I don't consider myself an expert on this (or any other topic) but I do have a bit of experience breaking sh*t, (especially sh*t that I made/modified.)
The cyclical nature of the loading of this joint and the very nature of what a failure would cause would have me approaching this task differently.
I would strive to encapsulate the bushing, and at first glance, that would not be so hard to do /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/dunno.gif
Take a piece of tubing in the approximately correct i.d., slice it in half to give yourself a "u" shaped piece.
Work that over a socket to get the correct arc to match the bushing
Drill some holes thru this piece and the shock body stick outs (for rossette's)
Bevel the edge of this piece and the shock body stickouts
Insert the bushing, and clamp the whole shitaree together using a long metal furniture clamp.
Heli arc (that's tig to you young'uns) the joint a little at a time, using an appropriate filler rod and a lot of patience.
You would get "some" penetration into the bushing shell, but the main idea is to surround the shell with the u shaped piece to cradle it.
Then, I would make an exterior strap in the correct arc to wrap the whole diameter of the workpiece, drill some holes to match what I drilled in the other pieces, and then I would rossette weld thru the holes to positively retain the bushing.
Done deal, with minimal heat put into the bushing, and maximium fatigue resistance.
... last the life of the car and then some!
With a little more work, one could also weld the u on without the bushing in place, then clean the weld penetration/irregualrity from the inside with a carbide.
broach the thing round again ( an impact socket a couple of thou undersize makes a good broach)
Hone to the final size, give the thing a couple of thou (not much, 2 or 3 thou) pressfit, and press the silly thing in.
then strap it, rossette weld thru the strap all the way thru the workpiece and down to the bushing shell to positively retain the thing ... and it's fawkin done
... can;t help but think there is an off the shelf urethane bushing that could be used in this application ...
Quoting H05TYL:
When we did mine we removed the bushes (ended up throwing them away and finding some nolathane ones to fit instead)
^^^ I like the way this guy thinks! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/applause.gif
Got a part number for the bushing you used?
Fabbing this up and then installing the bushing would make things a lot easier/cleaner/quicker to fabricate.
Brandon,
The fact that the stickouts don;t wrap around the shell at all does give me just a scosche of concern. Probably be okay, but I hate having even the tiniest worry when I'm flying down a dirt road at speed.
If you;re concerned about the set-up you have, just make a strap to wrap what's there, and rossette weld thru it in a few spots and attach it well to the stickouts.
It'll work just fine. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif
Be sure to tighten the lower bolt with the car resting on it's wheels!
That joint will wind up some as the suspension moves, and if you tighten it at full droop, it will pre-stress the bushing, leading to a shorter service life.