So regarding my comment above with the Q about the upper arm bushings, I didn't measure any difference in any of them (also moog parts), did moog do them a little differently than the factor? I am looking at the factory manual right now and it says one should be bigger??
Lower control arm balljoint replacement moog
- Thread starter oldscutlasswagon
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Are you sure you're not reading about the lower A arm's bushings? I'm pretty sure those are different lengths. As for uppers, I'm pretty sure my PST replacements were the same front and rear and the ones in my Spohn arms also match. The way those mount to the frame with the cross shaft there's nothing really dictating that they should be different. Furthermore, you could tell just by looking at the A-arms themselves.
Regardless, don't forget to put the cross shaft in before you press in the last bushing. 😀
It actually says upper control arm in the original 1982 Oldsmobile manual! I looked at all the pictures I could find and parts online and they all looked symmetrical so I figured it was a misprint.
Rebuilding everything went smoothly once I figured out the best way to disassemble the arms. That is, until this lower bj fiasco.
Rebuilding everything went smoothly once I figured out the best way to disassemble the arms. That is, until this lower bj fiasco.
So I had the local machinist press in the LOWER BJ's and his pressure sensor built into the press measured 10 tons! No, not 1,000lbs of force but 20000lbs of force! For those that use the 6145T's in the future (which I would since they are beefier) I would recommend either taking the splines down a little, taking a little off the arms, or both! I can now start reassembly. BTW I hate compressing springs and installing them on this car...old fords are easy in comparison.
Since the lower arms are off, put the shock through the spring, bolt up and use a floor jack to raise lca into place. Use a large screwdriver to line up bolt holes and bolt to the frame.
It may take a couple attempts to get the flloor jack in just the right spot, but no spring compressor is needed and the shock captures the spring the entire time.
You can get ball joints without the splines. On my pickup, I bought spicer joints (oem) and while they were pricey, they were what came out and they went in nice. I have done moog lower ball joints on a 4th gen f body in my 10 ton press, and once we made a jig to hold the arm right, it went in no problem. You really are putting some force on them, but just think, you don't want them moving! The .020 difference is in the high spots of the ribs only, the idea is that it will displace the metal to the lower spots between and give more surface area to bite to, as well as having more force to hold the joint in place. I tend to shy away from splines replacements unless necessary, because next time you MUST use a splined replacement, as well as, once that gets worn out, there is no next size up. You need a new lower arm at that point.
Exactly right! Just to add, for clarity, fasten the lower ball joint to the spindle first, then jack up the lower A-arm into position, with coil spring in place, and line up the frame/saddle bolts.
I already had them in before that post was written, I was just voicing my dislike for spring removal and installation essentially because of the inherent danger. Good tip for the future though.
I'm running into the same issue but with NAPA Chassis 260-1130 ball joints. Working on an extra set of arms, I ordered all the ball joints. Both lowers had the same part #. One has knurling the other didn't which I didn't notice until I went to install. The smooth one went in without much drama. The other is impossible with the c clamp tool. On their website the 260-1130 is shown smooth. The 260-1130 OS has knurls. I ordered a new one from them and got the same knurled style. Went to the local shop and they had 2 sent from the warehouse. Same knurled surface. Called other shops that had them in stock, same knurled. They ordered 2 directly from the manufacturer (Dana I believe) and those are knurled. NONE of the boxes say OS on them. So I got one in and one I can't press in. My buddy works an ambulance service facility and they have a huge press. I might try that. At this point I'm almost ready to order a complete set of tubular arms. 😡
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