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I have extra 7/16 x 7/8 bolts from the upper arms that will fit, but I'm totally confused about why these don't fit anymore. I've spent all day on this, and everything I read says these bolts are supposed to be 1 3/4" long.
Any help is greatly appreciated.
If the 1-3/4" long bolts are the ones that came out, they should definitely go back in. My suggestion would be to remove the bolts and measure the depth of the holes to confirm that some foreign material hasn't gotten in there. A thread chase bolt or tap may clear out any obstructions.
The cross shafts are straight, and true. Both of them accept the bolts exactly the same depth on all four ends. A small rod inserted into the ends show the depth to be the same as the bolts, It just feels like the threads stop. I could understand foreign material in one, or two, but all four? and exactly the same? I had both sets bagged separately to begin with, but they got mixed up yesterday as I was trying to figure this out.
After drinking on it, it occurred to me to just completely reassemble both sets, minus the bushing bolts, and just see what bolts are left over. After a little more coffee I'll get to it, and let you know the results. Funny thing is, there are only 8 shoulder bolts total, and 4 of those are the wrong thread size, only leaving the four 1 3/4" as a possible mate. Pretty sure these bolts should be shoulder bolts. Every pic I see shows them to be.
So I've learned quite a few things this morning. First off, you can't trust everything you see on the innerweb. Who knew I wonder???
Next discovery was to learn that the triangle shape plastic tumbler media that is supposed to be good for cleaning nuts and bolts, without damaging the threads, leaves an incredibly hard to remove plastic film inside the threads on both nut and bolt.
I didn't take nearly enough pics.
I also just learned how to use the marker thing on photos. I could have labeled the bolts right on the pics so this would not have even been an issue. Live and learn I guess.
So anyway, the bushing bolts are deffinatly the 7/8" long bolts. The 1 3/4" bolts are the only ones that will bolt the cross shaft to the frame. Simple enough. Still not sure why they are not shoulder bolts, to try and keep the flow correct, I'll post the pics and stuff of the bushing removel, etc. before posting pics of the completed control arms.
I hope not, lol. There was not one on either side when I disassembled it. Doesn't mean it's not supposed to be there tho. Anyone know?
There is no washer on the inboard side of the bushing.
The metal cup that contains the bushing extends through the control arm and there is nothing for the washer to ride against.
After reading countless tips on removing bushings, and watching a ton of utube vids. I decided to try the air chisel method. I started with a sharp chisel, and just slowly worked my way around the bushing flange.
As the bushing came out, I used the shank of the chisel to get the most out of it..
My first plan was to use shims between the control arm and the bushing flange once I had maxed out the thichness of the chisel, But it wasn't needed. At this point, just a little upward pressure, and they popped out.
The most popular utube vid shows a quy dimpling, and smashing in the inner part of the bushings before trying to remove them, I didn't need to do this at all. The first one took me about 2 minutes to remove, the other three took about 30 seconds each. I bought the air chisel from Harbor Freight for less than $10.00 Even if the tool never works again, It was money well spent.
You can go ahead and tighten those 1-3/4" long bolts to final torque.
I don't have my Assembly Instruction Manual handy, but I remember those being a pretty high torque value.
The end bolts don't need final torque until the car is sitting at full weight.
I'd put some tape across those bolt heads with a note to torque them once the complete body and drivetrain are installed.
My next parts purchase will prolly be the front coil springs, and maybe wheels. Couple questions. I'm finding two different spring rates for the same motor. Any advice here is appreaciated. I'm going with the 1 1/4" front sway bar, and have decided on a 454 with cast iron heads, so it'll weigh alot. Heavy, or light springs? Pros and cons maybe.
Next is the wheels, If I go with 18" wheels, do I still need to worry about them fitting over the brake calipers? Also, how wide can I get away with without rubbing issues?
Thanks all for your support.
You can go ahead and tighten those 1-3/4" long bolts to final torque.
I don't have my Assembly Instruction Manual handy, but I remember those being a pretty high torque value.
The end bolts don't need final torque until the car is sitting at full weight.
I'd put some tape across those bolt heads with a note to torque them once the complete body and drivetrain are installed.
Since those six bolts are basically the only thing holding the front wheels to the car, and they are all grade 8, I didn't even bother looking up torque for them, just squezzed the heck out of them. After I get the car running I plan to go back and re torque all the suspension. Good idea about labeling the untorqued bushing bolts tho, thanks
My wheels are 18 x 8 on the front and rear.
There is a slight rub on the rear inside of the front tires at full lock.
You could probably go wider with the right offset - stock offset is 4"
I decided to go with the 474 lb. springs in the front. I never could find a definitive answer on the differences between the heavy, and light load springs, vs bb, and sb motors. So I just went with my own thoughts, bigger is better. To get ready to install the new springs, I cleaned up the spindles.
I got a little paint in the ball joint sleeves on the spindles.
This pic is of the upper ball joint after install. I'm worried that maybe this is not the correct ball joint. The nut is completely run up and no threads are left, but the spindle arm isn't even touching the boot yet.
These are new offset tubular uppers from VB&P, which came with the ball joints installed.
Anyone had any experience with these? Does the offset a arm make a difference? I'm thinking I'll just buy a new upper ball joint for a stock 77 and compare the two, but I don't wanna screw it up if the new a arms are meant to have slack there, plus there's no weight on them yet, I don't know, it just don't seem right. Once the front end is loaded with a motor, seems like there will be about a half inch of play between the upper spindle, and the ball joint nut.
Any help is appreciated.
Last edited by badapplegolf; Jun 18, 2017 at 09:33 AM.
