There is a thread going on Moparts about the recent Mopar Muscle article on suspension rebuilding, some interesting reading....
I had to add my two cents in on this one, it will be interesting to see how my idea is viewed.
Here is the link:

Moparts Suspension Thread

nice work doug! of course you know this means you'll be hounded with desparate pleas for a kit! another project! man is that back burner full or what!

-james

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Kinda looks like most of the owners on that thread are more into street performance then balls-out handling.

We will see if anything comes out of it, you never really know how people will react to these "bleeding edge" ideas, especially over on Moparts.
DD

That poly LCA topic is one that pops up from time to time and really has no right or wrong answer. Kinda like "Do I adjust my valves running or not?" and "Do I need hardened seats for unleaded gas?".

Give 'em hell, Doug!!!!

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Official Cookie and Mater Tormentor.

Doesn't look like they're interested in a solution; rather, they just want to prove their case.

Dutra Disks!

BTW, I just finished installing all front bushings and balljoints - I used Moog rubber. I don't know which is "best" but these sure are a lot better than it was.

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It's a Slant thing. Even I don't understand.

1974 Duster, EFI /6 soon to be turbo...

Get that Monkay! Get that nasty thing!!

Actually it looks like they just blew by your suggestion. I guess you need a 440 with Edelbrocks to be taken seriously. I think it is interesting that somebody asked if you could use a spacer on the T-bars to stop any movement.

For what its worth, I used rubber on the upper and lower control arms and poly on the strut rods. I also used poly on the rear springs. No squeaks from the poly, but the rubber biscuit on the top of one of the front shocks squeak. Go figure, I guess I need to soak the rubber in automatic tranny fluid.

I think some reengineering could be in order. It is a good goal to evaluate the design philosophy of the OEM front suspension and document how the system actually functions. The factory had to consider costs and manufacturing simplicity tradeoffs, many of us are willing to look into some extra cost tweaks when the results can be proven.

You know, when I disassembled my front suspension, I found it interesting that the only thing preventing the inner portion of the LCA from moving rearward was the rubber bushing/outer shell interface, and the rear t-bar clip.

True, hard whacks to the tire and whill will tend to move the inner LCA forward, not backward, due to the fulcrum action of the strut rod as previously mentioned on that other thread.

The "Dutra Disk", as I understand it, provides a firm stop preventing the LCA from backing off the spindle. Might have to order some

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It's a Slant thing. Even I don't understand.

1974 Duster, EFI /6 soon to be turbo...

Get that Monkay! Get that nasty thing!!

Interesting stuff, Doug. I may have a test mule for you coming up the pipe that will not see street duty....

Lou

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Home of Slant6-powered fun machines since 1988

The positive centering of the bushings is why I used the rubber. The poly can allow things to move around.

That's a pretty interesting concept. I read the Moparts topic and I'm impressed with the idea.

How does the Disk wear? Is there room in the LCA to have some sort of bearing/bushing material between the disk and the LCA socket surfaces? That might be a way to reduce the transmitted harshness.

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1965 Valiant Custom 100 Convertible

Bingo...OD440, the "how will it wear" issue is what I am worried about and currently testing.

This disc is trapped between the stationary LCA pin and the moving LCA lever / socket assembly. I engineered things so the screw threads are what move, the disc and screw should move with the LCA and turn in the threads tapped into the pin. I put some antiseize on the threads to keep them from freezing-up. The LCA does not move all the much, maybe 60 degrees total travel or 1/6 or a thread turn so I am hoping the threads don't wear / strip over time.

As for getting rid of that "metal to metal" harshness, one idea is to make the disk out of hard rubber or soft plastic, or even polyurathine. I even thought about using a tapered roller bearing and race but that was really getting into a bunch of special machining and would do nothing about the harshness.
DD

Sounds like a fun project. Just like anything else, there's bound to be comprimises. It all depends on how bad the harshness is.

Could another possible solution be to redesign/modify the rear torsion bar anchor to have a more solid method of locking the bar in, with a spacer in the LCA socket to prevent any forward/back movement? If you do run into wear issues, could this be a way around?

Has anyone looked under newer trucks with torsion bars lately? GM 4x4's have quite and odd setup... the LCA is bolted in at the pivot points, and the t-bar is mounted between the pivot point and the lower ball-joint (but closer to the pivot). I guess the torsion bar not only twists, but also moves in an arc... I'm not sure how Dodge Dakotas are set up. Maybe these new applications have ideas that can be adapted to our cars? (I'm not so sure about the GM ting though...)