Control Arm spacer

[Highlander]

I had a clunk in the front of the '85, traced it down to the cushions where the swaybar connects to the control arm- Does anyone have the length of the spacer that goes between the washers and cushions? the local toy dealer wants an arm and a leg and my first born male child (of which I have none) for this little tube! I can reverse engineer it, but it'd be faster if someone had one in hand and could give me ID, OD and length. Then I could fab up some and if anyone else needs one, supply it. the blasted things are nothing but rust-even here in CO where its dry!
Anyone?

[takza]

Make some out of stainless? They just have to go over the threaded end...ID? Fit inside the swaybar end...OD? Length....controls how much the rubber gets compressed when you snug them up? Go to the dealer....have your calipers in hand...take a quick length measurement thru the plastic when his back is turned?

[Highlander]

Not in Stock! As I said, I can get there , it'd just be faster if someone had one in hand.

[ARCHINSTL]

Call Butler - they were $5.51 each in late '07 - I would not think they've gone up much:
http://www.tercel4wd.com/forums/viewtop ... way#p24528
Tom M.

[garyfish]

$6.75 each now thru Butler Toyota

+ shipping

collar -- part # 90387-14007

[Highlander]

Thanks for the link, Tom I called Butler when I realized what the problem was, and they quoted me the retail price- higher than my local dealer! I couldn't get on the forum at the time, so that's where I ended up. Thanks Guys!

[Highlander]

I finally got around to finishing this project up. The inside to inside dimension of the washers when installed is 1.84" , and the washers are dimpled (or offset) by 0.08" on each side, giving a tube length of 2.0" (or 50 mm). The ID/OD exactly matches 1/2" EMT so I cut a pair from some that I had hanging around, and they work great! the Yo d'or now drives, steers and and brakes straight as an arrow. With the new bushings the steering is tighter as well. Upside of the EMT is that it's galvanized, so it won't rust out as fast as what was in there (of which there was nothing left after 230k+ miles).
Just an update to let you all know that there is an option to the rolled spacers that Toyota sells.

EDIT for electrically-clueless folks like moi: EMT is electrical conduit, as Wikipedia reveals...
Tom M.

[takza]

Basically all that tube really does is space the rubber parts apart for the right tension? And protect the bar itself from the control arm? I thought of using conduit...wasn't sure it was as heavy as the original part though...wall thickness. I'd sure use it if I needed to. Good idea to use lots of grease on the bar ends and inside the tube?

[Highlander]

I used Anti-sieze on the threads, and spray silicone on the cushions, I don't like using grease on rubber, it causes too much deterioration down the road. Yes, the piece is just to set the distance from one cushion to the other and keep the control arm from wearing on the swaybar as far as I can tell from the dynamics of the front end.

[takza]

Axle grease will pretty much stay inside the tube since it is sealed on the ends by the washers? Helps keep the swaybar ends from rusting.