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RE bracket kit for D44 front - UCA bushing question

Capt. Nemo

Capt. Nemo

NAXJA Member #904
Location
Southwest, US
My question is about the UCA bushings. The kit came with sleeves that fit in the brackets, and then it looks as though the bushings are supposed to fit in those sleeves. However, my bushings have a lip that is preventing them from going in. I've got to be missing something. I tried throwing the bushings in the freezer and using a ball joint press to get them in, but that didn't work. So, what am I missing?

You can see the lip in this pic:

REBushing.jpg


You can see how far it is going in before being hung up on the lip:

Bushinginaxle.jpg


No comments on the welds. Ya, they're ugly, but the penetration was good and the material was clean. First time using a stick welder.

Eric
 
Maybe try putting it in from the passenger side like in this picture. I think there is a certain way the bracket is tapered to accept the bushing sleeve?

AugFrontD44Update08.jpg


Shay
 
Hey Shay, that's MY axle! In any case, there are at least TWO UCA bushings made throughout the years. Some have a wider shoulder like the one pictured and some have a narrower shoulder. I'm guessing you should have the narrow shoulder for that particular sleeve. I believe some sleeves have a corresponding shoulder in them for the bushing to fit in. I don't have the part numbers for the different bushings handy, but try NAPA for them. I think they may have a "problem solver" bushing that has a different shoulder. Good luck, Jeff
 
Ron-
I had the same issue. I Dremeled a little of the edge of the "shoulder" off of the bushing, then popped them in! It took some doing to get them in there. :repair:
 
Thanks, Bill, I was hoping you'd chime in.

The sleeves are not tapered. Before welding, I tried getting the bushings in from either side with the same results. I was thinking about it last night, and I came to the same conclusion that Bill did - time to grind.

I think I'll run these just to get my rig back on the road, and then I'm probably going to get the flex joints. We'll see how the finances play out...

Eric
 
JKS has the upper sleeves that are machined with the proper step.
 
Capt. Nemo said:
Thanks, Bill, I was hoping you'd chime in.

The sleeves are not tapered. Before welding, I tried getting the bushings in from either side with the same results. I was thinking about it last night, and I came to the same conclusion that Bill did - time to grind.

I think I'll run these just to get my rig back on the road, and then I'm probably going to get the flex joints. We'll see how the finances play out...

Eric
Click to expand...

Mine looked exactly the same. You just need to press them in. That shoulder crushing as it goes in will keep the bushing tight. They were a b*tch to get started but as soon as they did they went in like butter.

I used a ball joint press to put them in.
 
What's the purpose of the step in the first place? Is it to keep the rubber bushing in its sleeve? Is it so that it is a tight fit in the bracket so that it doesn't move? I'm confused by why it's there in the first place.
 
Lincoln said:
Mine looked exactly the same. You just need to press them in. That shoulder crushing as it goes in will keep the bushing tight. They were a b*tch to get started but as soon as they did they went in like butter.

I used a ball joint press to put them in.
Click to expand...

My fingers can't type fast enough.

I'll try to taper the edge of the shoulder and use the ball joint press again. It makes more sense to me if they are a press fit, otherwise when the axle rotates, it's rubbing metal on metal. This would seem like a really bad design to me, especially since there are no grease fittings.
 
Capt. Nemo said:
What's the purpose of the step in the first place? Is it to keep the rubber bushing in its sleeve? Is it so that it is a tight fit in the bracket so that it doesn't move? I'm confused by why it's there in the first place.
Click to expand...

Those are the factory bushings and I'm not positive why they made them with a step. Every bushing going into those stamped sheet metal arms (GM a-arms too) have that step. When putting them together I've noticed that the far side (smaller end) has a lot less press fit than the larger side. I guess that means only the large end does the holding and the smaller side is to keep the bushing aligned.

A bunch of people figured out you don't need the machined step for the bushing. Just get a piece of DOM that the small end will slide through and cram that bugger together.
 
Capt. Nemo said:
My fingers can't type fast enough.

I'll try to taper the edge of the shoulder and use the ball joint press again. It makes more sense to me if they are a press fit, otherwise when the axle rotates, it's rubbing metal on metal. This would seem like a really bad design to me, especially since there are no grease fittings.
Click to expand...

