My dad has a friend who's an oil worker...he's spent a lot of time in Saudi. He said the weather really isn't much worse than August in Missouri.

Those control arm bushings are a PITA. Since they pin in the crossshaft on the lower arm, make sure you have it in the right way before setting the new ones in place. Ask me how I know...

 

I'm sure you know why for the same reason I know. I had to cut out a brand new bushing because I put it in the wrong frig'n side first. Sucks bad but Oreilly cut me a deal, and since the part was Moog, they swapped me one out under a warranty and I didn't even buy from them.

 

I worked on F5, F105, F111, T38, T37, EB66, and C130 engines while in the military. Also had runup and taxi license on most of them. A lot of fun!
Bernie

 

I have a jones for the A10. Love those jets. I had the G.I. Joe verson of the Warthog.

 

I figured mine out halfway on - I was able to pry the shell back out far enough to get the arm free.

 

That's why you're the master and I am the Grass Hoppah...

 

Hehehehe, nope. My cunning plan is to get someone else to do it. I really can't be arsed lying on my back for several days with the car on jack stands. Plus, if I bash my hands too much and remove too much skin, it makes it hard to play my bass!

However, any pointers will be appreciated so that I can tell the guy doing the job. What about the a-arm bushes? How can the bushes go in wrong and how do I avoid it?

 

I spent 15 years working on F111's. I love those big old beasties, there's still nothing with wings that can catch them at sea level! I was certified to ground run but we could never taxi aricraft

 

The biggest pointer...is pull the a-arms from the car. They're very easy to get out. Keep them oriented, so you know which is front and which is rear. Do one side at a time so you don't get confused.

A few tips. The new bushings should spend the night in the freezer so they contract. Buy a 1.1/8" hole saw that has no pilot drill bit, and has an aggressive tooth pattern.

With the a-arm in the vice, holding the cross bar, slice away the outer part of the rubber bushing to expose the inner sleeve. That's your guide to keep the hole saw from slipping off before it gets a good hold. It will only take a few seconds to rip through the rubber. The smell will offend you a little.

Once the bushings are drilled away, the a-arm will slide freely over the cross bar. Use a chisel to spread the inner sleeve and twist it off the cross bar...do this on both sides like everything else. You may have to tap the outer sleeve outward a little on each side to get enough room to slide the a-arm off. Once you do, you can easil tap off the pressed in outer shells. You'll understand as you go.

Installing the new ones goes in the exact same order as they came off. Use a vice and a couple large sockets to press them in a little at a time. They won't press right in though. Put a little pressure on it, then tap the a-arm towards the bushing with a ball hammer, and you'll see it move. Tighten the vice a little more, and tap more. You'll see it slowly walk into the bore.

Once you have the one bushing all the way installed...slide the open bore of the a-arm onto the cross bar first so the side with the bushing can slide onto the cross bar. Wiggle it into place, and slide the second bushing into the bore, and start it on the cross bar.

Now, being a flexable piece of stamped steel, you won't have much luck just trying to press int he bushing. You'll bend something. I found it worked well to place the arm into a vice, loosely so the arm rests ont he vice securely while the bushing can be tapped down into the bore. I used a socket, just larger than the rubber mushroom, but one that still rested on the outer sleeve's lip. Use this socket to tap the bushing down into the bore. You may have to tap hard. So long as you keep the arm supported ont he vice, it will press in.

Now, that's how you do one of them. The lowers are tricky in that they MUST be done so that the a-arm can slide onto the cross bar. It can only slide on one way, so make note of this before you install the first of the two bushings into the a-arm.

Pull them out of the freezer one at a time as you need them so the rest stay cold. Once you;re all done, clean up the a-arms and re-install them. Don't tighten the cross bar's end bolts to squish teh bushings until the a-arms have been re-installed and the car rests on the suspension. Once the suspension is holding the car's weight, tighten the side bolts to very snug.

I'll be happy to help more if you have any other questions. Enjoy, and keep a few spare tools laying around for the purpose of flinging when you get frustrated at them...and you will. It's a bear of a job.

 

Nah...I just got danged lucky.

 

I lucked out and got a cool guy at Oreilly to swap my trashed now one out for a new one in their store. The ones I ordered from ZIP were moog just like Oreilly, and they didn't seem to care that I didn't buy it there. They swapped it no questions. I pretty much destroyed it trying to get it back out after I saw that I put it in the wrong side first. Arrggg.

 

Thanks Matt. I may yet tackle it myself, I'll see how I feel after I come back from vacation!

 

Where are you going for vacation again? Will there be an abundance of atrtractive females in bikinis?

 

I have a nice little place in the hinterlands of Noosa on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

There will be LOTS of girls in bikinis, but of course, I'll only have eyes for this one...

 

Very attractive wife my man...*High Five*.

Now, would she be apposed to you snapping a few pics for us guys here on the forum? Tell her guys that appreciate Vettes also appreciate attractive females...

 

Thanks mate

I'll ask her about the pics - I'll see if I can get her to pose on the Vette next time I take it out and wash it...

 

That'd be cool, but don't push it on her if she's not willing. My girl said she will next spring when it's done. Can't wait.

 

I think she'll probably be up for it. I'll wait until we come back from vacation...

 

This has the potential for a good sticky on a more leniant site...I think here it will have to be hosted, and have the link PMed to people...

 

Would that be a no-no on here? I thought that bikini clad ladies posing tastefully near/on/in a Corvette would be ok?

I ran it past SWMBO (She-Who-Must-Be-Obeyed) and she was quite chuffed that I'd want to take some pics of her and the Other Woman then post them for all to see