Been doing a total front suspension rebuild the last few weeks. Finally got all my bushings out of the control arms. The lowers were not a fun time, but I got them. I used the method in one of Lars' papers (Air hammer/chisel). I did not use a press.

The RH shaft was bent once I could take a look at it away from the arm.....see below. Had a real hard time getting this shaft off the mounting bolt that attaches it to the frame as well. Rust was an obvious problem as well.



So, I started looking at the RH Lower Control Arm to see if it was bent or off-shape as well. From what I can see, it doesn't look TOO bad. It looks like there is a slight turn in, but most of it appears flush/consistent with the LH Arm. The bushing holes on the RH Arm have a little bit of warping in some spots, but it doesn't seem really damaged overall. The gaps between the Arm bushing holes seem OK as well.

One thing that caught my eye was the mounting bracket on the RH side on the frame. (BTW, I rust-coated the frame before I discovered these issues). It doesn't appear as "true" or straight as the LH bracket. Also, the mounting bolt hole is off-center compared to the LH bracket hole. I may be wrong, but it almost looks like it was off from the factory. Either way, it must have had a hit with a curb/rock/etc at some point in the past. I also see the RH Rear shims have several more than at any other corner.

Basically, I plan to get two new Arm Shafts for both Control Arms no matter what. I gacked the LH shaft end when trying to move the inner bushing sleeve. Rust is bad there, too. But, I was wondering if someone could take a look at the Arms themselves and see if there are any noticeable trouble spots. Or, if you have any other input or advice, I'd really appreciate it. Pics are below......................Thanks!!!


LH Mounting Bracket

RH Mounting Bracket

LH and RH Lower Control Arms


Rear bushing brackets up close

Shims as they were prior to disassembly

 

Forgot to add this pic of the RH Shaft put back onto the mounting bracket.............

 

Don't want to hijack your thread, but what did you use to rust coat your frame?

 

POR-15. I only hit the areas that I could easily access. It's not a restoration car or anything, but I wanted to get something on there while all the suspension was out. Also did the spindles with it, as there was plenty of rust to adhere to on those, lol. I did two coats, we'll see how it lasts. I've heard mostly positive stories with some not so. The car doesn't see rain or weather, so hopefully it lasts awhile.

 

Your plan to get new replacement shafts is a good one - I think if the new shafts line up properly at the mount points, you should be in good shape. When I replaced the front suspension on a '73 I used to own, the front right mounting bracket looked far worse and it lined up OK.

 

Thanks for the input. I put the LH shaft (which appears OK) on the RH mounting area just to check, and it slid over the bolt easily, so hopefully I won't have problems with new re-productions.

 

I've finally got my control arms cleaned up, painted and ready for bushing installation. While doing some test fitting and prep work, my upper arm shafts are pretty scored and the bushing inner sleeves can be slightly wiggled once they are over the ends. Also, the knurling at the inside of the shaft ends is fairly worn. I don't want to overlook anything on this, and definitely don't want to miss this and have to repair later. I've already got new lower shaft arms coming.......and for some stupid reason, I only bought the shafts and not the whole kit (bushings, bolts, washers, etc).

I've also been looking at new upper shafts in case it's best to do that. Been reading old forum posts on offset shafts and wanted to get thoughts on doing this instead of the straight OE set up. Pics are below of the current shafts, current shims & width of each and also one of the lower shaft cup-washers. The knurling is mostly ground down and obviously grew a lot of rust.

1. Should I get new Upper Arm Shafts??
2. If so, should I go with Offsets??
3. Should I just get an all new bolt kit to have proper knurling on everything??

This project has definitely been a learning experience........I laugh now when I thought I would hammer it all out in 1 1/2 weeks before a car show earlier this month.


Upper Control Arm Shaft end

Current Shims as they were

Lower Control Arm Shaft washer

 

Yep, all new parts, new offsets and a new cross brace. Even though that lower looks ok, you may find it wont install and fit up correctly so be prepared to find a good used one. I ran into this on my 71. Had the old one in fresh powder coat too but had trouble getting it to reassemble, couldn't even find where it was bent. Had to wait on another replacement and then have it powder coated. BTW powder is cheap for parts in the end.

 

Thanks for the reply! The offsets make sense to me, but one issue that concerns me is whether offsets will be "too much" variation based on my current shim set up. I know all the new hardware will make a difference in the new alignment setup, but based on my current shims, I would want to choose the correct the inward/outward orientation on the offsets.
Basically, I don't the alignment shop to call and say "You should have stuck with OE shafts".

On the other hand, if the offset orientation is completely wrong after I do the install, I suppose they could just flip it and work from there.