roller pitman/idler
- Thread starter skywalker
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Opentracker
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- Feb 4, 2004
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From what I have found, the frame bracket on a 67 and up car is a bit larger (shaft size) than the early cars (65-66). They have the same mounting bolt spacing and size, so, you can put an early idler arm bracket on a later car, and use the roller idler arm kits on the market for the early cars. The kit from Cobra Automotive comes with a sleeve that will let it be used on more than one size idler arm.
John
John
Opentracker
20+ Year Stangneter
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I haven't tried to do a roller idler arm on a 67 and up car yet. I found a very old roller kit for one and it has double the pieces. It looks like to do a roller idler arm on a 67 and up car, you would need two kits. The frame brackets I have for the 67 and up cars are larger than the early cars.
John
John
Opentracker said:
Does that mean it will work on a '67+ size shaft?
haha i said shaft and size...
Opentracker
20+ Year Stangneter
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skywalker said:
I think you would have to use a idler arm frame bracket from an early car to make it work on a later car. The issue would be if the shaft size (ha-ha) of the drag link on the later cars is like the early cars or the size of the frame bracket on the later cars. They use two different bushings (upper and lower) on the later cars so the shaft size may be different.
The quick steer idler arm for an early car uses a bigger bushing than a regular idler arm. The Cobra kit fits regular idler arms without the sleeve. The sleeve they add is for a quick steer arm to take up the room left behind by the bigger bushing. The 67 and up cars use a different bushing than the early cars so it MAY work. It would take two kits to do a 67 and later car since they use two bushings rather than just one for the early cars. I wish Ford would have made them all the same. Some fabrication may have to be done to get it to work. I'm not sure how much. Someone would have to buy two kits and do the work to make it fit. I know it can be done but how much work or how much swapping in and out of parts, I don't know. The roller kit I have for 67 and up cars has a lot of the same parts as the kit for the early cars. It souldn't be too hard. I don't have a car to work with or the time/money. I've only done roller idler arms on early (60-65) Falcons and (65-66) Mustangs at this point.
John
Opentracker
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I did some research on putting a roller idler arm on the 67 cars. The lower bracket is for a 67 and up car, the upper is for a 65-66. The shaft size is the same, save for the tapper on the 65-66 bracket and the 67 bracket is a bit longer. The roller kit I have for a 67 and up car has the same bearing cups as the kits for a 65-66 car. That tells me that the frame side bushing on a 67 and up car is the same size (OD) as a 65-66 car.
So, you can use a 67 bracket with a roller kit for a 65-66 car if you use the washer and nut from the 67 bracket. That will however, not let you grease the kit with a grease gun since the rubber slotted rubber washer and slotted steel washer can't be used. I grease the bearings by hand before I put the kit's in anyway. If you want to grease the kit with a gun, you'll have to use a bracket from a 65-66 on your 67 and up car.
The issue with the other bushing on the center link I will have to let someone else do. I don't have one to work with but to the best of my limited memory, the shaft size is the same. I believe the roller kit's from the 65-66 cars will work if you grease the bearings by hand before putting in the kit. Then every year or so you would have to take it apart and grease it up again, if it needs it. Those bearings don't move much and don't get a lot of load. Nothing like a wheel bearing that get's greased after many miles of use.
That's it, sorry I couldn't help more. It will cost twice as much to put a roller idler arm on a 67 and up car because there are two bushings instead of one on the idler arm. In the cataloge I have they show two different bushings for the 67 and up arms on the center link side, one for PS and one for manual. The Cobra Automotive kit with the sleeve may work best on the center link side of the idler arm.
John
I just bought but have not installed a Moog idler arm for a 67 with p/s. In place of the frame bracket and bushing it now has what could be described as a ball joint it looks and is marketed as an improved design. I will post photos if anyone is interested.
scrutmonkey
Member
yah, take some pics and post them up. There's been alot of suspensiona nd steering threads recently. And new parts would be of interest I'm sure.
OK, here goes nothing.
I'm installing the Cobra Automotive quick steer kit in my 68. I'm using the 65/6 quick steer along with the 66 manual center link. I'm then attaching them to 70 spindles with the Baer Bumpsteer tie rod ends.
All in all, I'm told this will work, but I'll know in a couple weeks.
Along with that are going Opentracker's UCA & (67) LCA's and spring perches and www.streetortrack.com adjustable struts.
I'm installing the Cobra Automotive quick steer kit in my 68. I'm using the 65/6 quick steer along with the 66 manual center link. I'm then attaching them to 70 spindles with the Baer Bumpsteer tie rod ends.
All in all, I'm told this will work, but I'll know in a couple weeks.
Along with that are going Opentracker's UCA & (67) LCA's and spring perches and www.streetortrack.com adjustable struts.
I had stanger53 build me a 66 1 inch short sector shaft PS gearbox to fit on a 68 
Opentracker
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That's it. Just like the early cars. One bearing kit and your done.
If the shaft on the center link is the same size as the early idler arm bracket, it'll work with a 65-66 roller kit, or find a roller kit for some type of car with that size idler arm bracket.
John
If the shaft on the center link is the same size as the early idler arm bracket, it'll work with a 65-66 roller kit, or find a roller kit for some type of car with that size idler arm bracket.
John
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