Swing Lever Shaft Kit, Center Pin, Center Link, Installation

[Tcash]

Cutting the 1/2"-13 threaded rod down to 12 inches.

This is the layout to install the top bushing. Note I installed the thrust washer during installation, so the thick washer would bottom out on it and set the bushing installed height.

This is the layout for the new parts.

Showing installed order.

This is the old swing lever set up.

Using an 8" "C" clamp to put tension on swing lever while removing bolt. If you do not do this you will strip the bolt pulling it out.

Remove grease fitting with 8mm socket.

Tried using 20mm socket with extension and BFG (big freaking hammer) to drive bushings out. Switched to pressing tool and bushings came right out.

Lubed threads with anti-seize.
Using pressing tool. 36mm socket on top, top nut I put on finger tight. This makes it easier to add sockets as needed.
Double nutted on bottom, with pressing nut in the middle. Hold the top double nut and turn the middle nut to press in the bushings .
Kept adding sockets on bottom until top bush pressed out. Removed top bush, put 36mm socket back on and continued pressing until bottom bush pushed out.

Cleaned and lubed bore to except new bushings. Note bungee cords holding swing lever out of the way.

Old parts. Note rust and wear on top of pin.

Note shoulder on old bolt is longer. I would have liked to have used this again. But I stripped it pulling it out.

I measured old bushings before I pulled them out and noted the wear pattern was from the front to back direction on the bushings. So I filed grease relieves into the sides of the new bushings. Important: when installing bushings they need to be oriented so relieves are side to side, facing the wheels. Not front to back.

I used the old pin as a guide to start new bushing, with a few light taps of a hammer. Then I switched to pressing tool to send it home. Hole facing wheel.

Pressed bottom bushing home. Note Grease relieves facing wheels.

Pressing top bushing in. Top thrust washer installed to act as a stop to set bushing height.

Note I marked the bushing to orient the hole toward the wheel. Thrust washer installed and pressed bushing home.

Note top bushing sticks out to locate the thrust washer.

This made installing the seals so much easier.

Installing top seal. Thrust washer in the background.

Fitting pin seal and packing washer on pin. The pin seal will hold the pin in place while you line up the swing lever and "C" clamp. Crappy picture. You can't see it, but there is a groove in the bottom of the Swing Lever. That the seal packing washer sits in.

Lining up "C" clamp. Note the new pin protruded threw the swing lever slightly and required a washer to allow for this. The old pin wash flush.

Applied anti-seize to lock plate.

Using the "C" clamp to apply pressure to install the bolt. I might add I used an alignment tool to line up the hole. A big phillips screwdriver would work also.

Hope it helps
Tcash




Thanks to jerseylooker

Center Pin Bushings I
Center Pin Bushings II
Replacing the Center Pin
Swing Lever Shaft Kit Installation
Swing Lever Tool... homebrew?
How to replace centre pin for steering.
How to make your bus swing lever bushings real tight, no play

[Joey]

Nice!

I suggest to keep the wavy washer from the old set up as I find the new ones have a tendency to break shortly after installation...
_________________
Joey

‘60 Kombi - '74 Bus - '79 Panel - '65 Beetle

[webwalker]

Thanks for your fantastic contribution to keeping our rides on the road!

I'd love to see someone who is installing a new front beam perform all of this work while the beam is out so that you're not fighting to get a good shot while standing on your head underneath the car. (I've been there with ya on this; you need four arms.)

Maybe I'm the someone, but I don't need to take my front beam out...I don't think...yet.

Anyway, great job!

M
_________________
"Consistent maintenance with quality products is the cheapest warranty you'll ever need."
1977 CE1 Transporter Deluxe, Subaru EJ22, Skills Cooling, Steedle HD 091 w/ GuardT .82 4th
Click to view image

[highlandmurf]

Just replaced my center pin today.

A big thanks to this thread and others.

Just a couple of thoughts while it's fresh.

I had to press the bushings out through the bottom. I found that the shift rod did not give me enough clearance to use the 36mm socket up top.

I stripped the original bolt putting it back in. I would have preferred to use it, as it was a little different than the new one (smaller head, and a slightly longer shoulder)

I had to take the new one and thread it through backwards to clean out the metal filings.

The clamp may have misaligned the two parts of the swing arm causing the bolt to cock to the side.

I found rocking the swing arm while I fed the bolt in allowed me to get it in hand tight all the way until the nut came in contact with the swing arm.
When it goes in it goes in easy. If not, figure out what is wrong.



Gotta love when your new parts say West Germany!!!

