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A 79 control arm bushing saga using the Lars method
First off apologies to @lars as my
’How to Rebuild a C2 and C3 front suspension rev new 7-1-03’ http://www.corvettefaq.com/c3/HowtoRebuildFrontEnd.doc
does not include the required alchohol but im pressing on anyway...
79 L82 with air..electric oem fan
The factory service manual sucks.
Thank you for posting this Lars I will try to do my best to bring your paper to a 1979...
So far instructions are spot on I made one mistake and didn’t follow the order and tried to break loose the lower ball joint before I left the spring down and that was a real pain but I did loosen the bolt and then lower the spring and remove both successfully.
although all the driver side says it’s very easy to pull out the a arm out it is not a 1979 I thought I was gonna pull the radiator shroud out and then I remembered I got a pull the radiator and everything else out but at least it’s loose and I can move around which I think will be helpful with fan out. you still cannot remove the A arm on the driver side near the radiator I did use the C clamp method took me a while but it finally popped in the stud came back And then the A arm can be removed I would also add that taking the A arm drivers had to come out through the engine and it was not easy between Shroud and the engine and the belts but it did come out finally a few scratches in a few Band-Aids as instructions noted.
I broke the grease seal on the lower ball joints taking it off I was upset until when I got it off I noticed that the lower ball joint moves very easily to easily so I will be replacing that I will not be replacing the upper ball joint it is very tight.
Taking that spring out is a bit nerve-racking I did add that I wrapped it with some Romex 12 gauge just in case As I did not have a chain. It’s also a bit nerve-racking when you’re jacking up the a arms to loosen the spring on the top the car does lift a little off of the quick Jack.
I’m to the passenger side dammit Time for some spray
Last edited by interpon; Apr 18, 2020 at 07:20 PM.
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
I just did a '69 Big Block car a few weeks ago using, and validating, the procedure. The only trick is to use a socket and a clamp to pop the studs out of the passenger side upper a-arm attach points:
Lower arms dropped down and springs yanked out:
Removing lower arms:
Uppers and lowers out of the chassis:
Spindles and rotors pulled off as assemblies - no need to disassemble:
Gutted front end after 3.5 hours of work:
30 minutes if air chisel work and the bushings are all out:
It's not pretty, but it's fast and it works:
A flapper wheel on a high-speed cleans up the busing bores just great. Before:
After:
Shafts cleaned up and test-fitted to new bushings:
A-arm bushing holes measured to verify light press-fit of bushings into bores. Any excessive mismatch is taken care of to eliminate problems during bushing installation:
Bushings measured to verify fit on the holes:
Bushings pressed into arms, and cross shafts lube'd up for installation:
Lowers all assembled and ready for installation:
Mounted in the chassis and ready for springs:
Springs installed without a spring compressor by lifting the lower arm up and jamming them into place while lifting the arms:
Done! Total duration start-to-finish: 12 hours (2 short days with beer while watching Jerry Springer "I want my Stripper Ho' baby mamma!"):
Noting spring location for reassemble My safety romex..I mistakenly loosened both ball joint Instructions say loosen bottom one after spring out Passenger side looks like a treat with air Missing beer
Passenger side rough..
barely enough room to wrench..used gear wrench flex...for front one and the one hiding open end..just enough for a flip and turn..both took about 25 minutes and they turned like torquing a lug all the way off..basically cleaned them 1/16 of a turn at a time..
i am glad I loosened shroud and removed fan...its the only way you could get a c clamp on end of forward bolt...unless someone had thinner clamp.. very tough but popped off with a bang and c clamp at limits..i also did the gentle impact on bolt with penetrant did not strip knurl. Used vice grip for other bolt..see pic..
impact worked on tie rod and upper..the bottom on both ball joints i got impact stuck not moving..had to bfh the bolts from under... i was replacing as they are both free moving..uppers very tight bit during process of removing you pretty much blow the rubbers..oh well ...not sure how people save them?
time to impact off rivets..
And clean and order assume moog ball joints?
