All my dust boots cracked or split on my front end rebuild! I should have listened to you guys but I'm just pig headed! Thought I could save a dollar and get by with the rubber that came on the tie rod ends and ball joints. Nope! These lasted 18 months on the car and they never left the garage! I just ordered a set of polyurethane boots from Prothane. $25 shipped. I measured about 14 times to make sure I got the right sizes. Once they arrive next week, I'll slap 'em on to make sure they fit then I'll update this thread with the correct part #'s so others will have the info. Maybe next time I'll listen to the powers that be!
Mine look about the same and I've only driven to and from the exhaust shop. If the Prothane boots work out I would love to know the part numbers so I can order some.
Hmmmmm. Are you sure the ball joints were from India. Am I wrong?...........in another lifetime, wasn't India the go-to country for good rubber?? I ***umed all the bad rubber **** we've been getting the last decade or more was from China.!? I guess I'll know before long. I put new ball joints on my '57 in Sept of 2020 because they WERE from India, not China. Got them from Concorse I've said it before......I sure wish Rubbermaid would get into the auto parts business.
I've heard that most of the bad rubber is coming from India. The same with the rubber in Autozone motor mounts, which I have. When I dropped the motor in last week, I noticed the motor mounts were pretty springy. So now, I thought would be a good time to upgrade to some polyurethane mounts. Last time I checked, a few months ago, they were around $150. OK, I can do that. Guess what.......they've doubled! $300+!! I guess I'll stick the AZ mounts until they fail. Then I'll make a decision.
I had the India and China ones crack even before I drove the car. I pulled a 40-year old Dorman boot out of my hardware bucket and it is just fine.
For a 302-351 swap in a 54-59 car use these https://lmr.com/item/LRS-6038PR/198...eo&utm_medium=retargeting&utm_campaign=criteo I sent you this link in "Conversation".
***embled mine about 3 years ago and been on the road since last summer....Guess i better check mine. Thanks for the heads-up..Maybe i will do the same and pull the old ball joints out of storage and compare
Both China and India rubber is junk as they are neighbors it's sources are the same. Since Dennis Carpenter p***ed away and his son took over most of their rubber is now offshore sourced. This may help to explain why foreign rubber is junk. https://warco.com/rubber-imports-how-cheap-gets-expensive/ And where does India source their rubber from ? https://www.business-standard.com/a...ucts-jump-32-in-two-years-115100800724_1.html Looks like Malaysia and Vietnam. Very little rubber is domestic made, most of Steele Rubber Products is USA made.
The worst piece of **** https://cgfordparts.com/fresh-air-d...tor-52-54-p***enger-mercury-ba-7001878-c.html Are these as almost all vendors source these from Dennis Carpenter mine fell apart in about four months just sitting in the driveway. These run about $15 each from C&G and others and are very,very thin Steele used to also use Carpenter at one time but maybe they finally made their own see the price difference ? https://www.steelerubber.com/air-ventilator-seal-20-2964-31 So call and ask before you buy. You can order a catalog from Steele that is for the year make and model only like this example for a 1954 https://www.steelerubber.com/search...del=customline&style=2-door-sedan-6-p***enger
Maybe we should all ship our **** rubber pieces back to the sellers with a thank you note, and a backcharge for time lost. I realize they will never pay them,but it makes a point. I'm sick of paying for **** merchandise time and time again. And Steele Rubber may manufacture rubber parts in the U.S., but what rubber stock do they use to do that? Doubtful its from anywhere else than the others. Something needs to change.
The problem is likely not where the rubber is from, but rather what's added (or not) to it, such as carbon black and other chemicals. Proper formulation of the rubber is important. If the manufacturers are cutting corners it could be the cause of premature failure.
absoloutely correct. Shortly after I posted, I did a search and found this company in California that understands the problem. WARCO-West American Rubber.Co. Don't know how to post a link,but take a look at their website. I know nothing of "rubberology", but it would seem there is good quality rubber (general terminology) available to manufacturers willing to pay the price. How much of a price increase would you pay for a truly servicable part that would last 10-15 years? 25%, 50%? more? We can complain a****st ourselves, but that won't change anything. Perhaps with a concentrated effort across the restoration community, a company like Dennis Carpenter, etc, with manufacturing capabilities could be convinced it"s worthwhile to upgrade? Definitely a market niche waiting to be explored. Just some food for thought.
Likely, US made rubber probably has or had something proprietary in it that China or India has missed. Or some fine print in the recipe. This is done intentionally in industry to keep ahead of the compe***ion.
from the info I'm finding , the cheap rubber has 'fillers" of some kind added, probably to replace a certain amount of the actual rubber and its most likely done to make it cheaper to produce and increase profit margin. Could you imagine your tires being made this way? Wouldnt last very long.
Got my front end rebuild kit from these guys......... 1954-1956 Ford Full Size New Front End Suspension Rebuild Kit with Inner Tie Rods - www.a-resto-parts.com The boots I can deal with. I just hope the A-arm bushing rubber holds up! Time will tell.
Thanks, hope you have better luck with the A-arm bushings. I'm at the point of having to buy a similar kit, trying to weed out the junk, if possible.
If anyone is looking for NOS or NORS front end parts for their car.. you can try Pre60's. https://www.pre60s.com I picked all my rebuild parts for my 57 stuff from Shay.... he is a one man band and it takes a few days to get back to you.... but I have bought 2-57 Ford front end rebuild kits from him. He has a m***ive inventory of stuff. His website does not reflect his inventory. Just another resource.I refuse to buy offshore garbage..... sorry guys.I am not on the sub forums that much..... Jeff
I follow them on IG and will definitely look to them for boots and other NOS parts. My hecho en India balljoints, the studs were tight as a clam's ***. I like to turn the stud to make the cotter pin install easy.. but not with these. At the time of purchase, I had no NOS supplier.
Not to beat a dead horse, but a follow-up: The boots on the ball joints I installed 1 1/2 years ago as of this week show no signs of deterioration or cracking. I actually was under my car replacing a power steering hose, so got a good look. Mine were from Concorse and made in India.
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