joe@vwvortex

other than a quick peek at them when I took off the strut bar and charge pipe.

GorTT

<ul><li><a href="http://www.dieselgeek.com/servlet/Detail?no=468">here's what i'm talking about</a></li></ul>

Russ Scott

spherical bearings out of my housings. My 15 ton press was at it's limit, it's chassis visibly distorting, and no go. It looks like the fix, bonding the bearings to the housings, works for something! heh... It didn't fix the noise though ;-)

I'd hoped to accurately measure the bearings, buy and replace them myself.


Subsequent conversations with Southern California Cylinder Heads on their sphericals revealed:

* as Joe stated, they're not recommended for street use (more below)

* there's a menu to choose from for both the material used for the housings and the quality of bearings

* the housings press into the LCA

* the rear bearing is substantially larger than H2Sport's

* the front bearing is sized for a MK 1 arm (smaller). I suspect a larger MK 2 sized bearing would be built, on request (Inquiring on another of his products, I was given the impression "custom" is a daily undertaking at SCCH)

* failing that /\ the front sphericals should press into a Defcon

* dust seals are incorporated, as standard

* Me: will they work on the street? SCCH: "NO guaranties, not recommended... that said, I drive mine on the street"


I've taken a different approach to the issue of the rear LCA bushing's durability, but if I do sphericals again, it'll be SCCH's

Go with all four (I did with the H2Sport's). IMO the improvement in grip and steering precision easily justifies the expense.

GorTT

I know all that - most of it's on their website; fully aware of the bearing assembly options, sizes, seals, etc. and the method they use to install/seat them, and the preferred application. I do have a plan and have discussed with them dirfferent ways to go, including custom lca's. They're a small one-guy type operation and I don't/didn't want them overwhelmed with too much on the board here.

On the H2S's though - my recollection is that the center/spherical assembly is *also* retained with a circlip which would explain the trouble you had getting it out. I think the enlarged drawing shows it. I'll try to catch that and confirm for you.

What I most wanted to do here was to confirm absolutely that it was in fact the sphericals and nothing else, and I've done that - now I can move forward.

Russ Scott

to press the bearings out. Sorry I wasted your time, it won't happen again

GorTT

the internet's funny, and I was afraid my response would come off rude - certainly no waste of my time to read any good response and you had no way to know; didn't mean for it to - realize though that I do pretty thorough investigation and study on these things also. ;-)

Glad you caught the circlip, but I am surprised that the press didn't punch it through - there went one avenue I was toying with exploring...

joe@vwvortex

Might try heating it to 250 degrees - apparently that is the loctites heat threshold

GorTT

given what Russ said about the center bond seeming reliable, one option I might try next is jb weld the assembly into the arms then see if I still get knocking. That hopefully would narrow it down to the center bond itself, or else 'just a characteristic of the bearings' in which case I give up.

joe@vwvortex

that with extreme angles due to drop - it simply doesn't have enough room to move without hitting it's limit.

Mine tend to get noisy after track days - and then go away shortly thereafter.

GorTT

and the city has dug up all the streets for sewer work, so driving out of my NH was/is no fun; whatever I can do to make it less painful is a blessing from the god of driving.