should there be any wiggle between the idler arm and the bracket?

[peterm]

I'm changing the steering linkage in my '66 coupe because some previous owner put some goofy 6 cyl-spec steering linkage in my car. the old idler arm bracket has a hole rather than a post, so I went looking for a proper idler arm bracket.

I went to Mustangs Etc. in Van Nuys this morning, and all they had was a used bracket. They only had body-shop guys around so they couldn't answer this question that came up: I checked the fit between their bracket and my new (quick steer) idler arm and there's a little wiggle between the two pieces. My gut feeling is that it's not right, but does any one know for sure?

is the metal sleeve supposed to turn against the down-post, or is the twisting action of steering taken up by the rubber?

the ID of the metal sleeve in my idler arm is > 5/8" by .005-.015 (it's not exactly round).

enlightment would be greatly appreciated.

Pete

 

[Snail50]

not trying to be sarcastic, but are you sure that your car wasn't originally a 6?

Maybe the PO put a goofy 8 cylinder spec engine in the car, and left the stock 6 steering assy intact? (are the steering assys different on the 6 & 8s? I don't know because I've only owned V8 Mustangs.)

FWIW: when I replaced some steering components on my 67 (to include the idler arm) there was no slack whatsoever; everything fit very snug.

 

[Ozsum2]

NO!!! There should be no wiggle in any steering component.

 

[peterm]

OK, thanks for the confirmation. I'll see if someone local has a new one, or order one from one of the parts houses.

Re: 8 vs. 6. the VIN gives engine code "A" so unless they bothered to fake the VIN, the steering linkage was swapped. Honestly, I can't imagine why they'd do that. If someone did fake the engine code, they did a really good job of it.

So is all of the turning action of the idler arm taken up by that rubber bushing? that doesn't seem like a very durable design.

Pete

 

[Snail50]

that's a lot of trouble to go through to make a convincing fake...I think it'd be easier to just install the right steering linkage. good luck.

 

[peterm]

Yeah, there's really no point in faking an A-code.