> -----Original Message-----
> From: Michael Graziano [mailto:mgrazian@ltcm.com]
> Hey folks.
>
> 1: I'm replacing the bushings on the front sway bar and
> noticed that the
> two locators (stops) had different distances between them and
> the bushings.
> The passenger side had 1/2 inch and the driver had 7/8". And
> they were
> positioned between the bushings vs the ouside as in Moss'
> catalog. What is
> the correct distance, and should they be affixed on the
> inside, outside, or
> it doesn't matter?
IMHO it doesn't matter. I think (underline) that the locators were
an idea that was proved to be un-necessary. Set them up so that there is a
limited amount of side to side play, with the suspension at rest.
And the replacements are the Prothane
> Poly with that
> lubricant. Does the lubricant go inside the center whole of
> the bushing
> only, or all around them (inside and between the outside and
> the mounts)?
The lubricant goes between the steel bar and the bushing only.
> The rubber inside the balls on both links looks pretty dry as
> well. Should
> I replace those?
Check the end links rubbers for cracking. They are pricey, so only
replace if they seem likely to fail. If they do fail on the street they
will not cause a major catastrophe, so they are not a major safety issue.
If you drive the car at 9/10th and the link fails in a corner, you would
have problems. Under normal driving the loss of the sway bar action is not
tremendously significant.
>
> 2: What do they mean by a "burnt" valve? Are pieces of it
> melted?
A leaky exhaust valve has hot gasses pushing past it during
combustion, when it is closed. The hot gases will erode the valve edge
melting it away right where the leak was. It will look like a small mouse
took a triangular bite out of the valve.
And why would a lean mixture cause this?
Yes. Lean mixtures burn hotter than a normal mixture. A leaking
valve seat is more likely to burn the valve with the hotter gasses.
How can
> you tell if a
> valve is burnt without pulling the head?
No, or very low compression. Mouse bites play hell with cylinder
sealing. If you have a cylinder with no compression, you either have a
burnt valve, one that is stuck open, or a hole in the piston. Worn stuff
does not give very low compression.
A quick mechanic test is to shove compressed air down the spark plug
hole, with both valves closed. You will hear the air coming out the tail
pipe if you have a burnt valve. Air coming out of the crank case vent is a
holed piston.
>
> and 3: The Lower Prothane bushings package reads Midget till
> '74. I didn't
> think there was a difference from the '74 to the '78. Is there a
> compatibility problem? Planning on getting these done next weekend.
No, there is no difference. Just a typical case of vendor
mismarking. I guess we can't all be experts :)
>
> Oh so many questions......
Keep em coming, that's how we all learn.
Kelvin
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