samiam4

Ok guys,


So I cam up with a new great removal. The factory tool for poping the balljoints loose forces them apart. I purchaesd a 3.5 inch 3/4 bolt and nut. I ground the bolt till it fit the gap. I ran the nut up to keep it from sliding off at the top and backed the lower nut up to tension the bolt.
It poppped the joint nice and quick- wow!

Now the problem. I pressed out the lower control arm bushing and the arm bends ever so slightly as the bushing is removed... THe upper bushings- how in the heck do you get those things out??? Torch, slit the shell???? Mine are not moving and soaking in Kroil tonight.


Michael

thrashingcows

The upper ball joints are screwed in...so you need a special BJ socket and a big breaker bar to remove them and thread in the new ones.

samiam4

upper control arm bushings ...

Lower is out, both ball joints are out..

NE frmhnd

It is a lot easier to take the uppers out with a big impact and a big air line feeding it.

My socket is up in the shop or I'd get you the part number off it. If you punch in the MOPAR # into NAPA's website they can get it. I got both sizes off evilpay for half the price of one new one.

samiam4

why is everyone talking about ball joints- I'm asking about Upper control arm BUSHINGS.

Got the socket used snapon off ebay for $4. Once again, ball joints are out.. BUSHINGS.

Mark Nixon

Dunno' WHY these guys are stuck on stuck balljoints.

If you're going back with OEM rubber style control arm bushings, burn them, then chisel the shells out.

Easy and you get to destroy things.

Mark.

samiam4

thanks Mark!!

I got the one side ready to go back in minus pressure washing the spindle assy. I blasted the upper, primed and painted. I used sockets in a vice to re-assemble.
Lower bushing (which really wasn't bad) I used a piece of steel pipe and a cap to take up the spacing so the flanges wouldn't move. It pressed in easily.

Lower balljoint I used the cheap press and it was hard- very hard to get seated. Not sure how much of it was pressure or dealing with a bent press or wasn't square.
It's taken a week instead of a day as planned....


Michael

thrashingcows

Sorry...I misread your original post. Upper control arm bushing are simple to remove....if you have a big bench top vice.

I fin a socket big enough to go over the large outside edge of the upper control arm bushing. Then slip the socket and control arm into the vice. Then crank it tight and the bushing will slip into the big socket...and your done!

Installing the bushings is the opposite...socket on the inside of the control arm...crank tight and your done. Took me maybe an hours to remove all the old ones....that includes cleaning the bores afterwards. Then about 10 minutes to install the new bushings.

Mark Nixon

There is almost never such thing as "a day long front end job".
Even in the driest of climates, something always comes up to bite you, or you forget parts, get wrong parts, etc.
Mr. Murphy is the King in seemingly simple tasks.

I've done the "2 sockets in a vice" routine for the uppers, never argue with simplicity, especially if it's the better choice.

These trucks almost NEVER tear up the lower bushings, at least not nearly as much as they do the uppers.
I recall a friend replacing 3 sets of upper bushings to 1 set of lowers in one truck over the years. It was a 440-powered 1978 1 ton.
He finally went with poly uppers in the later '90s and ignored the noise.

My old carhauler is about due for new uppers again and it only sits, for the most part.

Mark.