joints should have any kind of excess movement or play. If you do, that is what causes sloppy steering, wandering on the road and poor tire wear.
Hope this helps.
From the steering box, the sector shaft pokes through the frame rail, where the pitman arm attaches and is retained by a large nut and lockwasher. At the other end of the pitman arm is a ball that the drag link attaches to. The forward end of the drag link attaches to the steering arm, which bolts to the spindle. The spindle pivots on the axle ends via king pins. Connecting the left and right spindles is the tie rod. Aptly named tie rod ends screw into both ends of the tie rod.
None of these connections or joints should have any kind of excess movement or play. If you do, that is what causes sloppy steering, wandering on the road and poor tire wear.
Hope this helps.
