[BobD]

Hi all,
Anyone have some really great way of getting a front control arm bolt out of the arm/bushing other than torching it off? I don't have access to a torch (another reason to get one) and am running out of ideas. Air chisel, hammering and map gas are no help. I even have thought about using air cut-off tool and remove anything that's not a control arm.:bang head But I can only image how long that would take. I do have the nut off and the rear bolt is out. The bolt is just rusted in the sleeve of the bushing.
I grabbed a pair of arms from a salvage yard yesterday and the bolts slid right out. I bet It didn't take more than a half hour to get both control arms. Any ideas?

 

[puppet]

Only thing I can offer up Bob ... aside from beating the piss out of it ... would be to put the nut back on a few threads and use a large "C" clamp to try and get the bolt moving.

 

[BobD]

Phil,
That crossed my mind. I almost tried that, but there wasn't a very good spot on the inside for the c-clamp to be up against.
But, on the lighter side, I got it. I used a v-shaped air chisel and ran it in to the side of the sleeve. Some of the rubber was burnt away from all the times I heated the bolt. That loosened things up just enough to be able to pound it out. Woo-Hoo! Now I'm having problems getting the new ball joint installed. I thought for sure that if the control arm was off the car, it would be so much easier to install the ball joint. Wrong again. I've done a few before and they were a b itch. But, those were on the car and also a stamped arm. I don't know if the cast arm is less forgiving to install a ball joint, but I'm not getting it to even start going in. I may have to go to a friends house that's about 75 miles round trip to press it in. I need my car tomorrow for work. It's not fair. I don't even like this car and yet I buy the best ball joints for it, the best tie-rods and even wash it!:bang head. I can't wait for warmer weather so I can fix one of my many summer cars and drive something else.:thumb:

 

[speeduphoria]

Are you positive that you have the corect balljoints for cast arms?(you know many parts stores aren't up on everything so you have to double check them, also easiest way to look up things for me was '91+ Daytona because all of them have R/T front brakes and cast arms) I did mine with the autozone rented tool and an impact, worked easily removing and installing

 

[BobD]

Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're the right ones. I ordered them myself off the Internet. I saw there were two different kinds. The place I odered them from did have them listed as 91+. I also saw that same number at other sites. I also got them on line because I wanted "Good" ones and the price in the stores were so much more. Funny, I don't do the same with my good cars.
I also always double check things when I go to parts stores. I had one of the best parts stores around here, with good intelligent people, sell me the wrong drive axle for my 86 Shelby Charger. Twice in a row. They looked it up both times and sold me a Daytona axle. Because the thing is only about a 1/2" longer, you couldn't tell visually. Well, that size makes a terrible rumble noise. I thought I messed up my tranny towing the car after the CV joint broke. I pulled the tranny and gave it to a friend thats a tranny expert. He took it apart and said there wasn't anything wrong with it. Gave it back to me. I went back to the parts store a third time and a third person saw the mistake of the first two people. He sold me the right axle and the car was fine. That was about the longest I was without a car for something so simple.:bash:
I'm going to take a drive right now to get the thing pressed in. Too bad I'm only doing one tonight. I can't do the other till tomorrow.:bang head

 

[phantomrt]

I s'pose you're gone already. I have an extra ball joint service tool kit thing here... its like a big "C" clamp. It muscles those ball joints in and out with ease.

Call me if you need it...

 

[BobD]

I s'pose you're gone already. I have an extra ball joint service tool kit thing here... its like a big "C" clamp. It muscles those ball joints in and out with ease.
Call me if you need it...

Yeah, I was gone. I'll make sure to call you next time I need that tool. As it is, I was thinking about buying one. I even looked at them at Harbor Freight last weekend. What I really need is a press. "Other" Paul just bought one. A 20 ton press. That thing sure made the job easy.
What really makes me mad is this. I only had removed one control arm. So, I was only bringing the one ball joint and one control arm to his house. He's in Buffalo. 37 miles away. I was on my way there when it hit me................I'm putting the stupid ball joints in the "new" control arms. I don't have to have the stupid things off the stupid %$^&*'n car. GRRRRRRRRRRRRRrrrrrrrrr
Now I'm kicking myself for not turning around to get the other c-arm and b-joint. I was 10 miles from home. It would have only added about 30 minutes to my journey. Now I have to go back tomorrow and do it again. Or, go buy a press? Hmmmmm

 

[phantomrt]

Buy a press... so then I can come use it when I need to. 20 ton at least.

 

[BobD]

Buy a press... so then I can come use it when I need to. 20 ton at least.

That's what I'm going to get. "Other" Paul said he wishes he had spent $100 more and got a 30 ton. I'm sure, the 20 would be fine, for anything I'd ever use it for. It sure made an easy job of pressing the ball joints. Lets see. 146 miles at about 20 MPG. It cost me (because I'm not too bright) over $20 to use his press.
Now, I can't finish the job for over a week. The place I bought the ball joints and tie rod ends, sent me a "Cheap" tie rod and a good one. They both came in boxes marked with the high quallity number, but they slipped me a $12.62 tie rod end in place of a $33.89 one. It's a good thing they didn't send me two of those or I may have never known there was a problem. Luckily the site had a phone number and a real person answered. He said they'd send me out another one today.
Also, being the bright guy I am, I torched a CV boot while trying to heat the control arm bolt. So, I just went back to the car I've been getting so many parts from and got a $12.XX axle. Now, do I replace the axle now or wait until my new tie rod end comes. Yes, the one I did install was the cheap one. :bang head

 

[phantomrt]

Hell of a day, man. Good luck on the adventures.
I'll have a new car for our gathering next month, or at least I plan to.

 

[tryingbe]

Painted control arm with new ball joing can be soo pretty

 

[BobD]

Painted control arm with new ball joing can be soo pretty

I was pretty happy with an arm that half of it hit the parts washer and a new ball joint. When I start working on my #784, that's what I'll be doing. I want that car nice. It has potential to be nice. Not mint though. There was a mishap with a curb or something and a Koni through the hood, early in it's life. I'm not sure how it happened, but one of the guys in my AMC club saw the same thing in an old Shelby Charger he once had.
Paul, are you talking twin turbo?

 

[ShelbyMopar89]

Why not just go to your local AutoZone or Advance Auto and rent a ball joint tool. When you take it back they give you all your money back, it is a free rental from them. I would think there is one closer to you than the distance you had to drive?
AutoZone Store: Hours of Operation:
2151 **** Rapids Blvd
**** Rapids, MN 55433
(763) 754-5040
Get Directions
Sunday 09:00AM - 06:00PM
Monday 08:00AM - 09:00PM
Tuesday 08:00AM - 09:00PM
Wednesday 08:00AM - 09:00PM
Thursday 08:00AM - 09:00PM
Friday 08:00AM - 09:00PM
Saturday 08:00AM - 09:00PM

 

[BobD]

Sunday 09:00AM - 06:00PM

These guys are 1/2 mile from my house. That 6:00PM really means 5:55 PM.
I did this after the store was closed on Sunday. I had to get the car back together by that night so I could get to work the next morning. The next day, I don't have an excuse for the second trip.:bang head I wasn't thinking about renting after the first one was pressed in. As it is, I was going to go to Autozone and do that. But at my age (blaming my age again) I forget what I plan to do at times.