New Caprice - Discussion forums

I think I got the correct control arm torque values (30 + 60* at the ball joint end, 30 + 120* at the bushing end), but from what I gather, the bushing side is to be torqued with the wheels on the ground. Not that big a deal because 30ft-lbs is not much. However the additional turns, I mean... are they serious? I got what I believe is damn near 120* after some clever extensions and my universal joint, but does anyone have any hints (still have passenger side to do, storm ran me back inside)? Should I have rested the knuckle on a stack of wood so that I could get away with the tire not being present?

Thanks all for the suggestions. Good news is that the stock pieces had some seriously loose ball joint ends, so if nothing else, maybe that will help tighten things up.

-J

I can't address the additional amount of turning after reaching the desired torque value, but you do really want to have the suspension resting on the the wheels and supporting the weight of the car when torquing those bolts. Supporting the corner with a jack under the ball joint doesn't set the suspension it stock ride height. You might be able to create some alignment hub stands, or similar items, so you can easily get into the wheel wells, but yeah, you're going to want to have the car's weight on the suspension so you're not back doing that work again in a few months.

Fair enough, can't really complain I mean the parts came off reasonably easy which was already a nice bonus. I'll just get my extension and u-joints working overtime and make it happen. With the wheel liner and under pan removed, the front LCA bolt is easy to get from the engine bay, surprisingly enough. 120* adds up when you can do about 30 at a time

What I did was lowered the car onto stacked 2x10s... the driver side was on the wood and passenger side was ~3" lower on the ground. I jumped up and down on the front radiator support (With my hands pushing not literally jumping...) to get the car to settle in a little before final torque. After doing it I realized that it was a pointless endeavor and should have just put the whole damn thing on the ground again. Ah well, for the other side I'll just drop the whole thing to the ground or just get more stacked wood to keep it uniform. And if that was wrong, then I'll get more bolts and do it all again.

Thanks for the reply!

-J

are you changing the bolts out and nuts? or trying to reuse original?

Anyone have any suggestions for a stubborn ball joint end? 3 out of the 4 came out with only a few taps of the hammer. This 4th one is going to drive me insane. I have tried heat, PB Blaster applied over several days, threading on a nut and trying to just flat out spin the stud, applying some pressure with some hits to the knuckle, putting a jack straight under the stud and jacking up (whole car ended up being supported) then hitting the knuckle and at this point the stud has taken such a beating that it is starting to bend. Any tools, hints, tips or tricks? I thought about a regular ball joint press but cant see how it would work since the joint is integrated to the arm and isnt removable. Foolishly I expected the last one to go as smooth as the others. Oh well. Thanks all.

-J

Well FWIW a 5 ton long reach puller was the ticket. Used the 2 arm configuration, applied pressure, some PB and more whacks on the knuckle, popped out. Finally. Next up alignment.

-J

After some struggles and frustration with shops that seem to think "alignment" just means setting the toe, the car is properly aligned, new knuckle bolts, and just took it to work. I still have clunks up front, but that could be from bushings that I still need to replace (sway and steering rack) or the strut mounts. Tracking wise, the car rides so much better. Much more stable on the highway, more direct feel, and the car finally feels stable up past 75mph. Now to give some love to the 101k mile struts and strut mounts (sure I'll need an alignment again afterwards most likely, but compared to how the car WAS, this is a massive improvement).

-J

lastcall190 wrote: ↑Wed May 08, 2019 7:27 am After some struggles and frustration with shops that seem to think "alignment" just means setting the toe, the car is properly aligned, new knuckle bolts, and just took it to work. I still have clunks up front, but that could be from bushings that I still need to replace (sway and steering rack) or the strut mounts. Tracking wise, the car rides so much better. Much more stable on the highway, more direct feel, and the car finally feels stable up past 75mph. Now to give some love to the 101k mile struts and strut mounts (sure I'll need an alignment again afterwards most likely, but compared to how the car WAS, this is a massive improvement).

-J

lol toe and go baby that was my bread and butter!