Does anyone know the dimensions of the bush tool?

IE:

Size of the entry end, size of the exit end, length/depth and how far down the taper starts?

A friend of mine just got big new lathe and we're thinking of having a go at making one/some.

RR

PM me with your E-Mail and I'll throw a pdf copy of my "complete" tool drawings across.
More than you need but its all there.
I think! Needs someone else to check them anyway.
My drawings are for one actually intended to be used with a pull screw as per the Laser tools "doesn't actually fit a P38" jobbie. Tried my set. It would work but nuts take a deal of turning to generate enough force to shove things in. Realistically a press is far better. Worst thing about press is holding things straight. Not quite got that bit sorted for doing on my own yet.

Or if you don't fancy making I guess I could box my bits up and send them by courier.

Clive

Cheers - PM sent :)

We didn't seem to have a problem holding things straight by hand at Marty's. They all seemed to go in well enough.

Only need to re-do mine as one of the tubes in the middle of the bush crushed when torqueing the mounting bolts up :(

They've sent me two new ones under warranty though :)

Drawings and blurb in your E-Mail.

Holding straight is really only an issue when working solo. Those arms get heavy pdq! The bend really doesn't help.

Clive

Ah but you're forgetting Rutland here is quite the radius arm whisperer!

Good news on getting some replacements sent out though. As/when it comes to needing to do mine I think I might get a couple spare, just in case.

I'm gearing up for this at the mo. I have 2 sample bushes coming in at 62.2mm (Bearmach) and 62.3mm diameter (just a generic one) , with a Borg and Beck one on the way - I'll probably give in and buy genuine, but I was curious as to the differences in construction of the various options.
I expect the hole in the radius arm is about 58.6mm. I have a 30306 taper bearing cup on order, which I'm hoping will get me from <58.5mm to >62.5mm, its OD is 70mm. I have ordered various washers through Accu to get to a 58mm OD which will allow me to press on the outer edge while not pressing on the inner (24mm OD).
Clive, I'd be interested in your pdf too.

Rgds, Rob

Hi Rob

PM me your E-Mail address and I'll send it all over along with the dimensions for the height sensor arm pivot pin. I make new stainless steel pivot pins as a matter of course. So far out of 3 sets of radius arm re-bushing jobs I've found two pins so badly corroded that the arm pivot wouldn't move any sense, two that were still free but well rust pitted and two that were, by garage standards OK to re-use. So looks to be a reasonable chance of finding unserviceable ones. By my standards all I found were useless but I'm an Inspector Meticulous type given half a chance.

My drawings cover more than you need if you do have access to a press. Although a force screw works its darn hard work. Press is far better.

Clive

I'm planning to use a threaded bar and my favourite piece of kit a DeWalt impact gun :o) Worst case I'll end up at the local garage and borrow their press, I couldn't quite bring myself to buy a press, yet...

Concerning the bush compressor insertion tool sizes mine goes from 69 mm Ø at the large end to 58.8 mm Ø at the small end. Taper section is about 16 mm long, angle approximately 6°. About 6 mm of parallel section at both ends. Whole thing is just under 30 mm long. I made it by boring through to small end diameter, adding a 6 mm deep recess at the large end size there cutting the taper until it ran out of the small end diameter. I didn't really bother control the depth of the parallel parts.

Its arguable that the plain big end diameter would be better made longer to give more support to the bush when first loaded. Might be easier to push bush through if the taper were made shallower and longer too. Made the length it was 'cos I couldn't be faffed to set up a longer boring tool. But it works well enough.

Clive

30306 taper bearing arrived today... the cup tapers from 63.8mm to 58.5mm with a height of 16mm. Cost £3-50, fingers crossed

ooh, using a taper bearing race is clever!

I haven't been and measured it up, but the Land Rover tool for the job that I have is about 60-70 mm long I would say - maybe a bit more.

At the top, the bush goes in maybe 10mm as a sort of 'hand tight' if you like before you need the press to push it in.
I press the bush into the reducer tool so it gets flush with the smaller end, and then line this up to the radius arm bore and then press it through from there.

If I get a chance/remember over the weekend, I'll try to measure up the one I have here for the large end/small end ID's and the length.

I've pushed the new bush through the taper bearing twice now, as a dress rehearsal, all good. I wound it through on an M12 bar using an impact wrench, no dramas, maybe 20 seconds? Next stop radius arms

What did you use as a pusher?

I ordered some washers M40 A type has a 58mm OD, and anything greater than M24 clears the centre of the bush. Have a look at Accu, good range of stainless washers several mm thick, I spent 5 or 6 quid on the washers

I did one radius arm today. Cut the nuts off the axle bolts, fortunately the bolts themselves were not seized in the metal core of the poly bushes. I drove the metal cores out on an M12 bar (have some 15mm steel pipe on hand, I only had copper, it works, just). Then I got a pry bar between the two halves of the poly bush and yanked, they came out whole, with a bit of persuasion.
I probably could have done a better job of clearing the rust out of the radius arm holes, but anyway I drove the bushes (used bearmach) in using an M12 bar/ an ebay chinese bush removal kit and through the 30306 taper bearing cup/ race. I put a jubilee clip around the top end of the bush (not massively tight) to stop it spreading under load. I put the lower nut of the M12 bar into a vice, with the radius arm on the bench. Last 10 turns I did by hand with a 1m breaker bar. One man job, no press needed, but made full use of my impact wrench/ breaker bar.

One bush drove totally true, one is maybe 1mm off, but I blame that on my poor prep of the radius arms, most likely.

Next time? I think I'll use a jubilee clip to attach my M40 washers to the bush "pusher" so that they don't slide about. The kits carry the right diameter but the core of these radius arm bushes protrude quite a long way and need extra washers to clear it without pushing the core or the rubber. Could be a 10 minute job to drive the bushes if I find the magic combo of washers/ pushers, and a better way to clean the inside of the radius arms, maybe with the grinding wheel on a dremel - a flap sander was pretty useless. I don't have a die grinder

The inside of the hole on my radius arms was really rusted with scale. I cleaned it initially with a rotary wire brush in a power drill, then coarse emery cloth, then the really laborious job of chipping the scale off with a hammer and punch, before cleaning it finally with emery cloth again. As it was taking so long to do one, Marty pressed my new bushes into a spare radius arm while I got the second one ready for the bushes.

I have used electrolysis to reverse rusting on parts. It is a lot easier. Just use an old battery charger and washing soda crystals.

Did the other radius arm today... bolts rusted into bushes, SDS hammer drill to release. Then poly bushes removed as above. I spent a lot longer cleaning the radius arms this time and as a result didn't need the breaker bar to wind the bushes in. the 30306 race does the job... c 15 mins per bush. Next time i'd get some 60-62mm OD washers too. Now i can get back to the AC

I have just bought a 30306 taper bearing cup/ race on Ebay. Thanks for the tip romanbob.
Did you weld a piece of pipe on it to act as a lead-in? or just use it as is?