Radius rod ball rubber cover mod

[Aretino]

How often do the radius rod rubber balls need to be changed? I know these rubber balls are subject to oil and wear. Just curious about the the rubber life expectancy. For now I will plan to inspect yearly and replace as necessary.

[Joe K]

Back when the balls were Buna-N they would be trash in a couple of years. Now, another rubber material is available (Viton?) with a longer life. But even so I would want to take it down and clean and re-grease every couple of years.

Snyder's shows the ball as Neoprene. https://www.snydersantiqueauto.com/P...dius-rod-front

Joe K

[Purdy Swoft]

Neoprene is suppose to be oil resistant , makes you wonder . Constant up and down movement and jarring oscillations can cause the rubber part to break up in time and use .The one in the coupe has been in use for over twenty years but if I took them apart I would probably replace the rubber ball after all that time . My roadster has used the rubber ball set up going on thirteen years .My thirty one tudor has used one over nineteen years but hasn't had a lot of miles . I haven't had to replace the rubber balls on any of these yet . I use the rubber ball set up on all of my model A's and love it . My cars don't shimmy or wander . As far as I have been able to tell the rubber ball doesn't effect front end geometry like some think . All of the model A's that I've ridden in with the original setup would have some shimmy under certain conditions . Metal to metal contact wears fairly quickly and wasn't one of Fords better ideas in my opinion . One oither good feature of the rubber ball is ease of installation and the worn slack they can cover up .

[Railcarmover]

No need to lube,they are lubricated by leakage from the shifter rails..its why you need to check your transmission level occasionally,folks accept a leak in that area,figure its rear main seepage when its actually 600w creeping out.

[Purdy Swoft]

I agree .

[Aretino]

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I will be curious how my 31 Coupe reacts with a new rubber ball. When I disassembled it yesterday the rubber ball was in two pieces and the rubber material was very soft. No way of knowing how long the old ball has been in service. I plan to install the new ball dry and monitor its condition frequently. Thanks for the comments.

[Badpuppy]

There are those who say to get rid of the rubber, it's an aftermarket add-on to compensate for ball wear. You might just replace the springs instead, as they weaken with age, maybe a couple of flat washers to increase tension, if necessary. Even a worn ball could last quite a while, I'd think. And there are replacement ball ends, if you trust your alignment and welding skills. I used lithium grease on mine to help prevent wash-off.

[ryanheacox]

Originally Posted by Badpuppy

There are those who say to get rid of the rubber, it's an aftermarket add-on to compensate for ball wear.

That’s one reason I think a lot of people have bad opinions of the rubber ball. If the radius ball is already worn the rubber won’t fit as tightly and you’ll probably still get unwanted movement of the radius arm. Also that movement will wear out the rubber much quicker. My radius arm has a good round 1.5” ball and the rubber bushing. I’ve never had any problems with it and I’m saving metal on metal wear.

There aren’t many “upgrades” I like but this is one of them.

[marty in Ohio]

I replaced the rubber ball on mine last year. I was getting 'KLUNKS' and I looked at the ball. It was probably put on when the car was restored in the 60's. It was needed and the repair was easy. The only hard part was getting that slippery rubber ball over the metal one.
Marty

[Badpuppy]

Originally Posted by ryanheacox

My radius arm has a good round 1.5” ball and the rubber bushing. I’ve never had any problems with it and I’m saving metal on metal wear.

There aren’t many “upgrades” I like but this is one of them.

Good point. Something to consider. I may order one.

[Joe K]

I've driven both and there is no difference in handling/performance.


Joe K