Ball Joints - 1973 Riviera Camper

[nakedfrog]

I was taking a detailed pic tour of the exterior and interior of my bus, and so was looking at everything more closely than I had before. This definitely stuck out to me:
Right Front wheel

Left Front wheel


I know very little about suspension stuff, as I haven't really dealt with it, but that left one sure doesn't look too happy to me. How critical is this bit? Should it be replaced before any more driving is done, or can it hold out until next week?

[Amskeptic]

How critical is this bit? Should it be replaced before any more driving is done, or can it hold out until next week?

Mine held out for 23 years and 421,000 miles
after I first noticed the boot was torn.
Clean the area out carefully like you would your Bassett Hound's ear. Do not drive crud into the joint. Then pack it up nicely with a plug of grease.
That will keep new dirt out until you are ready to replace the boot or the joint.
Colin

[Hippopotabus]

Hey Colin
Next week I'm geting my bearings redone as well as my ball joints and arms. Is there that much of a noticeable difference. The bus feels a little wobbly these days.

Never had em replaced. Damn things probably got over 500k. if not more.

[Amskeptic]

Hey Colin
Next week I'm geting my bearings redone as well as my ball joints and arms. Is there that much of a noticeable difference?

Well, my new Bus-Boys exchange ball joints + torsion arms ruined the feel of the car. They are now at 35,000 + miles and they are so damn stiff that wind pushes the car and it just keeps veering. No self-centering! I am still pissed too. Symptoms diminish when it is 50* out, they suck at 96* today on my way to Massachusetts. But I fear not that a ball joint is going to fall apart any time soon
Colin

[Hippopotabus]

No shite! I'll be picking up the bus today from the job. My mech said that the arms where fused together and that's what took the most time. I asked him about this stiffiness issue and he said that it shouldn't be a problem.

Did you also have the front end aligned when you where done?

[Amskeptic]

Did you also have the front end aligned when you where done?

I did my own alignment. You have two choices. Better tracking but more effort with less camber, or easier effort but more wander with more camber, I went with a tad more + camber.
Colin

[Hippopotabus]

I just thought this would be a good place to post my results on my new "front end". This is what I had done and I HIGHLY recommend it.

All new German ball joints
Front wheel bearings and seals
All new tie rod ends - German
Front end alignment

And what a huge difference. I was concerned about this tightness issue, but that never materalized. The driveablity is unfreakinbeliveable. Tracking is like some I've never experienced. But the big difference is when the Hippo hits a bump in the road..... =D> =D> It's like it never exisisted. I mean the bus actually takes a pot hole and no more kadunk kadunk. I wish I would've done this along time ago. Also "new" bearings + repacking them now has me turning down the radio. Before I had a mean hummmmm coming from somewhere below the vehicle. When we had it up on the lift he rolled the wheels and from the driver side wheels you could hear the scrrrrrr (sorry can't really make that noise) that would eventually form the symphony of road annoyance.

On a completely different repair. I brought the Hippo in because I had the wrong plugs in the motor. When I had the new motor delivered he was running to rich (break in period). So I had the plugs changed out (pretty sooty but not to bad) and the new ones that they put in was a colder running plug. I also had my mains brought up one size (155). At that point I had an LM1 put on the header to get it dialed to the perfect 12's. Well that may work for some but I now perfer to have a little more fuel (richer) in the system. Well make a long story short - I called up John at AC.net about my plug issue. He told me to go with a stock heat range plug he sells (NGK) and that should take care of your spark plug issue. Well we changed out the plugs and put the new ones in. I also had the mains brought down to the 150 size. I drove off and I was still having a "sputtering" issue on the idle circut. So I made a U turn and brought it back to Ken (Jansen Enterprises - Excellent ACVW / Weber Mech in Belmont - Bay Area). He said that something was caught in idle jets. So he pulled all the idles out and the only one that seemed to have a problem was the #1 jets. He inspected them and found a tinny tiny drop of moisture / oil (not engine oil) stuck in the jet. He carb cleaned it out, put it back in the carbs and BINGO - no more hesitation during idle to main transistion.

Sometimes it's the obvious little things that make a difference......

[Amskeptic]

And what a huge difference.
The driveablity is unfreakinbeliveable.
when the Hippo hits a bump in the road.....
It's like it never exisisted.

These are good cars, aren't they? The more you make it like new, the more their superiority to anything sold alongside them becomes apparent.
Glad you were spared the tight ball joints. . . I need to ask Walter for another set.
Colin

[Hippopotabus]

So Colin
Let me ask you a SOUND question. I had everything done on my front end as you can see; but, I have this low sounding groaning / wineing noise coming from the bus when it is on the freeway and making long sweeping right angled turns. It's coming from the back end but only occurs when I'm driving on the freeway.

QUESTION - I only had the front wheel bearings done.... Could the rear wheel bearing's be causing this. Also I noticed rusty dust on my drivers side tire rim.

Maybe its a dragging shoe. But me thinks it's more like bearings.

Let me know when you have the time.

[Amskeptic]

I have this low sounding groaning / whineing noise coming from the bus when it is on the freeway and making long sweeping right angled turns. It's coming from the back
Also I noticed rusty dust on my drivers side tire rim.

Yikes. Inspect. Inspect. Inspect. Inspect. You can pull the wheel and pull the drum with those little 11mm bolts easily enough. Get the left side wheel bearing housing/spring plate/diagonal arm up off the rebound stop to help your CV joint angles not be too severe. A bottle jack under the shock support will do. You will of course want the car chocked carefully and jack-standed and all that. Make a brief test of 3rd gear and engine at 2,000 rpm, declutch and kill the engine and listen with driver's door open. If it is a growler, bearing time. It is possible that the bearing is already so terrible that the play has allowed the drum to eat the backing plate, that would be the rust-dust. No test is necessary if you see such things.
Colin

[Hippopotabus]

So check this out, the nut that has the cotter pin through it (wheel nut) was actually loose. It was starting to back out the pin. Bottom line was that it wasn't tighen'd down to the propper amount (I believe its something like 120lbs)

The breakpads where split and one of the wheel cylinder was starting to go. Bearings..... Blown and shitty with no lube.

More to come.

[Amskeptic]

So check this out, the nut that has the cotter pin through it (wheel nut) was actually loose. It was starting to back out the pin. Bottom line was that it wasn't tighen'd down to the propper amount (I believe its something like 120lbs)

The breakpads where split and one of the wheel cylinder was starting to go. Bearings..... Blown and shitty with no lube.

More to come.

More like 253 ft/lbs + whatever to line up the hole.

[Hippopotabus]

More like 253 ft/lbs

WOW! I didn't know it was that much.

[Hippopotabus]

NEW BALL JOINTs!!!!!