After cleaning the front suspension parts, I laid them out to assess what needed to be plated, replaced, or repaired.

The main pivot shafts looked in good shape with only minor marks from the old fiber bushings. I polished up the hardened steel surfaces and cleaned out the grease passageways.

The outer pivots on the other hand were pretty bad. Lack of grease, and exposure to moisture kicked up by the tire probably caused this corrosion.

Luckily new replacements are readily available, covered in protective cosmoline!

The first step in reassembling the front suspension was to install the pivot bushings on the chassis of the car. The same tool I used to remove the old bushings was put to use drawing the brass bushings in place.

They went in very nicely and fit perfectly. The grooves in the bushing are the passageways for the grease to keep things moving freely once everything is assembled.

Even though these bushings were sized for the pivot shafts, they still needed to be reamed to size so the pivots would fit. Pressing the bushings in will change the dimensions of the brass, so cutting a few thousandths of material will be necessary for the shaft to slide into place. After reaming, I will be honing the last bit of material away for a perfect fit.