Control Arm Removal

[KILLSHOTB]

I need suggestions on removing the lower control arm. The nut came off not problem. The bolt just keeps spinning. It doesn't tap out. It seems like its just pushed through the bushing and twists in the center hole of it. How do you remove the bolt in each bushing?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[Doug213xrj]

Them bolts are just pushed in there. try to put the control arm in the stock posision and taping the bolt out.


Doug

 

[79loserbluebu]

Screw the nut onto the bolt a couple threads and hit the nut with a hammer. It will come out

 

[motorholmes]

I had to put a 1/4 drive extension in the hole and tap it out that way. It seems like if you put a jack under it, there's a sweet spot somewhere in the middle where it will come out easier

 

[grand86prix_05]

Have had this happen hundreds of times, just tap it with a hammer til one of the threads grab on something then continue to unscrew it, if it does it again when you can no longer just tap it, use a punch or a screw driver to tap it in the hole.

 

[am4blue]

Is the bolt rusted into the center metal barrel of the bushing? If so, hitting it with a hammer may not work as the rubber from the grommet absorbs the shock of the impact from a hammer. That's what happened to mine. It actually sounded duller than the other ones when I hit it with a hammer. I had to cut the heads down to get it out... luckily it was just one of the four. The other four needed a little force to come out, but they were not fused like that one.

Try to look at that barrel as you turn the bolt. You should be able to tell if that spacer in the middle is turning. If it's turning with the nut then it's rusted together. Try some pb blaster and soak the hell out of it.

If the bolt is turning inside the spacer barrel, then it just needs a little encouragement. Try to smack the nut with a hammer as suggested above, or you could try a c-clamp. Put one end over the loosely threaded nut (but on the control arm on the other side, not the bolt.) Tighten the clamp and see if the bolt starts to push out to the right. You could also try to turn the bolt with the c-clamp torqued.

D

 

[KILLSHOTB]

Here's the deal. I got the spindle out, top ball joint out, and the top and bottom shock nut/bolts off. The spring is still hanging in there by the shock. The shock is wedged in the lower control arm hole as the spring is pushing against it. So they are both not budging. After tring to work them loose for a while, I decided to take out the control arm. I figured, 2 nuts and bolts, no biggie. Then the whole works will come out and I can start putting in the new.

I know there isn't any spring force pushing the arm open, seeing that the arm is open as far as it can be swung down. But there ain't much negotiating it up or down either. So finding the "sweet spot" is not an option.
I will use my ball joint remover clamp tool to push out the bolt in the ctl arm.

thanks all
Mike

 

[grand86prix_05]

Wait what are you trying to do? Its starting to sound dangerous, take a jack and lift the control arm and lift the control arm to take tension off the shock. My shocks are original from 86 and the bolts come out extremely easy. If you are trying to remove the spring SLOWLY let the jack down once the shock is loosened, but I STRONGLY recommend putting the spring in a compressor for added safety. If you want to remove the shock then you want to put a set of vice grips on the shaft tightly, then the top nut should work loose, granted you are replacing the shocks because keep in mind that can scratch the shaft. Hope that helps

 

[KILLSHOTB]

I got it out. After complessing the spring more than I felt was safe and getting underneath to pry at the shock, inch by inch the shock came out. You can see by the pics how the shock was realy kinda trapped in there. Also, a word to the wise, remove the shock first. This was done by grinding off the bottom bolt heads because the nut was just a little clip thing that just spins and putting channel locks on it didn't work.
Now for the drivers side....
I know now why someone from my other post referred to this as "front end hell".

 

[Bowiemontecarlo86]

damn my froNT shocks where easy. I didn't need all that just put a jack under the[ bottom a-arm and jacked the car up a little. The top bolt gave me a lil bit of a headache but I just used vice grips. Put vice grips on the shocks shaft and that kept it from spinning./b]