75LandYacht
Yank Tank
Great work.. I’ll send mine right over lol…
Right tools for the job! Rebuilt my front upper and lower control arms.
- Thread starter BAD69FURY
- Start date
Following - this is a job that I will be doing - have all the parts and the tools and the press ready to go. Great info!
Nice work! I had my buddy do my lowers since he has a press and I don't have room for one. I did send him the aforementioned thread and he was able to knock them out. Now I just need to pick up some cosmoline spray.
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
I bought all the parts for my next front end job over the Christmas break, and look to do it, God-willing, this spring. The bit with the 1 3/8" tap inspired me! I've chiselled my last LCA bushing casing I think.... Thank you for sharing this information with us!
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
Very pretty work, but I'm concerned a bit for the new upper control arm bushings when you torque that upper ball joint into the control arm! I recall reading somewhere that one shouldn't subject the upper bushings to this, as it may damage them.
mrfury68
Senior Member
Nice work.
BAD69FURY
Active Member
well theoredically its no different if you were to mount the control arm on the car and turn in the new ball joints. Unless of course you install the new ball joints first with the old bushings still on, then press in the new bushings afterward. I'll see how it goes, worst case I'll press in a new set of upper bushings after i install my balljoints if needed.
I find a loss in torque when using bushings as a mount, I clamp arm in vice with some protection. What I was thinking for your mounting jig was to do it when bushings are out of arm and using a a steel shaft the diameter of control arm bushing diameter with a slight give for slip install. No loss in torque or risk of beating bushings.
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
THAT'S THE WAY TO GO! Unfortunately, the bushings ARE in now, so some other means of securing the control arm against 125 ft-lbs of torque will be required. I used a crude, but effective method several years ago of sliding a long pipe into the bushing holes, using more pipe as a "cheater bar" then cranking the ball joint in.
Perhaps a triangular block of hardwood like oak, cut to closely fit the control arm on the "down side," with another block opposing it, all in a large vise could hold the plane of the control arm vertical, permitting use of a suitable wrench to then crank the ball joint securely in to the required 125 '-#. One can even screw, bolt or nail the 2 wooden blocks together for the purpose of holding that control arm in place for the big crank job.
Or one can fatalistically attempt to use the jig, and pray that the upper bushings won't be chewed all to hell, with a reserve set on hand if Sir Issac's laws assert themselves. If this course is pursued, I'd suggest having some alternative sleeves made for the jig for the SECOND attempt. But, in for a penny, in for a pound at this point! I'll pray to St. Joe for the OP that his work be blessed.
Lube goes along why for ball joint install.
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
Yassuh, it sho' dew! When cranking down an upper, it helps start the job. All the same, 125 ft-lbs on something that diameter sticks the things in fairly well, unless the control arm is worn out from too many upper ball joints being cranked in and out of that hole. I've pondered using tube frame uppers a few times, but damned well WON'T change the lowers unless they accommodate torsion bars.
Gerald Morris
Senior Member
Quick question for you: Did you use that 1 5/8" socket as a driver cup to press the bushing IN? If so, how oversized was it relative to the bushing diameter? I ask because as I tool up to emulate your example, I found two 1 3/4" 3/4" drive sockets, and a pair of 1 5/16" sockets as well, plus one 1.5 incher, but NO 1 5/8" sockets! Do I NEED to throw down for that specific size, or do you think the 1.5" will suffice? If not, would a 1.75" leave too much room for play?
Gertrude currently has miraculously GOOD alignment, but her rubber is 54 years old now! Every time I brake, I hear groaning bushings, and know my time is short 'ere I MUST replace everything in the front end. I got plenty of GOOD parts for THIS job, unlike my learning exercise with Mathilda in 2018, and, barring further catastrophes involving local drivers, I pray that the front end job I do on Gertrude will suffice until my wife entombs my mummified remains in ONE of our C body Mopars. God-willing, this be several decades down the Road....
