Upper control arm question

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You can remove the old ones with a good vise and an air chisel/hammer. ust a flat blade and hold it so that the flat end is parallel with the axis of the bolt and start at 180° apart. Then 90° until you collapse the outer sleeves enough to drive them out.

To install try using a sleeve over the smaller end that gets pushed through. Grease the **** out of the smaller part of the shell that contacts the control arm. Then on the other side, use another sleeve/socket that presses down on the outer shell portion and crank down with your vise. The trick is not to push on the inner part, only the outer part for the outside, and not contact the other end while pushing them in.
 
Hey KrazyKuda..

We are passed removing / installing the bushings from the uca and are talking about re installing the uca to the frame when the bushing seem to be just a tad large and don't want to slip in easily...

Three great tips so far..do you have a favorite methodology ?

Thanks
Ian.
 
I always take the outside washers and clamp the whole thing in a vise and ease down on it until they are installed completely, AFTER the bushing is installed in the control arm. Has always worked.

Also remember that some applications did not use those washers, so it is entirely possible it is appropriate to leave them out.
 
I am thinking I may have a problem...i did some measurements and I am about 1/4 inches off...too much I think for a bfh.

The bushings are installed correctly. Can I go with normal uca bushings with poly everything else..

I could ask the company.

Any ideas ?

Ian.
 
Are the bushing too close together (inside spread)?

You may have pulled the inserts in when installing the bushings. Last set I had, the metal outer washer on the outside portion of bushing was ~.125 from the sleeve that pressed into the arm.
 
Just the opposite..it is to wide on the outside...i shall post pis tonight.

ian.
 
Ok.

It almost looks to me that there is too much of the bushing sticking past the opening ...I would have to compress the spread of the two bushings to make it fit or is this normal ?

_IGP8308-L.jpg

It is about the same on the other side.
_IGP8305-L.jpg


So I toss these and go with normal rubber bushings..and if i did, what would the effect be with these being rubber and poly the rest of the way around ?

Ian.
 
Is the inside spread OK?

Use that allthread, nut, washer spreader idea to move the ears out slightly.

Maybe lightly c clamp those bushings. IIRC, they have an end cap washer and a separate insert.
 
Is the inside spread OK?

Use that allthread, nut, washer spreader idea to move the ears out slightly.

Maybe lightly c clamp those bushings. IIRC, they have an end cap washer and a separate insert.

OK. I shall try tomorrow to see what happens...I was focused on the outside today..

this is great. I shall post tomorrow night hopefully my success.

ian.
 
OK, you are almost there.
You need to spread the "ears apart" on the frame and it will slide together.
I have had the same issue in the past, you can use a all-thread with a spacer, and screw the nuts apart to open them up.
Or if you have access to a porta-power gently push them apart.
When you bolt it back together they will pull back in.
 
OK, you are almost there.
You need to spread the "ears apart" on the frame and it will slide together.
I have had the same issue in the past, you can use a all-thread with a spacer, and screw the nuts apart to open them up.
Or if you have access to a porta-power gently push them apart.
When you bolt it back together they will pull back in.

Thanks...that porta power sound cool. I like tools.

I have the stuff on hand to make this jig so my fingers are crossed..

ian.
 
I've never seen any that would slip fit perfectly going in or out. I can get them out with a crow bar and I can get them in with a big hammer. the factory end caps on the bushing were crowned to they would at least start in a tiny bit. Then the hammer work began.
If you think about it.. what good would a loose fit be ? If its going to hold alignment, the tighter the better.
 
OK, you are almost there.
You need to spread the "ears apart" on the frame and it will slide together.
I have had the same issue in the past, you can use a all-thread with a spacer, and screw the nuts apart to open them up.
Or if you have access to a porta-power gently push them apart.
When you bolt it back together they will pull back in.

I told ya lol.BFH
 
Awesome suggestion Crackedback, the all thread gizmo worked perfectly...it opened up the holder quite nicely and a few taps of the BFH got it in..

The bolts go from the inside outward correct ? The outside washer doesn't want to fit because of the ridge on the outside of the ears...should I rotate the nut some . This is hard to describe ..

Thanks
Ian.
 
Yep bolt from inside or in between out. those shoulders capture the eccentric washer and provide something for it to push against.
Rotate bolt, shift it in the slot as needed to get the washer seated flat.
 
I just did this on my 64 Valiant, but w/ 1 Moog offset and 1 regular bushing in each UCA. They looked almost identical to yours, in terms of spread. I see maybe 1/16" too wide in your photo. The frame supports are sheet metal, so spread fairly easily. I just used a hammer and chisel to get them started, and you can tap on the outer shell directly.

I am guessing that Energy Suspension thought you were asking about the LCA bushings. You have to press those apart and reuse the metal shells with their poly bushings. Many people wonder about the security of that design, plus the poly slides there and can squeak. Are your UCA ones also sliders? If so, they should have a grease fitting.
 
Actually, everything went on well except for the tightness of the UCAs...but really, only time will tell. We flipped a coin on poly vs rubber.

I really wish it were. I included a pic when I talked ti him..and then there are in instructions..worse comes to worse, I will have premature failure. No one knew what Energy suspension was talking about..

Ian.

uca-L.jpg
 
Need a little more help figuring out how to tell which upper A arm is passenger side and which is driver side.. Is the part of the A arm that has a tray like area and widest part of the A arm, face the rear of the car on a 70 340 Duster.. And will any 70 thru 71 work regardless of engine size...HELP..
 
There must be a 100 pics scattered through this forum. Anyway...
Look for a lip welded on the frame that the upper bump stop mounts in. Its toward the front of the car right ? that's where the widest part of the arm goes.
 
Thank you RedFish.. Got a used A arm to replace the one I need, but the one I got looks like the good one.. Don't have immediate access to the car ( 30 mi away ) so I was hoping to know if the fat lip part faced the front of the car.. Sorry to sound so ignorant, my first front end experience .
 
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