Technical Making pivot, what to use?

Making a 90 degree brake bracket, but need to make the pivot for the bell crank... Picked up some bronze bushings, some grade 8 bolts, etc., but not happy with the sloppy fit... What is everyone doing for a good pivot (preferably greasable)?

 

Show us a picture so we can help you engineer a solution.

 

I used one of ECI's 90 degree units. I could never fabricate anything as good as theirs.

 

Not only for this pivot, but for all kinds of pivots and bellcranks...

 

I can easily buy one, but I like to make my own and customize what I need... (I have more tools and time than money...)

 

I really like the bushing and pivot joint in the '37 Ford brake pedal that I'm looking to modify (no real wear after all these years), just not sure how to duplicate it...

 

Depending on the size of the bolt, a bushing too small in I.d. then install the bushing first then use a hand reamer to slowly cut the bushing until I had a nice fit to the bolt.

Then I'd drill and tap the side for a zerk and grease.

Or look on ebay for a greaseable shouldered bolt in a nice size and ream bushings to fit that.

 

I've found that bolts are not very accurate for pivots , their size is inconsistent and sometimes they are not truly round. I like to use cold rolled steel for shafts and pivots. Generally the tolerances are better . Larger diameter shafts are better than small diameter. .001 clearance on a 3/8 pivot seems like more play than .001 clearance on a 3/4 shaft. The pivot shaft on the Ford pedals is 7/8 to 1 inch. You can also use flanged bearings on both ends that have eccentric locking collars so there is no play. In the picture you showed the rod ends are in single shear rather than double shear. I try to put all pivots especially brake in double shear either by using a clevis or having two levers that capture the rod end between. If you have a lathe or access to one it makes fabricating stuff like this easier.

 

I made one from a junk brake pedal assembly. No sense in reinventing the wheel.

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Yes, Jethro nailed it. Cold rolled, or polished shaft. McMaster-Carr has a number of shaft and bushings options. I find cold rolled turned to size on my lathe and bushings reamed with a four flute reamer works for most things like this. I usually drill the bushings for the grease fitting before reaming, but have also added them after the fact.

 

If you measure the shank portion of a 3/8 bolt you will find it is smaller than a 3/8 rivet. The bolt is made to turn in a hole the rivet was made to fill the hole.. That was the explanation given to me by a machinist friend at one time.
You will need to do a bit of machining as others have said.

 

Why dont you use a shoulder bolt ? That's what there made for .Fastenal and Mcmastercar has them.