28 replies to this topic

[Alberto]

Yeah was a joke( picture was a cute blonde with a BFH), But impact and pry bar and it usually comes out. If they are real bad, it is easier to just use a sawzall and take it in three pieces.

Jim

 

I'm curious...

I have a rear lower control arm and a low mileage upright/spindle that I can't separate b/c that bolt is bent beyond removal with a BFH - or a hot blonde wielding a BFH.  Are the lower rear control arms and uprights generally  re-usable when the bolt gets that bent?

[davew]

I can usually get them seperated with a sawz-all. Although this will sacrifice the outer arm bushings.

 

If the bolt is bent as bad as it sounds, I give 50% chance that either part is usable.

 

Quick test for rear lower arms, once they are disassembled. Insert a new long bolt into the outer bushings, it should go through both bushing with no bind. If the bolt doesn't line up, the arm is now a large paperweight or small boat anchor.

 

Dave

[Jim Drago]

What Dave said

[38bfast]

It is truly amassing the abuse that these cars can take and put them back on track with just a few new parts. It sure does take a lot to total one.

[Ron Alan]

Little trick that some may find helpful in getting a bolt out at the track...

 

Helped 3 different people remove the bolt by cutting with a sawzall. First was a pain because didn't have the perfect blade. 2nd went ok with the right blade...but both times the blade cut through part of the bushing as Dave mentioned. After the first 2 lessons I opted for the old fashion arm power the last time! I grabbed my hacksaw out of the truck(A quality unit btw...not the old fashion wing nut type!), with a new blade. I was able to force a small flat head screw on the underside of the LCA between the upright and the metal part of the bushing. This created enough of a gap that the hacksaw blade was cutting only the bolt...60 sec done!

 

With regards to Daves comment on a bolt going straight thru. I took apart a corner that came of a wrecked street car. It had been sitting for several months. I actually had to cut the bolt twice(both sides of upright)it was so bent. After getting it out...i could see one bushing slightly off center...the other way off(inside faces). The outside looked centered. I pushed a new bolt through the worst one first and then had to press it over a little to get it started in the 2nd bushing(no upright). The bolt went through at that point and everything looked centered. In a pinch at the track, pretty sure this would be fine. But had the bushings looked centered and the bolt didnt go thru...LCA may be done! 

[Brian129]

I think I am stuck in the hunting a bent car bit now myself.  

But I haven't hit anything with it,  so I'm kinda stumped.  

 

this is for my build,  its a 90 that was a street car,  drove straight, and no accidents to be mentioned before.  heck even the wheels were not curb rashed. 

the subframes and suspension came from a 97 car that was also not wrecked, was an autocrosser's starting point, but blew the motor, and I ended up with the shell. 

 

since them I have disassembled everything,  I did not have to beat any of the suspension bolts out,  and when I had everything apart I did not notice anything obviously tweaked.  

it has all new tierod ends, new lower ball joints, while reusing the upper arms, with just a new ball joint dust cover.  

I was working on initial setup tonight. 

with the car all assembled and me in the driver seat we set the ride height to 4 5/8" to the bottom of the pinch weld just behind the front notches outlining the jacking point. The rear was set to just over 4 3/4" right under the spot weld an inch in from the back.   This was with a little over a 1/4 tanks of gas, so we left it a shade high in the rear.  

I followed the set up suggestions in Dave's book.  All 4 front cams are set at max camber, perfectly parallel to the ground pointing out.  (rears are all set in the middle). 

the car looks like its high in the rear, but the concern is the camber numbers with me in the car.  

Left front 2.75 deg Right front 2.25 deg

Left rear 2.5 deg Right rear 2.75 deg

 

 

the rear is easily adjusted, but the front is at max already,  2.25 is definitely not enough to be correct.  

 

I figured I check here before ripping the suspension apart.  Anything I could have missed in assembly?

The one thing I do have is a full set of spare suspension from the 90 originally, assuming everything should measure out the same on the 90 and 97 parts?    

[trimless]

Are you using the fatcat bump stops?  I run at about 4 1/2" from the pinch welds and still have enough shock travel in the front.  Why are you starting higher in the rear ride height?

[Brian129]

Are you using the fatcat bump stops?  I run at about 4 1/2" from the pinch welds and still have enough shock travel in the front.  Why are you starting higher in the rear ride height?

Yes fat cats and 99 hats
Read a few people using that, so I was starting there. After looking a little more last night though it looks like most say it helps make the rear rotate! which may not be the best for a beginner I may drop it back to flat

[Brian129]

Just to update here,  
I reset the ride height to 4 9/16 all the way around, and rechecked and my right front was still off. 
I measured the wheel base side to side and the right was 7/16" shorter then the right,  though rear wheel was square to body,  fronts were not.  

 

switch the lower passenger front suspension arm with my spare 90 part, BAM! 2.75 degrees and wheelbase within a 1/16"

Couldn't really see much as far as a bend in the arm, but switching parts sure seemed to correct the problem