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It's never just one thing (How I ended up with new control arms)...
Over the winter I put new (rebuilt) trailing arms on the 79, and planned on taking it in to get it aligned last week. The night before the planned alignment, I realized I had developed a valve cover gasket leak.
Got the car up on the lift to clean up oil and found bad control arm bushings. One was really bad:
Lower control arm - split bushing
So now it's no use doing the alignment - It's clear I'm in for an unplanned project this spring. I began pulling the shocks, sway bar, calipers off, and removing the control arms.
passenger side arms and spring came out easily - it's also clear I need to clean up this area a little bit
The driver side was a little harder. Had to cut the lower ball joint off of the spindle assembly
Out with the old hardware:
In with the new:
Global West Upper and lower arms ready to go!
I also started cleaning and painting the frame in this area. Unfortunately, this means I will also have to work back to the rest of the frame soon...
Next I'll be cleaning off the road grime and grease from the spindle assemblies and installing a little stiffer sway bar and bushings. Will post more as I go along. Hoping to wrap this up by Sunday night.
Last edited by cooper9811; Mar 8, 2018 at 08:09 AM.
Got a real chuckle out of your story. Just how many of us have had similar situations that snowballs into????? Bring back lots of memories. Thanks for posting. T
I just started on my 70 , simple remove oil pan clean it and put in a new oil pump , and seen a PS hose that was bad, , shock bushings, so now I'll replace the front shocks, steering cylinder had bad bushings, But I love it , keeps me busy .
So we check back Sunday and see if restoration is done yet...
Yeah, I'll be done by then - got my spindle/hub assemblies cleaned up and ready to go. I didn't tear them down, just cleaned and touched up the paint.
Then got the upper control arms on - that went very well, only real issue was 2 of the old control arm studs were loose. Put new studs in and they seemed to hold. Hoping they don't spin on my alignment guy.
I just started on my 70 , simple remove oil pan clean it and put in a new oil pump , and seen a PS hose that was bad, , shock bushings, so now I'll replace the front shocks, steering cylinder had bad bushings, But I love it , keeps me busy .
looks and sounds like a nice upgrade , now you can upgrade the engine output to take full advantage of the new handling capabilities .........
Actually I have a fairly strong powerplant in it. I currently have what I would call a mild SBC 427, with AFR 210 heads and TKO 600 behind it - but I do appreciate the thought.
The 210s flow as well as bigger Darts or other brands, but I know I could go 220 or even bigger with no real penalty, so the only upgrade I'm considering would be bigger heads. Even then, not sure it justifiable on a street car (like a 500 HP car is justifiable, but maybe I can convince myself anyway...).
Last edited by cooper9811; Mar 9, 2018 at 08:23 PM.
Went to replace a leaky rear main seal in my big block....
Got the pan off and found the engine block was cracked internally and leaking coolant.....
Had to replace the block.
I feel your pain brother. Its ALWAYS something with these cars. The more you look, the more problems you will find. I spent 5 or 6 winters going over every square inch, rebuilding everything. By the time I get done with one end, Ive worn the other out. I had to take a few seasons off and just drive the dam thing.
Ouch - That would ruin your day... For me, the "While I'm at it" syndrome often does spiral out of control. I could have just went for a straightforward rubber or poly bushing replacement - although the truth is this is almost easier (just quite a bit more expensive). I couldn't resist the chance to go after some improved handling.
I have to admit that I'm lucky to be able to do that.
From: Las Vegas - Just stop perpetuating myths please.
Originally Posted by cooper9811
Yeah, I'll be done by then - got my spindle/hub assemblies cleaned up and ready to go. I didn't tear them down, just cleaned and touched up the paint.
Then got the upper control arms on - that went very well, only real issue was 2 of the old control arm studs were loose. Put new studs in and they seemed to hold. Hoping they don't spin on my alignment guy.
passenger side upper arm in place
Those studs are turning in the frame brackets and need to be fixed. If not the A-arm bars can slip out. Don't braze them either (please dont ask me why). Either weld them in or find a better fix.
Cardo0 - Yes, I agree - before I put the lower arms on I'll check to see if the new studs are holding well enough. When I pulled the only ones it looked more like the serrations gave vs holes were too big - but that's just me eyeballing it. I thought I would try a simple stock-style replacement first.
If the new studs don't stand up to another round or two of loosening/tightening, then I'll have to find a bigger stud. I have also heard of using wheel studs, and I have several unused ones on hand. Only thing I don't like about that is the head is round vs hex, but I guess in theory that shouldn't matter too much.
I would rather use the right bolt in the right place. If anyone has thoughts about a suitable replacement stud with larger serrations, I'll tak'em, just in case the new studs don't hold their place after a few cycles.
Last edited by cooper9811; Mar 10, 2018 at 06:50 AM.
Went to replace a leaky rear main seal in my big block....
Got the pan off and found the engine block was cracked internally and leaking coolant.....
Had to replace the block.
I remember discussing a few suspension issues with you, I think it was, a couple of years back. Sorry to hear that the car is still giving you problems.....
Well, my goal was to wrap this up by tonight - I came close, but fell just short. Like the title says, it's never just one thing... Although sometimes I do it to myself. The last few details will have to wait util I get back into town on Thursday.
I got my 550-lb coil springs in and the Spindles mounted and torqued - then guess what?
!I failed to move the caliper to the front of the wheel beforehand - there is not enough room to wrangle the caliper between the arms and the spring!
After disconnecting the brake line, mounting the caliper, and bleeding the front brakes, all the hard stuff is done:
All that is left is the front sway bar - when reinstalling, I found the larger-than-stock bar has been rubbing the lower water neck on my radiator. While it hasn't caused me any issues yet, I will be shimming the sway bar mounts as soon as I get back from Denver. Shooting for an alignment by end of week if Lucore Auto is able to get it in.
Last edited by cooper9811; Mar 11, 2018 at 11:24 PM.
Actually I have a fairly strong powerplant in it. I currently have what I would call a mild SBC 427, with AFR 210 heads and TKO 600 behind it - but I do appreciate the thought.
The 210s flow as well as bigger Darts or other brands, but I know I could go 220 or even bigger with no real penalty, so the only upgrade I'm considering would be bigger heads. Even then, not sure it justifiable on a street car (like a 500 HP car is justifiable, but maybe I can convince myself anyway...).
Ok , I didn't realise what you already had and a tko as well , nice .
BTW I ended up welding some new studs in for the front A arms when I had mine apart . if you go that way , leave the arm on tight to stop any movement from the welds.
It's never just one thing (How I ended up with new control arms)...
I just started on my 70 , simple remove oil pan clean it and put in a new oil pump , and seen a PS hose that was bad, , shock bushings, so now I'll replace the front shocks, steering cylinder had bad bushings, 
But I love it , keeps me busy .
