Installing New Control Arms

Wayne,

1. Upper inner pivot pins. You can elect to take a short cut and replace the bush only. Jack the car up, place it on stands and support the lower control arm to take the weight of the upper control arm. To remove the bush, simply put a spanner on the bush and unwind. This will remove the bush. Undo the two bolts holding the upper control arm and remove the wheel alignment shims, taking note where they were as they will need to go back in the same place. Remove the old dust seal (if it is still there) and clean the thread of the control arm of all the old grease, give it a good wash with degreaser, petrol, or Kero, whatever it takes to get it clean. Bolt the replacement upper control arm inner pivot pin back onto the crossmember, ensuring that the wheel alignment spacers are in the position that they were in when they were removed. Reinstall a new dust seal and install the bush, ensuring it is lightly greased on both threads. When the bush starts on the thread, you will need to manouvre the control arm to ensure that it is square with the thread. Ensure that as you screw the bush on, that the outer thread of the bush screws into the control arm, ensuring not to strip the thead.

2. Lower inner pivot pins. If doing both then it is easier to remove the upper and lower control arms. If doing only the lower, then it is not necessary to remove the upper control arm. To do this, remove the shock absorber, disconnect the tie rod end from the steering arm, remove the stub axle from the top and bottom balljoint, then remove the spring. Undo the upper and lower control arm bushes, this will allow the control arms to be removed.

Replacing the lower inner pivot pins. At this point you will need a special tool that screws onto the pivot pin to remove them. There are a number of ways that you can get around this.If you don't have the special tool, you will need to grind a flat onto two sides of the pivot pins and use a shifting spanner to undo them. Alternatively you can weld a nut onto the pivot pins and undo them that way. Another way is to use the old pivot pin bushes, drill a 1/2 hole and weld a 7/16 unf (thread diameter) nut onto the hole. This is similiar to the special tool and can be reused to allow you to re install the control arm pivot pins. tighten the bolt and undo. They do get very tight and can rust in there. You may have to revert to one of the previous methods to get them to budge. Check to ensure that at some point the lower inner pivot pin hasn't been turning in the crossmember and has been welded in place.

Clean the threads in the crossmember very thoroughly, lightly grease and screw the pivot pins in. Ensure that the lower inner pivot pins are tight, if not they will work loose and ruin the crossmember. Place the lower control arms back on the pivot pins, install the dust seals and install the bushes. Only put them on a few threads. It is better to put both bushes on as this holds the control arm square. take your time at this point, ensuring that the threads are lightly greased. Tighten the bush ensuring that the thread is going into the control arm and not compressing the control arm. You may have to place something between the control arm and crossmember to prevent this from happening. Reinstall the upper pivot pins in the same manner, reinstall the spring , stub axle, connect the steering arm joint refit the shock absorber. Then do the same on the other side.

Grease the upper and lower control arm pivot pins, ball joints and the remainder of the steering joints. You will need to get a wheel alignment done as changing these does affect the wheel alignment settings.

Keith