Thanks again for the great write up.
_________________
1976 Westy Marigold Yellow
2.0 stock FI
My M-Plate

[knightsofni]

Excellent write up!
I found your pictures extremely useful.
Not to take anything away from your post, but some things I found were;

Your pressing tool looked great but I had no threaded rod so I removed the old bushings with a hammer and an old impact socket.

I thought that the top packing washer and pin seal were missing, however the PO put them on in reverse order and they were stuck up in the relay lever!
That would not have sealed at all! No wonder it was a greasy mess

To reinstall the new bushings I ground down the pin as others suggested, worked great.

I also had to heat the bigger top seal to get it on, I must have fought with it for 1/2 hr. In the end I put it on the grill of my work light for 30 seconds and it popped right on. RELIEF!

The hardest part for me was re-aligning the groove in the pin with the relay lever, I found the clamp got in the way.
Instead of the clamp I used a bottle jack under the pin to compress the spring. This allowed the relay lever to move freely for alignment.

Thanks again for your walkthrough it gave me the confidence to even start the job, and my steering is vastly improved
Knights
_________________
1978 VW Bus Westfalia 2.0L FI
72-74 Heating and Exhaust

[SGKent]

[guanella74]

I'm looking for just the seals to redo the center pin, not the full $50-75 kit.

Might anyone know where I can find the pin seal and the outer seal?
Huge thanks,

_________________
- Travis

1974 Westy CampMobile - the OG!
1979 Transporter
1979 Transporter
1977 Transporter
1974 Transporter
1973 Transporter
1971 Westy

[Professor Dred]

I'm trying to do this right now. I've got the pin out but I can't for the life of me get the bushings to budge. I've tried this setup and hammering on a socket but nothing is working. Any other suggestions? Bently says use a slide hammer but I have no idea what size it needs or where I should try to find one.
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'71 Westfalia Weekender - 'Rita'
1600 Single Carb
Rita's MPlate

[busdaddy]

A regular hammer and socket pounding up is just as good as the slide hammer pulling it down, no need for that.
If the socket you are using has a rounded edge where it's against the edge of the bushing it may be trying to expand it opposed to pushing it cleanly, find something with a sharper lip or grind the socket flatter. The grease fitting is removed, right?
_________________
Rust NEVER sleeps and stock never goes out of style.

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[Wildthings]

[Professor Dred]

Yes, the grease fitting is removed. I'm using a standard hammer and a spark plug socket. I will try to grind it but I've tried the back side that's pretty flat. Don't have a bigger hammer right now. I would think it would move even slightly. I do have an air impact hammer though.
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'71 Westfalia Weekender - 'Rita'
1600 Single Carb
Rita's MPlate

[Tcash]

[Professor Dred]

Finally got them. What a bugger. Hammer hammer hammer hammer. Those were in there tight. New ones are in. Working on the plastic seals now. Thanks.
_________________
'71 Westfalia Weekender - 'Rita'
1600 Single Carb
Rita's MPlate

[larryducas]

[SGKent]

[Professor Dred]

[Professor Dred]

I must also note, I've replaced everything dealing with the steering now except the gearbox and boy does it feel great. I have just an inch or two of back/forth play in the wheel and I've adjusted the gearbox to get rid of the click while still having tight handling. The true test on the road will have to be a while. I started trying to replace my torsion leaves yesterday but now I've decided to buy a new bundle instead of putting the originals back in. Also going to do my ball joints and wheel bearings while I'm there. There is 40 year old grease all over the place and the ball joints look horrid. After that, the whole front end will be new.
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'71 Westfalia Weekender - 'Rita'
1600 Single Carb
Rita's MPlate

[bwaz]

Thanks for all the tips... And just a reminder, for those of us who can be dim at times, the bolt that goes into the swing lever arm doesn't have a nut on the end, the arm has threads in it. It's been a few months between disassembly and assembly again, and I though I couldn't find the right nut and bolt. Wondering why the bolt won't go through, the tiny dollar store mirror I have to look into the hole showed threads!

[Paul Hoegemeyer]

Changed mine out Sunday your post was very good and helped me a lot. Thanks TCash
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1978 passenger bus FI. camper special engine
1986 Brazilian DC
1979 Westy waiting on a TDI
1970 beetle

[JaimeH]

I used this method last weekend to change my center pin. Thanks Tcash for a great write up.

The C-clamp fits under the shift lever in just the right spot. I had a clamp with a missing swivel and the ball end fit nicely in the divot at the bottom of the pin

I used extra leverage to reef the clamp tight

Threaded rod tool pushed the bushings in & out with ease
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1978 Transporter 2.0 FI, BA6
Special Thanks to Razor's Customs, Boscawen, NH