Roller idler arm questions for those that installed one.

dodgestang · Oct 16, 2005

Opentracker said:
The 67-up bracket is the one to use with this type of idler arm and this type of roller kit.

And it just so happens that you have one right?

There is also difference in Idler arms....original type arms are not as 'thick' as the aftermarket arms it appears you and I both have. It is nice to know that it can be 'made' to work without finding a new idler arm and just a new bracket.

Opentracker · Oct 16, 2005

dodgestang said:
And it just so happens that you have one right?

There is also difference in Idler arms....original type arms are not as 'thick' as the aftermarket arms it appears you and I both have. It is nice to know that it can be 'made' to work without finding a new idler arm and just a new bracket.

You'll be getting the one in the photo and you were right about the rubber thingee, it wasn't in there. My bad

John

66newbie · Oct 18, 2005

I am going to try this same swap this coming weekend....should I just go ahead and order a 67 bracket ? Maybe premature to say I can't get it to work but I'd hate to get all that done just to have to wait on a part since there's no place to walk in and buy it.

krash kendall · Oct 18, 2005

So, can it be summed up that to do this mod we need:

-'65-'66 idler arm?
-'67-'68 idler arm bracket?
-roller bearing kit to be installed in our parts?

I'm trying to get my car more user friendly for my wife and I would like to do this mod as part of an alternative to power steering.

Opentracker · Oct 18, 2005

The idler arms Nick and I have are from Mustangs Plus or the same type they sell. With that type of idler arm you will need a bracket for a 67-up car with a roller kit like the one they sell at Cobra Automotive. As Nick said, the original idler arms are not as thick and can be used with the 65-66 bracket. I've never had trouble putting one together. I must be by luck so far, using the right kind of bracket, kit and arm.

John

dodgestang · Oct 18, 2005

Opentracker said:
The idler arms Nick and I have are from Mustangs Plus or the same type they sell. With that type of idler arm you will need a bracket for a 67-up car with a roller kit like the one they sell at Cobra Automotive. As Nick said, the original idler arms are not as thick and can be used with the 65-66 bracket. I've never had trouble putting one together. I must be by luck so far, using the right kind of bracket, kit and arm.

John

Must be nice have a magic box of parts you can reach into and magically pull out the right item to cobble together a working setup everytime

My magic box is full of shipping peanuts.

Opentracker · Oct 18, 2005

dodgestang said:
Must be nice have a magic box of parts you can reach into and magically pull out the right item to cobble together a working setup everytime

My magic box is full of shipping peanuts.

Well, as they say, I would rather be lucky than good and believe me, it doesn't happen every time. I didn't know the 67 and 65 brackets were not the same length, I thought it was just the nut size. I try and learn something new each time I work on the cars. This forum is a great place to get my brain working.

On another note, a forum member sent me his old P/S idler arm from a 67 for me to try and fit two roller kits into. Each end is a different size. I found a kit that will fit the small end with some effort but not the big end. I'm still looking for a manual arm from a 67-up car to work with. When I find a way to get a roller idler arm into a 67-up car, I'll share what I find.

John

BullittFB · Oct 19, 2005

Hey John, I took off the idler arm from my 68 hoping to do the roller conversion, but mine looks completely different than yours, the bracket does not have the stud built into it, instead it has a hole and the stud is built into the idler arm. Is there a way to make these kind of idler arms work for the conversion, or do I need to get the arm and bracket like the type you have?
Thank you

BullittFB · Oct 19, 2005

The car has PS, but want to convert to manual. Is this bracket for PS only?
Thank you

dodgestang · Oct 19, 2005

there is no roller conversions kit for 67-8 cars.

ttoney · Oct 19, 2005

dodgestang said:
there is no roller conversions kit for 67-8 cars.

Exactly. But we all know how resourceful Opentracker is and are watching this thread for his new design or combination of parts bin leftovers to make it work.

Opentracker · Oct 19, 2005

BullittFB said:
Hey John, I took off the idler arm from my 68 hoping to do the roller conversion, but mine looks completely different than yours, the bracket does not have the stud built into it, instead it has a hole and the stud is built into the idler arm. Is there a way to make these kind of idler arms work for the conversion, or do I need to get the arm and bracket like the type you have?
Thank you

Well, this is getting good. That idler arm doesn't have a rubber bushing on either end, so it's a 'rollerized' unit and should work well in like new condition. Your center link must have a hole in it to mount the idler arm, rather than a stud like our 68 coup with P/S. I'm learning more about the newer Mustangs all the time.

