I'm currently building up a parts inventory for a full suspension rebuild on my 01 V6 Sport. Against my better judgement I recently bought a used rear control arm from a seller on E-Bay. The arm was advertised as being in excellent condition, coming from a car with about 50k miles. Indeed the arm does look pretty decent - the all-important ball joint is nice and tight and still has the dust boot intact.
Now that I can see an arm not installed on a car, I realize what all the grease stains around my own rear suspension arm pivot points is all about: One of the two bushings is made of pretty solid rubber - this one provides the primary load bearing for the wheel hub - while the other is grease filled and permits some rotational flex. No doubt this is to allow some compliance and also provide a little rear wheel steer when under cornering loads.
In the case of this particular arm, one of the dust covers sealing the grease in (and the dirt out) is slightly torn. This is no real surprise as those on my car are shot to hell, and have been for some time. What I am wondering is:
2) Does anyone supply the dust covers, or something similar that could be adapted ?
3) What sort of grease is this bushing packed with and would it be worth repacking it prior to install.
Now that I can see an arm not installed on a car, I realize what all the grease stains around my own rear suspension arm pivot points is all about: One of the two bushings is made of pretty solid rubber - this one provides the primary load bearing for the wheel hub - while the other is grease filled and permits some rotational flex. No doubt this is to allow some compliance and also provide a little rear wheel steer when under cornering loads.
In the case of this particular arm, one of the dust covers sealing the grease in (and the dirt out) is slightly torn. This is no real surprise as those on my car are shot to hell, and have been for some time. What I am wondering is:
2) Does anyone supply the dust covers, or something similar that could be adapted ?
3) What sort of grease is this bushing packed with and would it be worth repacking it prior to install.
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