V1 Sluggonaut's Extended Track #364 - 2007 SS/SC (Turbo) Donor

[Desert Sasqwatch]

Have you contacted QA1 to ask if this is normal? I would be asking questions about this, as these bearings have been inserted by most everyone successfully.

 

[Sluggonaut]

Wow, it just shouldn't be that tight. Any burs showing on the other side? I believe I put mine together with a small wooden mallet.

Nothing I can see, the shock ends and the bearings are very clean and well machined.

 

[Sluggonaut]

Have you contacted QA1 to ask if this is normal? I would be asking questions about this, as these bearings have been inserted by most everyone successfully.

I was going to call on Monday when they are open. I've not seen anything anywhere on our forum to suggest this should be a problem, so I was very surprised when mine turned out to be such an issue.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

I was going to call on Monday when they are open. I've not seen anything anywhere on our forum to suggest this should be a problem, so I was very surprised when mine turned out to be such an issue.

You may have mismatched set for your shocks, SAE on one side and metric on the other? The bearing races shouldn't have much more than approximately 0.005 inch interference fit into the shock eyes.

 

[Rttoys]

Wow. Ya. That’s not normal.

 

[Trail_Creeper]

What did you use to freeze it? Freezer, dry ice, liquid nitrogen?

 

[Rttoys]

Usually just putting it in the freezer is all that’s needed. These are not press fit, just tight fit.

That’s also how I pressed in Ottp control arm heim bushings. Freezed the bushing overnight and heated the control arm with a heat gun, but they are also pressed in.

 

[Sluggonaut]

What did you use to freeze it? Freezer, dry ice, liquid nitrogen?

Just put them in the freezer for a day and used a heat gun on the shock end.

 

[Trail_Creeper]

We use dry ice and nitrogen at work. For home I use dry ice from Kroger or similar. Works great. I've never had good luck with the freezer

 

[Lonny]

I would push it back out and see if it is digging into the sides anywhere.

Everyone of those that I have put in lately have gone in easiest with a heat gun on the shock end to warm it a little and then a gentle finesse.

 

[Sluggonaut]

I would push it back out and see if it is digging into the sides anywhere.

It is absolutely digging in, the bearing is too big for the shock end.

Everyone of those that I have put in lately have gone in easiest with a heat gun on the shock end to warm it a little and then a gentle finesse.

I've heated it with a heat gun to the point that it is hot to the touch and the heat works its way up the rod or the damper body (tried on both ends) and everything from lightly tapping, to pounding, to pressing with a vice.

I'm not sure what exactly 'gentle finesse' means from a technique standpoint, but I've run the gammit from gentle to hard pressure from a variety of tools with the same result every time. It goes in just a little and gets stuck where the outer circumference bows out. Getting it back out is easy because it barely goes in. I've stopped putting the first retaining ring in because I have to take it out every time I need to tap it back out.

I think I am going to shelve this until I have springs for them and then I'll revisit it. However, I'm not sure that will help as I have walked away and come back several times with no progress.

 

[Sluggonaut]

We use dry ice and nitrogen at work. For home I use dry ice from Kroger or similar. Works great. I've never had good luck with the freezer

If this requires dry ice or liquid nitrogen, that is utterly ridiculous. If a part needs more than a typical freezer and a heat gun on the mating part, it is definitely an interference fit and should be labeled as such.

 

[Ross]

Sandpaper wrapped around a drill bit... Sand/polish/scrape some material away. Measure, repeat until it isn't soooooo tight.

 

[Sluggonaut]

Sandpaper wrapped around a drill bit... Sand/polish/scrape some material away. Measure, repeat until it isn't soooooo tight.

For what these cost, I shouldn't have to do any machining to assemble them new out of the box. I'll see what QA1 says tomorrow.

 

[Ross]

Absolutely true. The parts should fit. I'm usually too impatient to wait.

 

[Sluggonaut]

Absolutely true. The parts should fit. I'm usually to impatient to wait.

I am becoming impatient too at this point, but I still don't have springs for them yet so I can't install them even if I get these dang bearings in. lol

 

[Lonny]

You might try a different bearing in that hole and that bearing in a different hole to rule out which one is wrong.

 

[Desert Sasqwatch]

The bearing outer race (the outer ring on the bearing) must have a snug fit to the shock eye so it doesn't rotate - only the inner race must rotate for the bearing to function properly. Taking material from the shock eye should be limited to removing the burr in the eye.
Just my opinion, but it appears the outer race is getting hung up on the snap ring groove in the shock eye. This is most likely because the bearing is cocked when inserted - the shock eye should be the same diameter all the way through.

 

[Lonny]

All of the QA1s that I have assembled have been a slip fit.

New video by Lonny Doyle

photos.app.goo.gl

 

[k.rollin]

All of the QA1s that I have assembled have been a slip fit.

New video by Lonny Doyle

photos.app.goo.gl

This was my experience as well. I have assembled two sets of these coilovers for the front of my build (used a longer damper for more ground clearance with 15" wheels), and the only tool I used for installing these bearings was the snap ring pliers.