Any ideas on how many hours of labor would be invloved for a Chevrolet dealer to replace front upper & lower control arm bushings, ball joints, springs, and tie rod ends on a '70 Chevelle? The shop rate is $95.00 per hour & they will let me bring my own parts.

Probably more then it is worth. You should try a smaller shop, or even doing it your self.

You could also contact Frank (mailto:Frank@ProdigyCustoms.com) @ Prodigy Customs and see if they could help? They're in Apoka..

-Todd

I had Midas do mine, total around $1200 parts and labor

$1200 to instal $100 in bushings..
damn...
do it yourself- it really isn't that hard. for 1/4 the money you'll spend at the dealer, you could buy some neat new tools (and who doesn't like tools?) and you could get to know your car and truly make it "yours".

Do you have garage space at home to tear it apart? It will take some time, but it's not that hard of a project. Let me know if you need any help. I also have a friend local that does side jobs and could probably hook you up for less.

Wish I lived near you. Hate to see anyone go to a shop to have smaller items replaced. Hell for $1200 you could have towed it to Pittsburgh, let us help ya', towed it home and had money left to eat.

I had Midas do mine, total around $1200 parts and labor

Wow, thats crazy. But I believe it. It can be a time consuming job but its no way worth paying someone to do it. Do yourself a favor and instead of paying someone to do it, try it yourself. Thats part of the fun of this hobby anyways.

I dont know how much a dealership will charge but you can certainly bet it will be way more then 1200 bucks. You got close to 2 grand laying around?

Wow, thats crazy. But I believe it. It can be a time consuming job but its no way worth paying someone to do it. Do yourself a favor and instead of paying someone to do it, try it yourself. Thats part of the fun of this hobby anyways.

I dont know how much a dealership will charge but you can certainly bet it will be way more then 1200 bucks. You got close to 2 grand laying around?


At my work we usually charge $1500 to sandblast and paint the control arms/springs/spindles/sway bar etc and replace all bushings, tie rods, balljoints, endlinks and perform a front end alignment.

Thanks for all the responses. I did this same project several years' ago on another Chevelle & thought maybe I'd take the 'easy' way out this time around. But...I've decided to save the $$$ & do it myself again. My brother-in-law runs a mobile truck repair service & he has 'volunteered' to give me a hand.

Below is a guide, if you want pictures go to this link, and click on front end rebuild
http://www.leverfamilysite.com/Articles.htm


Front end rebuild.

List of POSSIBLE parts you will need;
Four upper control arm bushings,
Two upper control arm ball joints,
Four lower control arm bushings,
Two lower control arm ball joints,
Sway bar links,
Sway Bar Bushings,
Inner and Outer Tie Rod ends,
Adjusting sleeves,
Idler Arm,
Pitman Arm,
Drag Link,
Cotter pins,
Wheel bearings and races,
Wheel bearing seals,
Wheel bearing grease,
Copper crush washers

Although this is not a difficult job it is long and can be dangerous. You need to use your head and now is not the time to break out the six-pack. This can be done in a weekend. Do not hurry though.

The procedure I am laying out below assumes you still have the weight of the front clip and engine in the car. If not, it will not work because when you lift the lower control arms with the jack you will not compress the springs. One way around this is to borrow a group of friends to make up the weight.

The night before you start, soak up the upper and lower ball joint stud nuts, lower control arm pivot bolts, and upper control arm to frame retaining nuts with a good penetrating oil.

Prepare your garage, sweep the floor and clear out the area so you have room to work.

Jack the car up by the frame so the front wheels are hanging in the air. Use jack stands; do not leave the car on the jack. I actually like to use large wood blocks.

Remove the front wheels

Remove the front shocks. If you are not going to reuse the shocks the easiest way is to put a deep well socket on the upper stem and nut, put a long extension or several extensions on the socket and bend the nut and stem back and forward. The stem will snap off on the third of fourth bend. (Of course the correct way is to put an open-end wrench on the end of the stem to keep the shock absorber upper stem from turning and then remove the upper stem-retaining nut, but that is easier said than done).

Remove the lower shock mounting bolts and discard the shock. If you’re using a new shock and it came with new bolts (most good shocks do) discard the mounting bolts.

Remove stabilizer link bolts.

Remove the brakes
On disk brakes,
Remove the caliper, you can hang it with a coat hanger, but I like to remove them. Loosen the banjo nut that holds the brake line to the caliper. I find that if you take an old tire valve stem and push it up into the hole on the brake line mounting block it makes a great seal and you will not have as much trouble bleeding the brakes, it also stops brake fluid from leaking on your floor or the drain pan from getting kicked over. If you remove the banjo bolt you will need new copper crush washers, so get them now.

