I removed the lower A - arms and uprights. The bushings, rear axle bearings and calipers have all been replaced. I am struggling to attach the lower portion of the upright to the A - arm as the dust caps fall off as I move everything into place. Any tricks that help the process? Thanks Bruce32751
Replies sorted oldest to newest
They are a little frustrating, presumably you have plenty of grease on them which will help keep them in place?
That is a tricky piece to get back together. The advice I was given by a leading Euro expert after he rebuilt my upright was to use a screw clamp, such as a big 'G-clamp' to hold the dust caps in place and to compress everything enough to get it to slide into the a-arm and then when it is all sitting there, get the lower shaft in and take the clamp off. Not easy but I was able to do it.
Cheers, Tim.
Put duct tape around the inner side of the dust caps and they will stay in place. Then, you could remove the tape when the installation is finished.
There are two rather stiff rubber o-rings on each end that are the only seals in this assembly. You're trying to compress them both while sliding the 50-lb assembly in between the frame tabs. Compounding the problem are two tiny dowel pins that locate the thrust washers to the upright casting to keep them from rotating while driving. Most Pantera thrust washers have one or more dents where the washers fell out of alignment. The bar clamp is a good idea- thanks! I've always used 'brute force and awkwardness,' as my engineering professor used to say. Harbor Freight sells the clamps dirt cheap.
