Ok.. having completed the rear end yesterday - that means it's time to plow forward and do the front end ASAP.

I fully intend on replacing: A-arm bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, idler arm, springs, wheel bearings, and front brake lines. I have all the parts in hand. (Soon to grace my front room like the back did.)

So... considering I personally did the whole rear end; u-joints, bearings, bushings and all - with just the AIM, a camera, and this forum - it now behooves me to ask... What am I in for up front? Anything I need to know before I just start taking it all apart? Can I leave the "radiator and friends" in place?

-W (no rest for the wicked - the wicked are sick of driving a Marquis)

 

I cannot begin to describe what a PITA getting the lower control arms off was for me. Now, after prettying up the frame, I am getting close to re-assembling the front end on my rebuild. Disassembly went okay until the rear bolt on the lower control arm, the one with the nut. The nut comes off fine but the A-Arm shaft wouldn’t slide off the bolt without turning the bolt. That bolt puts up a huge fight. I removed must of the accessories from the front of the engine and was able to get it with my impact wrench (625 ft.lbs.), an extension, and swivel socket. Still couldn’t get the bolt to turn without days of penetrating oil and trying to loosen it with a drill and air chisel. Got so frustrated with the other side, I took a cut-off wheel to the bolt and tried to drill it out of the A-Arm shaft…ended up damaging the shaft. The shaft on one managed to remove was bent and had to be replaced also… go figure. The upper controls were easy but I have a direct cool aluminum radiator so I didn’t have any issues with shrouding getting in the way. After I removed the nuts I used my impact wrench and an extension to coax the upper control arm bolts out.

One piece of advice, make sure the lower control arm supported so that it is not hanging from the bolts…if it is, it will only amplify the resistance.

Good Luck

Pat

 

I used to do front end & brakes for a living. I can tell you that when I did the front end on my C3 a few years ago, the job was a piece of cake. I made it easy on myself: Ordered new control arms from Van Steel - they are powder coated and come with new ball joints and bushings already installed. I put new 550# springs inbetween the new uppers & lowers, and set her back on the ground. I love it!

That being said, if you have an air chisel & a compressor, bushings are easier to do. But why fu#k with them when you can get new, powder-coated arms with ball joints & bushings already in place?

 

I changed all the individual componets but the brake lines pretty easy only setback was a Control Arm Shaft which needed replacement which I didn't have on hand. I had to pull radiator and shroud,and it was a real bear getting it back in.

 

I jsut finished my front end a few weeks ago. I put van steel tubular arms on with coil over shocks. It was simple! Did all new brakes, bearings, dust shields, bolts etc while i was there. I think the only thing I kept was the drop spindle and steering knuckle. Which i cleaned up and painted. The job is easy, get an air ratchet/hammer just in case, jack the front and go at it. Careful with the springs, i use the jack and chain method and they came right out no problem.

 

If you've done front ends on other GM cars before, this isn't going to be much different....

If you have the metal fan shroud, you shouldn't have to remove it, can't say for the plastic one. Rad can stay

 

Heh.... I'm a Mercury outboard mechanic - with a lot of hobby experience on Honda dirt bikes.
All I bring to the table are real good instincts and 32 years owning the same car.

-W

 

Lars wrote a paper on the front end,might be good to ask him to send it to you.
When doing the front springs weight is your friend so if you have the back jacked up you might want to put it on the ground or move the stands to the back.( If the engine is out its tough to use a floor jack. )

 

I wish i could say it the same thing but my C3. It wouldn't give up its lower control arms without a fight. I used VanSteel too. Sent the control arms and bearing assemblies to VanSteel for rebuilding. Fast service - can back powder coated - looks great. I went with the 460# spring to avoid harsh ride.

 

One of the best mods you can do to the front end is make it adjustable

I just did my A-arms this winter. I have air cooling to my 13.2 inch rotors because they get hot.

 

Thanks for all the input so far... I was going to start on it this morning - but someone's 90hp Force outboard shat the bed over the weekend - duty calls.

-W

 

Force...isn't that a cheapened version of one of the main brands ?

 

Force was originally made by Chrysler.
Brunswick Mercury aquired the brand and put thier lower units and electrics on them. But they remained cheap, and the powerheads retained the sucky Chrysler design.
Fortunately, they have been put out of thier misery now.

Mariner was the better Mercury "off brand" - usually just a Merc painted grey with different decals.

-W

 

Have you ever done ball joints before? With the wheel and brakes off. place a floor jack about 1/4 - 1/2 inch below the out side of the A-arm. Remove the sway bar. Remove the upper and lower ball joint cotter pins and nuts. Place a two pound sledge head against the side of the spindle arm near the upper ball joint. then whack it with another big hammer. The joint will pop out and the front spring will slam the lower a-arm into the jack. then remove the shocks and lower the a-arm. the spring should just come out. Remove the two verticle bolts holding the a-arm to the frame. Once you have the a-arm out, I media blasted mine. I used an air chizel to beat the old bushings out. My chizel was sharp so I ground it flat on the grinder wheel. You want impact not cutting to occurr. Don't try and press the bushings out unless you make some sort of jig to hold the ends of the a-arm. you don't want to take a chance of bending the a-arms in the bushing area.

I ended up having to machine the metal inners about .060 to get the bushing gaps right. Upon reassembly you don't want a gap, but you also don't want it to tight because the arm should move freely up and down when mounted.

The upper ball joints are factory rivits. Grind then off with a wheel grinder and knock them out the new ball joints come with new nuts and bolts. The uppers. take a picture and keep the shims the same order. It will need an alignment, but it will be close to what it was

 

No, but I'm not scared... I have my wits..... and you.

And now that my rear is done.. I have some "pavement creds" here too.

-W

 

I have a step-by-step tech paper on doing the front end rebuild - e-mail me for a copy. It uses the same techniques used by Van Steele and other professionals to do the job quickly and safely - I see gkull uses the same technique as I advise in the paper as well.

Lars
V8FastCars@msn.com

 

I have never been a flat rate mechanic. I had never even done a chevy rear end up until a few years ago. I'm more of a specialized race mech. My main job at the race shop is rebuilding exotic multi cammed 4 valve head Ferrari and Cosworth motors in a white room and then dynoing them. I do mechanical injection systems, weber carbs, Hewland 5 speed transaxles, and race setups for various open wheeled and bodied cars.

We only have 6 cars with American V-8's So it's kind of fun to work on them. I wish that we had more. 3 liter V-12s are nice and purr like a kitten, but injected big blocks putting out over 800 hp are more fun to watch and hear.

We had three cars in this race last year at the Monterey historics

 

Email sent - thanks!!!

-W

 

Lars I thought you lowered the spring from the inside of the A arm ( 2 bolt side) leaving the ball joint attached until the spring was unloaded ?

 

I know you ask Lars, but i had never seen it done that way untill that guy here on the forum offered to make that jack attachment just to do that job.

The tapered ball joint shaft is a PITA to get out if it's been in 20-30 years. The hard whack on the spindle arm jolts it and the spring aids you in pushing the spindle arm off