How many hours did it take to change out your front control arm bushings and ball joints?

I'm trying to decide whether I can do it in an evening (allowing myself about 6 hours).

I have air tools, oxy/acetylene torch, 12 ton shop press, ball joint separators, and a spring compressor. So there's not much that I can't do at home, if anything.

I'm also gonna replace the springs and shocks, but that's part of the package anyway.

What do you think? Should I go for it or wait until I have an entire weekend free?

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My Elky Page (http://www.geocities.com/chadjlandry/index.html) Updated 7-21-00
"Think for yourself. Don't let popular opinion make your decisions for you."
Chad Landry
TC Member #643
'68 El Camino

Ya know, if you go by a mechanics labor/price guide it probably can be done in that time. But there's several items that reguarly seem to come up when I start a project on a 30 year old car YOU OWN.


<LI> The OTHER SIDE is always harder to do and takes LONGERthan the side you start on.
<LI> I always break the 1 bolt/nut/socket that you do not have a spare of when you start that OTHERside.
<LI> I make at least 1 parts run for supplies, rental tools or missing parts when you've gotten the GREASIEST.
<LI> It's at this moment you find that you didn't buy more shop towels and Go Jo the last time you went.
<LI> Decide after you get back and every thing is removed and ready to be reassembled with the new stuff, you might as well paint/prime/sandblast some parts.
<LI> Now, when everything is ready to go again you can't find that bolt/nut/socket you picked up on your parts run.
<LI> Now, that you realize you should have waited for a free weekend, you used up a whole week, 1/4 tank of gas, a case of soda (I never drink beer when I work on my car...sorta), 1 quart of Go Jo, and the clean clothes you forgot to change out of when you came back from the 1st parts run.




But in closing, just let us know how long it takes, start to finish. I need to do the same thing to my 70 Malibu next week. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif


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Springfield, Ohio

<UL TYPE=SQUARE>
<LI>name: D.G. & my 70 Malibu
<LI>http://www.wright.edu/~adams.41/chevy.htm
<LI>TEAM Chevelle Member #0086
<LI>eBay username: dg98adams
<LI>"Failure is not an option. It's bundled with your software"
[/list]

Chad DG is funny but correct. Plus you will have to make some jigs to support the arms when you press the bushings in and out. Some of that engineering may take up a lot of time. I would say a weekend and maybe still have a loaner car available if you need to go to work.
Don't forget to make an appointment for an alignment. Philip

Good advice above. I can't see doing it in 6 hours unless you had done it before and had all of the tools and techniques ready to go. DG is right on, I've been working on mine for over week now (3-4 hours/day), wife is driving me to work. Had a nice 10-day vacation in the middle. The main thing slowing me down is the sandblast and paint thing. Also stupid stuff like broken lower shock clip nuts. I made some widgets for pressing bushings beforehand in a machine shop at work.

Yeah, I guess I was being a bit optimistic. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

I just hate having parts sitting around that need to be installed.

Since the wife is out of town and I don't have alternative transportation in case something goes wrong, I'll just have to hold off on this one.

Thanks guys. http://www.chevelles.com/forum/smile.gif

DON'T press the bushings. Burn/melt the old rubber bushings out of the pressed-in shells, then clean up the inside of the shells, install POLY bushings into the used shells, jam the center sleeve into the poly bushings and WALLAH! you're done.

EVEN BETTER: since poly bushings are not sensitive to being torqued with the weight on them, torque the bushings with the car still on jackstands where it's easier. With Rubber bushings, the car has to have the suspension at normal ride height before locking the bushings into position by torquing them.

Rubber bushings are a real pain. Not so for Poly!

Still, wait til you have time to do all the clean/prime/paint stuff at your leisure.

Just finished mine last night and it took quite a while on my 72 SS. I had to use my sand blasting cabinet to clean each and every part which was going to be reused. I do have a question. I have not placed the Center Link in which is the only old thing I am using (1yr old) anyhow I noticed that I am missing those little o ring gaskets that go around the to male pieces of the center link. Does anyone know what I can do to replace that or fabricate my own?
Thanks,
Anthony

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1972 Chevy Chevelle SS
1987 GTA
1998 Camaro SS (Y2Y)