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

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

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

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