C-1 shock tower bushing replacement

[Michael H.]

I bought new upper, inner control arm shaft bushings from Paragon, for my 1956. These are the ones that weld to the shock tower. My machinist removed the old bushings which leave an egg-shaped hole. The new bushings have a flat side and a side with a ridge. We thought that the ridge or flange might go to the inside of the tower, but the hole in the tower is too small. Does anyone know which side goes toward the tower and how are they best aligned onto the tower before they get welded?

[William C.]

(Message Deleted by Poster)

Message Deleted by Poster

[William C.]

Re: front suspension shaft

What bushings are you describing? The top shaft is directly threaded into the tower top. It fits very tightly and all movement is between the threaded areas at the outer ends of the shaft and the threads in the cups that thread into the upper control arms. In the old days, most of the service kits ad varying degrees of oversize in the area where the shaft threads into the tower to make up for and looseness that had developed over the years. I've measured sets that were as much as .025 oversize! Some kits also used to include a conical nut that was to be used with severely damaged towers, and the nut was tightened up against the tower and then welded to the tower to recreate a threaded area in a tower that had been damaged. Is this your situation?

[John H.]

Re: C-1 shock tower bushing replacement

Mike -

The upper inner shaft should look like the photo below when installed in the frame tower; this one has the original welded reinforcements in place.