New style idler arm bushing

[Eric]

So I'm all ready to put in my new idler arm bushing, the 'improved' style that's brass or whatever, but confused. The original rubber one is like a normal bushing, but the brass one has a larger diameter piece that's like 1/8" long, so it can only go in two ways, on the top where the large allen head bolt is, or on the bottom, where it'd touch the idler arm. So... anyone know which way? Called the guy at the VW shop where I bought it to ask one of their mechanics, and the guy didn't really know. Guess they don't get many supers.

I'd say against the idler arm (pressed in from bottom to top) cause you'd want the idler arm and mounting bracket to wear the brass down, not eachother.

And another thing, shimmies coulda/prolly came from a lot of places, but when I got it all apart, the ball joints were terrible, hella lot of play up/down. Also, since I'm replacing everything, the one thing that is worying (sp?) me is that the steering gear box has play in it, the shaft that goes into the pitman arm has a bit of in/out or up/down play. I remember seeing there's an adjustment, but I don't think it was for that.

[Steve C]

Hi

I've never fitted one of the newer bushes, I've always use the genuine type.

The steering box adjustment will take the up & down play out, but you must have the steering box centred to get the correct adjustment, original boxes had a centrering mark, you wound a special pointed 8 mm bolt into the tapped hole in the pitman arm and the point went into mark on the steering box base if it was centred, you can also use a M8 tap in place of the pointy bolt.

Steve

[Eric]

Ok so some info on the idler arm. My first mistake was not cleaning the bracket before I attempted to press the old bushing out. I didn't realize until it was too late that the bottom of the old style bushing has a metal lip on it. When I used the press, I rigged a large diameter socket on bottom and small socket on top to press the old bushing out. Well that lip just pressed against the socket and jacked up the old bushing and bracket. So the metal sleeve (outer sleeve) fused sorta with the bracket, and the bottom of the bushing's lip did the same on the bottom of the bracket (in nice 6pt socket shapes). I thought I was F'd! So I managed to seperate the lip from the bracket with a chisel enough for me to cut it off with a saw, then I pressed it out the same way no problem. Unfortuantly I think I crushed the circle a bit, cause when I pressed in the bushing, it was a little harder than it should of been, I noticed brass shavings on the way in, and now my bolt barely turns, infact I had to press that in the last 1/4". So it all works, but I think what spins now, is not the bolt, but the idler arm turning from between the bolt and nut. So I won't be driving this until I get the new idler arm asssembly. And not even for at least two months till I come home for good.

For those using a new style brass bushing, it pressed in with the larger diameter part on the bottom, between the bracket and idler arm. Luckily I did it the way that made sense to me, and not the way the stupid guy at the VW shop told me to, cause now that it's in, I have no idea how you would ever get it out w/o a special press/jig meant to do exactly that. Anyhoo, here's a picture of the bracket/mount and new brass bushing to help explain the orientation of the new bushing.



I'm going to get it. Maybe not this exact one, I'm not sure yet. Both cip1 and Topline, probably others make this. Though Topline has one with a built in zerk fitting to grease the bolt and service/prolong it's life. Unfortuantly they don't make one for the '74 Super with the built in zerk. So I plan on drilling a hole and tapping it and putting in my own zerk. There's some other questions I have about this, posted a thread on The Samba hope to get a little more info. If anyone else is interested, here's my thread there. http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=411204