pics of what you used insted of conewashers on steering arms

[diesel4me]

never knew they existed!!

I never heard of "Cone washer pliers"!..but leave it to OTC to be the ones that make em!...I used to call OTC the "Oddball Tools Company" when I sold them at the parts stores--seems they make more weird special use tools than most any other brand out there!..

 

[POWERMAD]

I have been posting about those pliers for years.
But most people would rather spend umteen hours beating the sh!t out of the arm than spend $9 for a set of cone pliers and be done with it in 5 minutes.

 

[chrisb420]

just figured i would add that anyone needing the cone washers the gm part # is 3965138 they call them adapters and list price is $11.46 each

 

[CyberSniper]

lol, somehow my D60 does just fine without cone washers. Locking tapered nuts are way better IMO. Anyone who has ever spent 6 hours trying to get rusted in POS cone washers out of a steering arm will probably agree with me. On the 60 ya just double nut 'em, lock tit'em and forget about it. Not sure why people don't do this on every other axle ever made but for some unknown reason toy / chebby half ton people "have" to use them. I have posted about this a few times on the pirate toyota board and have never ever seen a legit response as to why they'd be required over locking tapered nuts, assuming ARP or someone would make them. Considering how many "know it alls" there are over there... it seems that its just a matter of no one really thinking about it. I've never needed 'em for my k5 so I don't know if ARP makes a nut that would work.... but I wouldn't doubt it if they did.

of course, using tapered nuts would probably require the steering arm itself be machined for a proper fit. Most D44 x-over arms are probably machined to use the cone washers which are deeper than a tapered nut would be. In any case, assuming you could get the correct taper in the arm, know how to use locktite and to properly torque a nut, it'd be way better than those pos cones... which are sorta like the ugly red-headed cousin of the locking washer (another POS, but at least they come out easily!).

j

The tapered cone washers are there to make the arm "one with the steering knuckle". As you tighten the crush nut down on the tapered cone washer the washer squishes and wedges itself between the stud and the arm. It is critical that these two surfaces be completely clean... just like the surface between the steering arm and the knuckle needs to be perfectly clean and flat.

I have seen some companies selling studs with the threads too long. The cone washer needs to be contacting the shoulder of the stud, not threads.

Essentially, by doing it this way you are spreading the load over a larger portion of the surface. Instead of only putting the load on half the diameter of the stud you are putting it on more. Not to mention if there isn't a loose fit then there is less bending going on. It's the same theory as why a torqued bolt with two washers and a nut is stronger than a pin in double shear.

The reason why the cone washer is so critical is that it wedges itself in there. Compound that with the fact that you are relying on the friction between the steering arm and steering knuckle to actually transmit most of the force you need accurate preloading. It's kind of like how people use studs in the bottom end of a motor instead of bolts... far more accurate preloading (stretch). It's impossible to get this with a conical nut.

A mechanical engineer can probably tell you a lot more than what I just did.

 

[jekbrown]

then why does everyone running a D60 just used tapered nuts? Is it just a matter of the studs being large enough that you can torque them down more, creating more friction between the arm and knuckle and that its just "enough"?

j

 

[CyberSniper]

On a 60 the studs circle the pivot point... and there is one more of them. I think that has the most to do with it. I mean, the studs aren't all in a curve like a D44. With a D44 there seems to be a lot larger chance of the steering arm wanting to "roll over" in line with the axle tube. With the 60, you're pulling on 2 studs whichever direction you turn.. with a 44, you're pulling on the same 3 studs in both directions.

 

[72 SAC]

Here is the whole set for 20 bucks on ebay. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/GM-D...005460361QQcategoryZ42609QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

 

[88jimmy4x4]

just figured i would add that anyone needing the cone washers the gm part # is 3965138 they call them adapters and list price is $11.46 each

Thanks I needed that number. I ordered a tuff country steering arm and the bastages don't include new cone washers