Rebuilding front suspension

[mobileparts]

Than you for the kind words, Mr.Fury68.... I am one of us -- a regular guy with regular needs on my own cars, too...
I try to find some N.O.S. goodies -- spend A LOT of money to have some very spectacular stuff -- so that we all can benefit....
And appreciative people like you, Mr.Fury68 is WHY I do it!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[70Tom]

So, I started pulling my suspension apart this weekend. NOT a good time. I could see it being easy if the suspension had been apart once in the last 40 years, but that is not the case. Everything is either encrusted with 47 years of a combination of dirt and grease, or is just rusty. So, PB Blast and a large screwdriver to scrape off the crud has become my best friends. Another enjoyment is trying to remove the 10 cotter pins on various bolts. So, after about 6 hours, I have the passenger side partially disassembled. Hopefully my PB Blast has worked on a few more bolts and I might be able to get the passenger side finished off.

One other issue I encounter is, I can't get the upper ball joint out of the upper control arm, nor can I get the spindle off the upper joint. No amount of pickle forking or hammering will break it loose. So, at this point, I think I'm going to finish disassembling the suspension, then take the upper and lower control arms to a shop to remove bushings and the upper ball joints. They'll then go to the powdercoater to blast off the grime and the rust. I''ll then take them back to the shop to install the new bushings. I can see reinstallation going much better.

If it weren't for the rust and grime, this wouldn't be too bad of a job. Haha.

 

[polara71]

Tom, I just did everything minus the torsion bars within the last month. My car had 136000 .mIles on it and the most troubling part was the cotter pins... upper ball joints are a threaded twist off joint. These require a black pipe over your socket wrench handle for leverage. Bring your balls with you, the upper joint will want those in return.

The lowers? You can beat down on the joint if the P F isn't enough.
I feel your pain but it is well worth it in the end

 

[70Tom]

Tom, I just did everything minus the torsion bars within the last month. My car had 136000 .mIles on it and the most troubling part was the cotter pins... upper ball joints are a threaded twist off joint. These require a black pipe over your socket wrench handle for leverage. Bring your balls with you, the upper joint will want those in return.

The lowers? You can beat down on the joint if the P F isn't enough.
I feel your pain but it is well worth it in the end

I'll have to get a pipe to get some more leverage for the upper ball. I bought the correct socket for it, so at least I have that covered. That means I'll have to reinstall the upper, but that's not that big of a deal. I can just reinstall it once everything else it out of the way. Yeah, the lower joints are easy. And seeing as I am replacing them all, a hammer seems to do the trick.

 

[70bigblockdodge]

If you keep the T bar under load and suspension hanging, loosen the upper and lower ball joint nuts a few turns, then smack the spindle or lower control arm at taper and the tension will help pull it apart. A hammer blow at the same time on each side of spindle, the lower is hard to hit with 2 hammers at same time, crowded.

 

[polara71]

Keeping the fork wedged in there while beating on the top is what I was referring to. Not necessarily two hammer hits in two locations at once

 

[70bigblockdodge]

That's okay I don't own a pickle fork, but that's a different story.

 

[70Tom]

Back on wheels!