Wishbone/perch bolt slop

S

Sharmack

Member
Hello, I am rebuilding the front suspension on a 41 mercury. Upon removing the "perch bolts" one became really damaged and I was forced to purchase a new one. The one I purchased was supposed to be NOS but after I blasted it,(the entire unit was painted) it was definitely not NOS but a used piece that has just been painted. I don't really care that it is a used unit other than the fact that I purchased what was supposed to be a NOS item. Anyhow after I checked the fit in my axle with this bolt, there seems to be a little bit of jiggle in it where the other side is nice and tight. Will this be an issue and should I source another one? Or is it okay to run it like this? I have a lot of work into pulling this all apart and I want to do it right. Any advice is appreciated. I may be over thinking it but, this is the first time I have done this so I just want to be sure.
Thank you!
 
It should be a slight press fit. It may not be the perch bolt that is the problem, it might be the hole in the axle. They sometimes need to be "shrunk" down to fit. I know this often happens with dropped axles, they have to resize the perch hole in the axle. I'm not sure who all can do this procedure, might speak with one of the axle drop places (dropped original axles, not the repo places). I would start by taking carful measurements of the perch you have and see if it appears to be the proper size. You can also get a plain bolt or pin the proper size and use it to test the fix in the axle.
 
How does the pin from the other (tight) side fit in the suspect axle hole? If that one is also loose there, would seem to maybe indicate an axle problem rather than the pin?
 
I tried the old perch pin with the damaged thread and the fit was good. So im thinking it is the perch pin. I was wondering if some shim stock or something could be used in the axle hole to take up some of the slack.
 
As JSeery states it should be a snug fit. I'm surprised that yours came out so easy. Most require some work to get them out, years of rain tend to rust them in pretty good. That could be a clue to the axle bore being loose. I would first get a new perch and try it. If is also sloppy you might need to address the axle.
 
It was tough to get out (a real pain in the rear actually). I checked some aftermarket street rod type perch bolts in the axle holes as well and they were snug so I'm sure it is the new/used perch pin I purchased that was supposed to be NOS. I'm going to try to wrap the perch bolt with some very thin shim stock and I think that will take the slack up. My main issue was I didn't know how tight it was supposed to be. However, It seems that the general consensus is that they should be pretty snug but not super tight. Thanks for the responses. I think I'm on the right track.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top