Front Suspension Help
Thread Starter
Safety Car
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 4,366
Likes: 7
From: Las Vegas NV
Front Suspension Help
The retainer and bolt fell out of my driver side upper control arm this morning when I went to take the car for a ride. The location of this bolt/retainer is the driver side upper control arm, closest to the radiator...this makes it pretty difficult to put it back in. Plus (just to make things more exciting) it seems like the brass colored bushing has "slipped" about a 1/2". This means that the threads of the bolt cannot reach the threads in the rod. Any suggestions on how to slide the brass-colored bushing back in place? It looks like I'll most likely have to raise the front-end and take the wheel off.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 1,191
Likes: 1
Re: Front Suspension Help (Motor City Vette)
If I recall correctly from my suspension rebuild project last year, you'll have to remove the control arm. One of my issues was torquing that bolt when the car was at ride height. Well, with the car at ride height and the arm installed there's no way to get a wrench on that bolt.
Good luck. Too bad it's not the lower.
Good luck. Too bad it's not the lower.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Dec 2000
Posts: 795
Likes: 0
From: Madison MS
Re: Front Suspension Help (Motor City Vette)
The same thing happened to me after my suspension rebuild. There is no force on the control arm while sitting still. That sleeve can be slipped back into place by simply prying it. And I don't mean taking a 6 foot pry bar to it. Just enough to get it to slide back in. If that doesn't work, loosen the other bushing bolt....the one towards the firewall. You should be able to pry the entire control arm forward enough to start the bolt. If not, then remove the control arm. Just remember how many shims are in it and their location. You don't say whether you have urethane bushings or not. I did so the sleeve slid back easily. If yours are rubber, then you probably will have to remove the arm.
Hope this helps.
dl
Hope this helps.
dl
