Desert Rat, didnt you have the original SLR steering setup with the old bushings before he changed to bronze(i think) bushings?

I bought my SLR steering over two years ago and am still running the original bushings with no slop or play in the steering.
I grease them every once in a while and SLR said that eventually you'll need to rebuild it and he sells kits for new spherical bearings, and replacement bushings. When the time comes I'll be rebuilding it, but not for a while.

I have the bronze bushings and have had them on my first and second SLR steering set-up.

The first one was fine with no play for over a year with keeping it greased and the second one (necessary for a longer centerlink) has had no issues.

Are the bushings from a SLR kit interchangable on the Calmini?

Not even close. The SLR is just a beefed up stock idler arm and the Calmini is a from scratch redesign.

Everything looks good when it's new. I hate to break it to you guys but bushings wear out. I seriously doubt that the material composition that you used for the new bushings is that different from the off the self bushings that you can buy. Bronze bushings don't work that well for limited rotation applications, they work best for spinning shafts. In the steering system they receive wear in the same spot over and over in an area that is receiving a huge load.

I'm sure that Calmini has the capabilty to build an idler arm that is supported by bearings that would be much more stout but it would be $$$. We all know that everyone would bitch about that.

If your new bushings work that's great but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I'm no expert but, read below and tell me what you think.

Originally posted by Xcited

As most (or all) of you know, a few of us here have the Calmini steering system installed in our trucks and have been having problems with prematurely worn bushings in the Idler Arm assembly.

Well, I have a new bushing/sleeve kit from Calmini for mine, but before I install it I gave it to Tin Man to measure up, analyze and possibly improve on (since he is in the metals industry.)

Upon analysis, it appears that the existing material is weaker less resistant bronze for the system than what it should be, hence the rapid wear. (CDA932 / SAE 660 Bearing Bronze is what it appears to be.) Also, the sleeve in the assembly is plain cold rolled steel.

Tin Man has things started and is having new bushings/sleeves made for us from better materials. The new bushings will be made from CDA954 Aluminum Bronze and the sleeve will be made from 316 Stainless Steel.

Here are descriptions and strengths of the old and new bushing materials:

NEW BUSHINGS: CDA954 Aluminum Bronze

Generally used for bushings due to it's resistance to wetness & non-sparking quality. The marine industry, explosives, petroleum as well as the mining industry all utilize this alloy. It has a heavy-load carrying capability, resistance to corrosion & retains it's physical/mechanical strength at higher temperatures.

Tensile Strength: Minimum 85,000 psi
Yield Strength: Minimum 32,000 psi

EXISTING BUSHINGS: CDA932 / SAE 660 Bearing Bronze

Bearing Bronze is a leaded tin generally used for general utility bearings & wearplates for medium speeds & pressures. Bearing offers good wear resistance due to an excellent lubricating property & can be used for impact/shock loading.

Tensile Strength: Minimum 35,000 psi
Yield Strength: Minimum 20,000 psi

Tin Man says that, if properly maintained (lubricated), we *should* never wear theese bushing out. We are having 20 sets/kits fabricated. Whom ever wants them from here can buy them, then the rest will be offered up to other owners in other clubs.

So what is that like $10 american?

Glad to see that someone is directly addressing this problem.
Does the different material affect steering in any way?

Tensile Strength & Yield Strength don't mean anything, in the application at hand. If that were the case, then the yield strength of the bushing Calmini supplies would be more than adequate.

Tensile strength is the strength at which the material first starts to give (aka, stretch). Yield Strength is the max. strength it has when it breaks. What you need is to find out the compressive strengths (resistance to crushing), and it's hardness rating (resistance to rubbing off the material).

Those are the strengths that matter in comparing the materials. And no, having a higher tensile/yield strength doesn't mean it will have a higher compressive strenght, anywhatsoever. Look at Concrete. It has an extremely high compressive strength (upwards of 50,000 psi and sometimes even higher), but yet has an approximated tensile strength of 0 psi (Hence the reason for steel reinforcement).

I did some strengths of materials and similar courses when I was in college, but I won't even begin to pretend I remember any of that...

