Raff
Well-Known Member
Work on the wagon continues. I got the front end parts back from the blaster. I pressed out lower control arm bushings and ball joints with minimal fuss. The reassembly was easy and a quick coat of paint had the arms looking good.
The upper arms did not go so well. The ball joints weren't too bad. Just a big 3 foot breaker bar and the right socket made removal pretty easy. Installing the new joints was no problem. The passenger side upper arm bushings gave a bit of a fight but eventually surrendered. Installation was just the reverse after a little cleaning up of the pivot shaft. Unfortunately the same cant be said for the drivers side. The nuts on the pivot shaft were really seized. After lots of heat and pounding with the impact the nuts were off but the threads were badly chewed up. The bushings were just as much trouble. After much fighting the arm was apart but the area that the bushing goes onto was so crusty it's essentially unusable. So I'm now in need of a good driver side upper control arm and pivot shaft.
Ball joint persuader
the old parts
some new stuff
Passenger side done with sway bar also put back in. Still have to pick up some brake pads and connect the brake line
The upper arms did not go so well. The ball joints weren't too bad. Just a big 3 foot breaker bar and the right socket made removal pretty easy. Installing the new joints was no problem. The passenger side upper arm bushings gave a bit of a fight but eventually surrendered. Installation was just the reverse after a little cleaning up of the pivot shaft. Unfortunately the same cant be said for the drivers side. The nuts on the pivot shaft were really seized. After lots of heat and pounding with the impact the nuts were off but the threads were badly chewed up. The bushings were just as much trouble. After much fighting the arm was apart but the area that the bushing goes onto was so crusty it's essentially unusable. So I'm now in need of a good driver side upper control arm and pivot shaft.
Ball joint persuader
the old parts
some new stuff
Passenger side done with sway bar also put back in. Still have to pick up some brake pads and connect the brake line
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