Anyone 3D Printing?

[Diogenes]

I just "purchased" the plastic bushings for my Galaxie bellcrank/z-bar (frame side), and am disgusted by the price of these little bits of plastic. Are there any here that are familiar with these pieces and if there is a plastic material robust enough for a 3D printer. I have the new bushings and may set up a 3D printer to reproduce--any thoughts?

[MRadke]

If it's a round bushing, couldn't you get a chunk of appropriate plastic and turn it on the lathe?  I did that for the little plastic wheel on the window regulator on my truck because I didn't want to buy a whole new assembly.

[gt350hr]

   That's the way to do it. 3D won't take the load that a stick of Delrin or similar material will take . A screw machine could turn out a hundred in minutes cheaply.

[BattlestarGalactic]

Agree, 3D is not something you want to put a heavy load on. 

Depending on the actual OD and ID, you might find it ready to go at places like McMaster Carr?

[Diogenes]

It is not the round bushing. The ball stud on the bellhousing takes the round-ish bushing that is common on Cougars and Mustangs, but the frame side of a 66 Galaxie there is what I would call a plastic sleeve that wraps around the stud (two pieces). See the link below--sorry, I should've included it in the original post.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/324681359706

I know there are different plastics for printing, I'm just not very familiar with it; a friend of mine just bought a printer to work with and parts reproduction is something we've been discussing.

Hell, I should've carved a piece of hardwood--it would've probably worked just fine..

[cammerfe]

When I bought my '63 Effie, it used a bracket on the block with the ball you speak of. The previous owner, who'd swapped the '64 390 PI engine in---it had come from the factory as a six---used a bronze split bushing that I found listed as a Thunderbird part. I replaced it while tightening-up the clutch linkage. One put the split bronze around the ball and then pushed the cross-tubing over the OD of the bushing. But three or four months later, I needed to do it again. The ball was damaged to such an extent it simply 'ate' the bronze. I took the bracket off the block and removed the ball. I put a bolt through the hole left, slipped on a washer I made from a piece of bar stock Delrin---drilled the center on my drill-press and then put a bolt and nut through the hole and chucked it up in the DP and used a file on the OD until it fit in the tube. Pushed some grease into the tube for residual lubrication and put it back together. Was still just like that when I sold the truck thirty years later.

KS

[Diogenes]

When I bought my '63 Effie, it used a bracket on the block with the ball you speak of. The previous owner, who'd swapped the '64 390 PI engine in---it had come from the factory as a six---used a bronze split bushing that I found listed as a Thunderbird part. I replaced it while tightening-up the clutch linkage. One put the split bronze around the ball and then pushed the cross-tubing over the OD of the bushing. But three or four months later, I needed to do it again. The ball was damaged to such an extent it simply 'ate' the bronze. I took the bracket off the block and removed the ball. I put a bolt through the hole left, slipped on a washer I made from a piece of bar stock Delrin---drilled the center on my drill-press and then put a bolt and nut through the hole and chucked it up in the DP and used a file on the OD until it fit in the tube. Pushed some grease into the tube for residual lubrication and put it back together. Was still just like that when I sold the truck thirty years later.

KS

That is an excellent solution, one I will keep in mind if I have a bad ball stud. That material would work for this, though obtaining the correct form would surely be challenging. 

[fairlaniac]

I've made some in the past with these. Cut the width and drill a hole.
https://www.mcmaster.com/plastic-balls/wear-resistant-easy-to-machine-delrin-acetal-resin-balls/ You can look for different materials. I forget exactly which material I used. It may have been straight Delrin.