Our member that spec'd these materials works in the metals industry and says this meterial should work very well for the application... I am going on that and since I have a set now installed I will see how they wear. If they suck, hey at least I tried. If they are better, well that's a start.

I DO understand that bushings will wear, that's what they're SUPPOSED to do, :rolleyes: but I'm trying to find a material that will wear SLOWER and not have to be replaced every 3 months. Once a year I could live with...

I'm just trying to find a way to IMPROVE the current situation.

Again, I am more than happy to cough up some cash for another 'prototype' if it appears it will work.

I am in the process of installing tapered roller bearings in mine right now. I have all the parts drawn up that I need to machine. Once it's done, installed, and been proven with wheeling abuse then I'll post more detailed info. It won't be cheap but it won't be a bushing either.

TK1, Did you install a spherical bearing (or equivalent)previously or was that someone else? I remember reading on another forum that someone machined a stock centerlink to accept a spherical bearing or some type in an effort to fix the stock centerlink problem.

Yep that was me. It worked good for a long time too.

Did it Fail or did it wear out slowly?
Also, depending on which state you live in, arent Heim joint (spherical bearings) illegal for steering components on DOT approved vehicles?

Im just curious since this option was mentioned.
Im not looking to do any of this, Im hapy with my SLR system, just wondering how everything worked.

The only thing that failed was the stock idler am bushings. The way it was built joe safety inspector wouldn't have a clue that there were spherical bearings in there.

The SLR steering has basically what I did but on both sides of the centerlink.

Sounds like a problem...If the arm you returned is still good, you should get it back...unless the deal was that they use the old one to make new ones somewhere, etc...and it never mattered in the first place...if the deal was you get the old one back eitherway, that's different.

The $300 deposit question is fuzzy too...deposit on what? What happens if the unit is good/bad or the replacement is good/bad?....etc.

(If it wasn't agreed to before the mess commenced, there's no way to hold them to it....maybe replacement of the NEXT one won't require a new deposit?)

I like Calmini stuff, I have the steering system, and no problems after about 7K so far...but I did order a set of the (XterraXcursion?) experimental bushings...which will arrive shortly.... to try out when/if the time comes.

I went with SLR for the rest of the truck, and have had zero problems with customer service or performance.

Good Luck!

Heim joints and spherical bearings are two very different things.

That's a good question, but I know that CA is pretty strict and I am running Heim joints with no legal issues. (that I know of )

I never saw this before but here is an advisory on SLR's website:

"Off road use is hard on bushings. Be sure to replace them when they show signs of wear"

What is the calamini ss. I need and decent lift for an novice wheeler.

I ordered and received a bronze bushing with stainless steel insert from Xterra Xcursions the other day to replace the Calmini Steering Kit's bushing.

My Steering Kit has gone around 12K now w/o a problem...I grease it w/Mobil1 Grease every 3K or so...but I ordered the replacement bushings just in case, given the documented hassle of replacing w/new Calmini parts, etc.

As Received:


Separated:


On End:


Hope the new bushing works better than the Calmini version! And - If nothing else, I have a spare bushing.

Dido on the bushings, got mine about 2 days ago.
Big thanks to Pete for setting this up.

I must have missed something, but how can I order this "improved" set of bushings from Pete/Xterra Xcursions? $$$?

Matt, you'll have to read through the thread again. I think the offer's on page 3 or 4. I forget but I think there were only maybe half a dozen sets made as protos and they're all spoken for. I honestly don't see anything different in the pics TJ's posted compared to the replacement set I got from Calmini. I even decided not to replace my old set after inspecting them(the old bushings) as they showed no signs of wear. Do you or anyone have pics of the Calmini bushings after they've failed? I'm thinking MY SS prob is actually in the TREs.
Edit- LINK to that thread.

DBAX - I'm going on Faith here, but, they SHOULD look the same, as they have to fit into the same installation...and the only advantage was supposed to be that a higher quality bronze alloy was spec'd instead of the softer version Calmini was using....so, that would be an invisible difference anyway.



Just wanted to remind you of that, as you were making a decision based upon the book's cover so to speak, and its my job to look out for your well being.