Very tight butgear wrench off No way c clamp on this one..clamped hard vice grips and pulled rattled etc..came loose!! Taking a pic as this is how passenger side came out..nfw coming out top with ac 1/16 at a time
On the passenger side cut a small hole in the shroud just big enough to get a socket on that control arm bolt. It won't hurt a thing and makes that bolt simple
On the passenger side cut a small hole in the shroud just big enough to get a socket on that control arm bolt. It won't hurt a thing and makes that bolt simple
From: At my Bar drinking and wrenching in Lafayette Colorado
I just did a '69 Big Block car a few weeks ago using, and validating, the procedure. The only trick is to use a socket and a clamp to pop the studs out of the passenger side upper a-arm attach points:
Lower arms dropped down and springs yanked out:
Removing lower arms:
Uppers and lowers out of the chassis:
Spindles and rotors pulled off as assemblies - no need to disassemble:
Gutted front end after 3.5 hours of work:
30 minutes if air chisel work and the bushings are all out:
It's not pretty, but it's fast and it works:
A flapper wheel on a high-speed cleans up the busing bores just great. Before:
After:
Shafts cleaned up and test-fitted to new bushings:
A-arm bushing holes measured to verify light press-fit of bushings into bores. Any excessive mismatch is taken care of to eliminate problems during bushing installation:
Bushings measured to verify fit on the holes:
Bushings pressed into arms, and cross shafts lube'd up for installation:
Lowers all assembled and ready for installation:
Mounted in the chassis and ready for springs:
Springs installed without a spring compressor by lifting the lower arm up and jamming them into place while lifting the arms:
Done! Total duration start-to-finish: 12 hours (2 short days with beer while watching Jerry Springer "I want my Stripper Ho' baby mamma!"):
I will have to work on chisel again it just seemed to deform the edge. I will have to figure out and study in detail what goes where in what order off and then on..i will get one of those flappers..didnt think about adjusting..
Again thanks for directions..that ac the on mine sure was tight..
moog again i assume..
Last edited by interpon; Apr 21, 2020 at 08:52 AM.
I kind a got it figured out I understand now what you were saying about the inside sleeves I actually got them off now that I understand where you were talking about air chisel and then I took a picture of helpful for others no problem now is I can’t get the outside parts off for like your welded on..
any suggestions?
I must admit that air hammer scares the hell out of me I used a manual chisel after I got it loosened that thing bounces around everywhere I don’t want to like the sheet metal and shaft
Last edited by interpon; Apr 21, 2020 at 08:53 AM.
Finally one off..i just said f it and ran air chisel down outside edge finally started to move then side to side hitting out..
i think one side did lessen the gap slightly...maybe less than 1 mm..assume ok
All dressed up nowhere to go yet..
thanks for help.uppers are much easier because they already have a lip to put air chisel on...when one side is off remove bar..and hammer the other side out..
one set seemed to be newer because it was greased inside inner sleeve and not falling apart came out easier..not kidding on deburring from air chisel and quite frankly the inside race is pretty tore up from originals pressed in..they were going in one way or another..like rifling in a gun barrel but straight..will update when parts come
I use airbrush diluted with acetone 100 percent for control..spray bomb for larger
Last edited by interpon; Apr 21, 2020 at 08:55 AM.
Will it matter that the one bushing is longer than the originals? No longer USA made. It looks like the larger ones are an exact size but the smaller ones seem to be longer
All bushings in and ball joints except one upper as it was missing a metal flange. I also figured out from a previous post i had grease seal on wrong..it tucks under the bracket..sure seemed backwards to me as the rubber seems to not fit..will see..
here is the link where he called moog for grease seal, instructions state nothing..
thanks!! it looks like those are rears..and you have 2 sets
I will say the ball joints I got were Moog USA and the idler arm USA... one of the ball joints was missing a plate though so here I sit.. wonder what Moog spring will be ...
Still waiting for one ball joint but have enough to start drivers Side as the springs came today. I’ve tried for an hour to align the spring into the upper and lower parts before I start to compress it. Unfortunately one of the springs hits the side of the opening and I cannot get it to stay in the top and stay in the bottom without slipping out because of the angle that it’s at as you compress it. I could get it to fit but then it wouldn’t be a aligned to where the hole is and needs to be and there’s no way if I compress it I can turn the spring while it’s in there t the hole. Does somebody have any advice or am i going to habe to get spring compressor?
Also i read on so e threads the stop of end of spring should be at hole where the stop bump is on bottom..not top like some are saying..? The oem spring was actually about inch and one half from hole on bottom
thank you
New vs old..was happy thinking easy to align I can get it compressed like this but no way to get it to hole Hits sode and pushes it away from top alignment
Last edited by interpon; Apr 23, 2020 at 07:27 PM.
Thanks for posting the Lars paper! I probably tore mine down 8 weeks ago and I'm reinstalling this weekend or next and could REALLY use this guide.
I used a stupid pickling fork as I didn't have an air hammer and I seriously thought I was going to forever break something on the tear down.
Sure ..nfw am i getting that moog spring on...the coil hits the side when in correct position..its like a perfect storm..couple inches away from alignment hole and i could get it in..tried the strap pry bar , kicking.. nfw..that one coil hitting side at perfect angle..ill have to compress from the inside of spring but i cannot use the threaded rod ac ac compressor in way on passenger side...unreal..
Last edited by interpon; Apr 23, 2020 at 09:44 PM.
The best way to remove the control arm bushings upper or lower- is to remove the arms and take off the end washers. then place it in a large vice ( vertical ) lock the cross shaft in the vice and get a small sledge hammer and pound the ARM downward, and the shaft pushes the bushing out of the arm, some times a little trans fluid on them helps move things along, have used this method many times and it works well.
A 79 control arm bushing saga using the Lars method
