Ted -
You were lucky to find this before it found you!
Just a guess, but I would guess that the original, tapped holes on the
control arm were stripped out at some point, after which the PO took the
path of least resistance, going for the through-bolt and nut approach.
Clearance may have been better with the orientation you found.
- Bob Mann, '69 2000 Solex
Teddy Seidenfeld wrote:
>
> Hello all from Pittsburgh (temp in the 50's and no sun today)
>
> I've run across a modification in the attachment of my left front upper
> control arm and wonder if this arrangement is known to the list.
>
> The standard attachment for the upper control arm (according to what is
> displayed in the Nissan parts catalog), which fits what I see on my right
> front suspension, is to have the upper control arm secured by two bolts
> oriented as follows. The hex-heads face the center of the car (heads
> towards the engine). The bolts pass through the mounting points and screw
> directly in to the upper control arm. That is, the bolts point outward.
> (There is lock-washer under the hex head, along with withever shims are
> needed for alignment.)
>
> On the left front, however, I find a modified setup. Two 10mm x 50 mm
> bolts (8.8 strength) have been used (with added nuts) in the reverse
> orientation: with the hex-heads facing outwards and the bolts pointing
> towards the center of the car. This was achieved, it appears, by filing
> down the threads in the screw holes in upper control arm, to a snug 10 mm
> fit all the way through the control arm, and using nuts & locking-washers
> on the farside (where the hex-head is in the original design) to secure the
> control arm with the bolts.
>
> I found this out because one of those 10 x 50 bolts failed yesterday -
> while the car was still, fortunately. (Irrelevant detail: the bolt sheared
> half way down, just where the threads end. It appears from the rust
> pattern on the cut surface of the bolt that it had been cracked half way
> through for some time.)
>
> Does anyone know about this modified design for securing the upper control
> arm? I'm prepared to install two new (8.8 strength 10mm x 50mm) bolts to
> replace the one that broke and the one that I don't want to worry about
> following suit. I don't think I have much choice, I guess, since the
> threads in the control arm have been removed.
>
> Thanks,
> Teddy
> 69 2000
--
- R.W. Mann & Company, Inc. > Airline Industry Analysis
Port Washington, NY 11050 > tel 516-944-0900, fax -7280
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