Lower Control Arm, More Caster

So continuing with the blistering pace of this project...

Skimmed some funds from the "trail fuel" account and made a risky capital expenditure.
Three "heavy pattern" washers to look at, day dream about and play with. They are 3/16" thick.
Compared to regular washers.



After that feat I had another thought. I'll let it out before it dies of solitary confinement.
I figured I should be ready for a test fit next time the front end was apart. Problem, I needed bushings and could not justify raiding "trail fuel" again.

A few minutes on the wood lathe yielded some mock up bushings from stock on hand. And not just any stock, it's Ancient Kauri. The stuff is 40-50 thousand years old (not petrified). Dredged up from New Zealand peat bogs. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swamp_kauri



Exhausted

 

Hahahah
You describing the wood test/trial pieces totally reminded me of one off the funniest flicks ever made: Meet the Parents.
So many funny clips in that but this part where he chose a Bolivian wormwood:
https://youtu.be/ETC82KEplac
And this part where he salvaged the wood from an old seamen's chapel off the coast of Nantucket:
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/cb12e574-6154-4eb7-8768-fdbe8805a8e4#kEwaauP8JP.copy

 

Instead of the bolts, how about hot riveting?

Could you heat a rivet enough with a rosebud, and use some adapters on a shop press to put rivits back in place?

The should be stronger than bolts with more clearance on both sides. If there was to be contact top or bottom a smooth surface would be better than the bolt surface.


https://youtu.be/5aTL0Jvrf4I


On another note..
Do you have any ideas about installing the rear LCA bolt the other way so next time the rack doesn't have to be pulled to do the bushings?

 

I don't believe that works as the side with the nut is longer and thus hits the steering rack if installed backwards.

 

@Dirty Pool , Any progress or updates on this? I love this idea for gaining firewall clearance. Do you have any pics of it installed on the truck?

Going back to your hardware stack up, how did it hold up? It was suggested that you could weld this. Any adverse effects from welding on a forged part?