Upper control arm damage?
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 1
From: Aussie expat in Saudi Arabia
Upper control arm damage?
Hi Guys, I pulled my passenger side front end apart today so that I can (eventually) replace all the bushings and ball joints etc. When I got the upper control arm out, I noticed the bolt in the end of it was missing!
Then I compared it to the driver's side upper control arm and noticed that when I lined them up at the edge (left hand side in the circle)
the other end didn't line up! The arm with the bolt missing is "wider"
I'm assuming I can get a replacement bolt ok, but is the control arm ok? If I replace the bushings, will the bolt pull the arm in so that it's the same "width" as the driver's side? If it doesn't, is the arm ok to use?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.
Then I compared it to the driver's side upper control arm and noticed that when I lined them up at the edge (left hand side in the circle)
the other end didn't line up! The arm with the bolt missing is "wider"
I'm assuming I can get a replacement bolt ok, but is the control arm ok? If I replace the bushings, will the bolt pull the arm in so that it's the same "width" as the driver's side? If it doesn't, is the arm ok to use?
Any help is appreciated, thanks.
Last edited by saudivette; Jan 19, 2007 at 07:02 AM.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 46
From: Raleigh North Carolina
It's a minor difference regardless... they'll be fine when you re-assemble them, assuming you don't Bubba them in the process.
FYI... there are special tools which can be fabricated or purchased that help you avoid bending the arms or messing up the bushing sockets during the rebuilding process. They can be seen in the GM service manual.
FYI... there are special tools which can be fabricated or purchased that help you avoid bending the arms or messing up the bushing sockets during the rebuilding process. They can be seen in the GM service manual.
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 1
From: Aussie expat in Saudi Arabia
It's a minor difference regardless... they'll be fine when you re-assemble them, assuming you don't Bubba them in the process.
Cool, I feel better now
FYI... there are special tools which can be fabricated or purchased that help you avoid bending the arms or messing up the bushing sockets during the rebuilding process. They can be seen in the GM service manual.
Cool, I feel better now
FYI... there are special tools which can be fabricated or purchased that help you avoid bending the arms or messing up the bushing sockets during the rebuilding process. They can be seen in the GM service manual.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Apr 1999
Posts: 6,134
Likes: 46
From: Raleigh North Carolina
People have made their own spacer tools out of pipe.... the pipe is "ripped" to obtain a U shaped profile.
The tools consist of:
1) an anvil which supports the bushing eyes on the outside
2) a U profile spacer for the upper a-frame
3) a 3 part U profile spacer set for the lower a-frame
... a spacer which has a notch cut in it for the cross-shaft tabs,
two small spacers to insert between the "double" bushing eyes.
I can send you pics if necessary.
Last edited by Tom454; Jan 19, 2007 at 10:22 AM. Reason: typos
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2001
Posts: 7,739
Likes: 630
From: Unreconstructed, South Carolina
Are you replacing bushings w/ OE type rubber? ... OR ... polyurethane? If poly ... and ... if outer shells ok ... you don't need to press anything out ... just hog out the old rubber w/ a hole saw & penknife & reuse the old outer shells & load them with the new poly bushings & new inner sleeve ... do a search here there's plenty about it (easy poly install). As others indicated, that's a minor width difference in arms ... I wouldn't worry at all.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Use a hole saw, long and deep, to cut out all the rubber from the outside of the bushing. It was a 25mm hole saw if I remember correctly...I can't remember why I had to use metric, but I couldn't find a standard size that fit correctly inside the bore and outside of the center shaft sleeve, but the 25mm worked like a charm. Once the rubber is all gone, it's an easy matter of getting the a-arm off. Then just tap the sleeves off of the shafts, and tap the outer shells out of the arms. Takes maybe ten minutes per arm.
Note: Make sure you remember which way you took it all off, because if you install the new bushings in the wrong order you won't be able to get the a-arm back on the shaft.
Tip: Freeze the new bushing over night, and when you are ready, it'll slide in a little easier.
Note: Make sure you remember which way you took it all off, because if you install the new bushings in the wrong order you won't be able to get the a-arm back on the shaft.
Tip: Freeze the new bushing over night, and when you are ready, it'll slide in a little easier.
Corvette Stories
The Best of Corvette for Corvette Enthusiasts
8 Coolest Corvette Pace Cars (and Replicas) of All Time
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvette Engines RANKED by Peak Torque (70+ Years of Muscle!)
Joe Kucinski
Corvette ZR1X Will Be Pacing the Indy 500, And Could Probably Race, Too!
Verdad Gallardo
Top 10 Corvettes Coming to Mecum Indy 2026!
Brett Foote
Top 10 C9 Corvette MUST-HAVES to Fix These C8 Generation Flaws!
Michael S. Palmer
10 Revolutionary 'Corvette Firsts' Most People Don't Know
Joe Kucinski
5 Reasons to Upgrade to an LS6-Powered Corvette; 5 Reasons to Stay LT2
Michael S. Palmer
2027 Corvette vs The World: Every C8 vs Its Closest Competitor
Joe Kucinski
10 Most Common Corvette Problems of the Last 20 Years!
Joe Kucinski
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
It looks like your upper shaft might be bent a bit...I don't know if it's enough to make a difference or not.
I managed to pry my bushing shells out with a cold chisel and drill hammer. To install the new shells that came with my Energy Suspension bushings, I stuck them in the freezer overnight, and left the arms out in the sun for a while. They hammered in fairly easily then.
I managed to pry my bushing shells out with a cold chisel and drill hammer. To install the new shells that came with my Energy Suspension bushings, I stuck them in the freezer overnight, and left the arms out in the sun for a while. They hammered in fairly easily then.
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 263
Likes: 1
From: 20,000 leagues under the sea
I just replace my upper A arm bushings for the same reason, lost one bolt and the arm slid off the shaft and cut the bushing. Luckily, it was in the driveway when it did. I just finished putting the new ones in, and this time I used loctite! There was a thread about bolts coming loose on poly bushings a few years back, and loctite was suggested.
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
I just replace my upper A arm bushings for the same reason, lost one bolt and the arm slid off the shaft and cut the bushing. Luckily, it was in the driveway when it did. I just finished putting the new ones in, and this time I used loctite! There was a thread about bolts coming loose on poly bushings a few years back, and loctite was suggested.
Do the poly bushings have a tendency of being more loose than the rubber ones?
Racer
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 263
Likes: 1
From: 20,000 leagues under the sea
Last edited by 68raggtop; Jan 28, 2007 at 09:23 PM. Reason: added search words used
Team Owner
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 23,831
Likes: 10
From: Springfield MO
St. Jude Donor '07
Team Owner
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 24,125
Likes: 15
From: Columbia Missouri
Thread Starter
Melting Slicks
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 2,084
Likes: 1
From: Aussie expat in Saudi Arabia
Not busy at work at all but busier than a one legged guy in an ar$e kicking competition at home. Just to make you sorry you asked...
Anyway, I'm waiting for a powder coating kit I bought to arrive so I can coat the control arms before I re-fit them. No mega hurry to have them stripped at the moment.
- Our band's first gig for the year is Valentine's Day and we are working hard to learn 15 or 16 new songs
- My son's band's first gig is this Friday (our Sunday out here) and I've been working hard with him (he's a bass God too)
- I've been making a backdrop banner for our band
- Me and my son have been making some models together
- I've been making and bottling my "refreshment" drink!
Anyway, I'm waiting for a powder coating kit I bought to arrive so I can coat the control arms before I re-fit them. No mega hurry to have them stripped at the moment.