The roller kits I'm working with slide over a stud. If the idler arm uses a tie rod end type of bushing, then there is no stud. Anything to free up the idler arm will work. If you can't wiggle the center link up and down with that idler arm installed, you win, no roller kit needed. It is odd that our 68 with P/S uses a idler arm with a bushing at each end and yours doesn't. We all know that Ford did some odd things to these cars and here's some proof.

That idler arm you have is what you want. Greaseable and smooth operation. For someone like me, I would have to replace the center link, idler arm and bracket to get what you have. I say put it back on.

I don't know if that's a P/S or manual set up. Are you going to put the manual conversion piece on the drivers side of the center link to convert it to manual or chage the center link? If it was me, I would add the conversion piece and call it good.

John

dodgestang · Oct 19, 2005

Thank you John

Many thanks again John.

Part showed up, I got home at 6:30, car was on the ground by 8:30 and a dinner break was included.

I also took a moment to slap the 255s back on the rear so I can drive the car tommorrow; short trip to local gas station first to make sure everything is ok and fill the empty tank and if seems fine....62 miles to the office...should make a nice road test.

BullittFB · Oct 20, 2005

That idler arm you have is what you want. Greaseable and smooth operation. For someone like me, I would have to replace the center link, idler arm and bracket to get what you have. I say put it back on.
That´s certainly great news.
Are you going to put the manual conversion piece on the drivers side of the center link to convert it to manual or chage the center link? If it was me, I would add the conversion piece and call it good.
I was thinking about changing the center link, but since you mention it, I´ll do whatever´s cheaper.
Thank you

John[/QUOTE]

BullittFB · Oct 20, 2005

The above response is just proof that I can´t use the quote function just yet. amnit:

ga1971mustang · Oct 20, 2005

Has anyone tried the conversion on a 71-73 model? Mine has the two bushings that slide over the center link stud and the idler shaft.

dodgestang · Oct 20, 2005

Road Test:

I just put the most amount of miles on the car in one trip since the accident. I had upgraded to 245 40 17 in the front and I had not completely 'felt' the car out with those on before my drag link failure and now this idler arm upgrade.

With the roller ilder the car seems much more responsive when turning wheel. Until getting used to the feel it seems 'easy' to oversteer the car into turns because of the effort differential.

With the 245s on the car the car does tend to 'track' a little...and living in the Northeast highway quality is low in spots with many valleys in roads caused by years of truck traffic...so while driving the car requires a little more driver awareness and corrections. I think this is the draw back of going to a more race oriented setup on the street...slop in the suspenion and steering IMO tends to hide alot of road imperfections and allow you drive more leasiurely whereas with the new 16:1, 245s roller idler, when the tires start to track and turn slighly to drop into a valley you can feel it in the wheel. When I was on parts of the commute that are brand new road surfaces.....the car was awesome. I did find myself slowing down on the older parts of highways that have lots of valley in the surface of the road and bumps/holes

Also....the IAS shocks I put in...officially ROCK. Car rides smooth as silk compared to the KYBs

latamud · Oct 25, 2005

Wow, this thread really took off. I have been offline for 2 weeks and went through widthdrawals. I guess its late for this, but another idea was to cut the idler bracket and weld in an extension to push the threads out more. Of course it would have to be a perfect and then grinded down to size.

66newbie · Oct 31, 2005

Ok...I preface this by saying I have never done this before. I started doing the roller bearing mod on my 66 after being inspired by this thread. I am still nervous about doing it but I figured this was simple enough to try. I have the idler arm bracket unbolted and the cotter pin and bolt off of the idler arm. On the other side (connected to the linkage) I have the pin out and the bolt off as well. That all that I can see holding it on but it doesn't slide off like I thought it would. I don't want to break anything so I thought I'd ask the experts. Do I just need to pry it off with a screw driver ? Any tips on removing the old bushings ?

dodgestang · Oct 31, 2005

Pickle Fork on an air hammer ussually works for me...others frown on this but its fast adn efficient.

Roller idler arm questions for those that installed one.

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