Remove the rotor. Take the dust cover/hub grease cap off the rotor, remove the cotter pin and discard, do not reuse.

Remove the spindle nut and washer. Put your thumb over the end of the spindle, do not let the bearings fall and hit the ground. The rotor, hub assemble, bearings and races can now be removed as a whole. Hint. Put the spindle nut and washer on top of the outer bearing and reinstall the dust cover/hub grease cap on the rotor. This will keep all the parts together so you will be able to find them later when you need them. While you have this assemble off the car you should consider repacking the bearings. Be sure to inspect for any burnt or damaged races and bearings. Replace as needed.

Remove the three bolts that secure the rotor dust cover to the spindle, the two lower bolts also secure the steering knuckle to the spindle. Remove the dust shield.

You now have clear, and unobstructed access to both the upper and lower ball joints.

On drum brakes,
Remove the drum. Take the dust cover/hub grease cap off the drum, remove the cotter pin and discard, do not reuse.

Use a brake adjusting spoon and back the brake shoes all the way off.

Remove the spindle nut and washer. Put your thumb over the end of the spindle, do not let the bearings fall and hit the ground. The drum, hub assemble bearing and races can now be removed as a whole. Hint. Put the spindle nut and washer on top of the outer bearing and reinstall the dust cover/hub grease cap on the rotor. This will keep all the parts together so you will be able to find them later when you need them. While you have this assemble off the car you should consider repacking the bearings. Be sure to inspect for any burnt or damaged races and bearings. Replace as needed.

Personally I like to remove the entire brake assemble to provide room to work.

However, you can remove the brake shoes from the backing plate. Remove the brake anchor pin and two bolts securing the brake backing plate and steering arm to the steering knuckle. Withdraw the steering arm and brake backing plate from the steering knuckle. Now wire the backing plate and wheel cylinder to the frame in an out of the way place.

Now there are many different ways of proceeding from this point. This is just the way I do it.

Place a jack under the lower control arm and jack the arm up until the frame just starts to come off your jack stands. Lower it back down until it is sitting on the stands. Remove the upper and lower ball joint stud cotter pins. Loosen the upper and lower ball joint stud nuts. I like to take them all the way off and then screw them back on five full turns.

Now lower the jack so it is just not touching the lower control arm.

Now the tricky part. Be careful and think each step through.

Use a pickle fork to separate the upper and lower ball joint studs from the spindle. You will have the force of the spring helping you do this. As the nuts are still on the studs the spring will not be released.

Install a spring compressor (most good parts stores have a loan program where you can barrow or rent a GOOD spring compressor, do not use a Harbor Freight tool!). The best style I have found is the one that goes up inside the coil springs. Put a chain around the spring for safety.

Compress the spring with the spring compressor, to help in this take your floor jack and jack up the lower control arm, as far out on the arm as possible, until the car just starts to lift off the jack stands.

Once again be careful and think these steps through. There is a LOT of stored energy in the spring.

Now you have removed the tension on the upper and lower ball joint studs bolts. Remove them. With the spring now compressed, SLOWLY lower the lower control arm with the jack enough to remove the spindle and set it aside. Now continue to lower the lower control arm with the jack. Keep an eye on the jack alignment as you lower the control arm. You can always jack the jack back up put the upper and lower ball joint studs bolts back on and reposition the jack. At some point, if you have the spring compressed enough; the lower control arm will not be under tension from the spring. Remove the spring and loosen and remove the spring compressor from the spring. The dangerous part is over.

Remove the two lower control arm pivot bolts (if you soaked them overnight with penetrating oil this will be easier), and remove the lower control arm.

Count and record the location and number of shims between the upper control arms and the frame. Remove the NUTS, not the bolts that retain the upper control arms to the frame. The nuts are spindled onto the frame not threaded. If you wish you can press them out. Remove the upper control arms.

There are all kinds of methods to remove the bushings. Best bet is to take it to a garage and have it done. Make sure they are going PRESS them out not use an air chisel to remove them.

I will address that later.

Thats the longest post I've ever seen here. I would read it to either see if you made mistakes or learn something, but its too long... Team Chevelle is awesome!

I read it. Going to keep it handy for when I try to do a front end rebuild myself in the spring. Thanks for posting it Glenn.

No problem, I have it canned as I have been asked so many times. There are pictures to go with the text at this link
http://www.leverfamilysite.com/Articles.htm