P.S. Mind you, despite my amateurish work in the winter of 2018, Mathilda served us all very well until the disaster of the past September. Aside from botching the LCA bushings, (which might also have been old or otherwise bad rubber) and despite making her bow legged with toes pointing out (as Westerners used to be anyway) instead of knock-kneed with toes pointing IN as the FSM specifies, that old Newport made her way straight and true down these asphalt minefields, until she met her Nemesis. Still, NOW I look forward to getting it RIGHT the First Time on THIS Newport!
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BAD69FURY
Active Member
Yes I used the 1 5/8 to drive in the bushing. Not sure about your other sizes. I can only go by what I did. I installed the Moog K7006 upper control arm bushings and the craftsman 1 5/8 socket purchased at Lowes fit like a glove. See attached pic. The blue shows the outer diameter which drives the bushing in by pressing on the lip. The red shows the inner diameter of the socket which fits perfectly exact over the diameter of the bushing end. Cups it perfectly to press in.
66chryslers
New Member
Nicely done!! I hope I can repeat this thanks and do just as good. Apparently an old dog can learn new tricks!
Thanks for your photos they will be very useful.
Thanks for your photos they will be very useful.
66chryslers
New Member
Because the rubber slug came out so easily, it never occurred to me the sleeve was still there! I'll have to look at this again before I send mine off to powder coat.
58Belvedere
Active Member
Is this the correct ball joint socket for 1970 models? https://www.freedomracing.com/upper...hcL54bgllh__bF95VGAML81_WMu81oihoC2tAQAvD_BwE
Aquaman
Member
Ah, all good info for a job I am getting into now.
I'm pretty sure that one is too big, but I've been wrong before on this subject. The best thing to do is measure your ball joints to see what socket you need. This takes all the guesswork out.
58Belvedere
Active Member
C-3561 8034 Upper Ball Joint Socket Wrench Alt
Use this upper ball joint socket with a 3/4" drive for servicing 2-1/8" / 2-9/64" diameter screw in type ball joints.
If you have 1-15/16" / 1-59/64" screw in ball joints, use C-3560.
Use this upper ball joint socket with a 3/4" drive for servicing 2-1/8" / 2-9/64" diameter screw in type ball joints.
If you have 1-15/16" / 1-59/64" screw in ball joints, use C-3560.
I'm also working on upper and lower control arms. I removed the outer shell on the lowers by using a chisel and hammer to fold the shell inwards, with a stack of close-fitting washers under it, then pressing on the washers from the other side, re-folding the shell as necessary. At one point I drilled a hole through both sides and slid a screw driver through the holes, but the holes didn't hold up to the force.
I'm not sure if it's best to put the new bushing on the pivot shaft first, or press it into the arm first. I don't have a press, but I have a big vice, but maybe not big enough to press the shaft into the arm.
I'm thinking of getting the arms powder coated, but first I tried electrolysis with vinegar to remove the rust. Here's what that looks like:
The lower arms are hard to clean up with wire disks and such.
These arms are not on my '67 Monaco now, they're from a stub frame that I've taken apart that I'm preparing to swap into my Monaco.
What's the verdict on the lower arm stiffener plates? They seem all the rage on the interwebs. These don't have much play, I was thinking I was going to weld some plates but now I don't know.
I'm not sure if it's best to put the new bushing on the pivot shaft first, or press it into the arm first. I don't have a press, but I have a big vice, but maybe not big enough to press the shaft into the arm.
I'm thinking of getting the arms powder coated, but first I tried electrolysis with vinegar to remove the rust. Here's what that looks like:
The lower arms are hard to clean up with wire disks and such.
These arms are not on my '67 Monaco now, they're from a stub frame that I've taken apart that I'm preparing to swap into my Monaco.
What's the verdict on the lower arm stiffener plates? They seem all the rage on the interwebs. These don't have much play, I was thinking I was going to weld some plates but now I don't know.
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