Instead of grinding on the bushing, bevel the edge of the sleave on the bracket. Then run your ball joint press down really friggen tight, then wack the drive screw with a hammer, tighten some more, wack with hammer. It will go together.
 
Lincoln said:
Instead of grinding on the bushing, bevel the edge of the sleave on the bracket.
Click to expand...

I thought I should add some clarification. Don't bevel it much, just take the sharp edge off the tubing.
 
Lincoln said:
Instead of grinding on the bushing, bevel the edge of the sleave on the bracket. Then run your ball joint press down really friggen tight, then wack the drive screw with a hammer, tighten some more, wack with hammer. It will go together.
Click to expand...

I'll try that. There's more metal on the bracket sleeve, making it less of a chance I'll screw something up. I'm sure the heat from grinding on the bushing isn't good for the rubber either...
 
I must say that I disagree with you guys about jamming the bushing into the sleeve past the step on the bushing. In my experience, the bushing should be a press fit in the drivers side mount on top of the pinion on a dana 30. The bushing presses in on the smaller diameter portion and when the step contacts the mount, the bushing is in all the way. On the passengers side, the smaller diameter part of the bushing is a press fit in one side of the mount (assuming it is a non disconnect axle) and the stepped portion is a press fit in the other side of the mount. As I stated before, there are at least two bushings out there with different length stepped areas. In order for the bushing to sit centered in either the drivers side mount on a D30 or RE's mount, one needs a short stepped bushing as compared to the unit that was shown in the start of this thread. Jeff
 
They are a press fit! They take something like 30 tons of pressure to put in, They are made this way to fit tight into the bracket and keep the rubber in the sleeve. I didnt know this at first either, and ground on them a little so they would press in with a ball joint press and about a year later they worked loose, and were no good. Just press them in!
 
Jeff 98XJ WI said:
I must say that I disagree with you guys about jamming the bushing into the sleeve past the step on the bushing. In my experience, the bushing should be a press fit in the drivers side mount on top of the pinion on a dana 30. The bushing presses in on the smaller diameter portion and when the step contacts the mount, the bushing is in all the way. On the passengers side, the smaller diameter part of the bushing is a press fit in one side of the mount (assuming it is a non disconnect axle) and the stepped portion is a press fit in the other side of the mount. As I stated before, there are at least two bushings out there with different length stepped areas. In order for the bushing to sit centered in either the drivers side mount on a D30 or RE's mount, one needs a short stepped bushing as compared to the unit that was shown in the start of this thread. Jeff
Click to expand...

Jeff, you are correct on the stock mounts, but RE's kit using a piece of straight DOM instead of a tapered. It is a slip fit for the first part of the bushing and the step in the bushing gives it the press fit. I called them about this same issue when I built my 44. They provided the bushings when I bought the upper mounts.
 
The bushings are in. I slightly beveled the sleeve on the bracket, then used the ball joint press with a small amount of WD40. They took quite a bit of muscle, even with a 4' breaker bar - but went in just fine. Got the axle under the front of the XJ, now I've got to reassemble the spindles, hub assemblies etc...
 
Congrats on getting them in.
FWIW, all I did was use a Dremel and tapered the "shoulder" on the bushing a little so it wasn't such a hard step. I didn't remove any of the OD after the step, so the fit on mine's still REAL tight.
 
While I got ya'll who've done D44 swaps looking at this thread, Ive got another question and didn't want to start another thread.

I'm looking at this diagram: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billa...ded views.pdf and going over the instructions that came with the Warn Premium Hubs. My question is do I still use the pressure spring? My junkyard axle ('77 Ford D44 front and using the Ford hubs, spindles, and brakes) had one side of the selectable hubs missing, while the other one was complete and had the pressure spring installed. It seems that both the exploded diagram and the Warn instructions are saying not to use it, though it was installed on the one side of the axle when I took it apart. So, do I need to hunt down another spring, or do I not need them?
 
my Warn Premiums have no pressure spring... they've been doing fine for a year and a half now, and they were on my friends 1/2ton Chevy for several years before that without it. so I can't say for sure if it's supposed to be there, but it works fine without it.
 
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