Tight Railko Bush

[willincalgary]

I am fitting new swivel balls and Railko bushings. The green bible states that the Railko bush should be "a light push fit" on the swivel pin. The new bushes were a moderate push fit on pin before they were pressed into the new swivel balls. After pressing I cannot get the pin to start into the bush on one side and the other side is a hard push fit into the bush.
Has anybody encountered this issue before with new Railko bushings? The green bible has nothing to say about tight bushes only words to replace the bush where the fit is too loose between the pin and the bush.
Any help would be appreciated.

[I Leak Oil]

What brand and where did you get the parts from? I helped a friend of mine with his a few years ago that had this issue. They were aftermarket parts (don't remember the brand). I had to grind out a little of the bushing to get them to work right.

[willincalgary]

Swivel balls are Britoart from our hosts. The Railko conversion kit is from Rocky Mountain Products (Vancouver). The conversion kit packaging is in my garage so I can't see who made it at the moment. I suspect it may be original Lsndrover parts.
I've read on other forums people having this problem and using fine sandpaper to adjust the inner diameter of the bush. Seemed to work out for them.

[I Leak Oil]

Britpart? Say no more......

[TedW]

I had this issue when I rebuilt my front end: There was no way the swivel pins were going to go in, so an ol' time Rover mechanic told me to take a Dremel tool and grind out the inside until I achieved the desired fit. Problem solved.

Handy hint: Grease everything good before assembly.

I also discovered that some Railco bushes come with the bottom thrust washer already built in, as my King Pins would stick up about 3/16" if I put the wafer in. Further inspection revealed that the washer material was already in there.

Your results may vary.

Ted

[willincalgary]

I ended up doing sort of as you suggest. The Dremel seemed a bit of a sledgehammer for the level of adjustment I required. I wrapped a deep socket with fine sandpaper and delicately worked the inside of the bush until I achieved a perfect fit. The socket allowed me to remove material evenly from the bush around the circumference and longitudinally. Interestingly I also found the shop that pressed the bushes into the balls did not completely seat them. As a result when I initially assembled the housing/ball I tightened down the swivel bearing fixings (with a few shims under them from disassembly) and found the bushes binding with the swivel housing. I seated the bushes further and all was well.
It's all installed and working marvellously. The new balls even hold oil without leaking!