Lower control arm pin
- Thread starter doopdoop67
- Start date
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Jim Lusk
Well-Known Member
Poly is like that.
If you’re using a Nylock or other kind of locking nut you’ll probably need to spin the pivot nut on with an impact wrench until it pulls tension on the pin.
The threads on the end of the pin in your picture are pretty shiny, you might need to dress those up as that will cause you issues too. The more resistance you get from the threads the harder this will be.
You can also try grabbing the outside of the shoulder on the pin (the part up against the bushing in the picture) with a set of channel locks or vice grips. But you have to be careful not to bung up the bushings when/if you do that. Or any part of the shoulder that will touch the bushing, but the outside ring of that shoulder shouldn’t touch anything.
I use a battery powered impact to get mine started, and prefer using a regular nut with a lock washer. The Firm Feel pins I use call for a 100 ft/lb torque spec, so, I don’t worry about them backing off or about starting them with the impact.
The threads on the end of the pin in your picture are pretty shiny, you might need to dress those up as that will cause you issues too. The more resistance you get from the threads the harder this will be.
You can also try grabbing the outside of the shoulder on the pin (the part up against the bushing in the picture) with a set of channel locks or vice grips. But you have to be careful not to bung up the bushings when/if you do that. Or any part of the shoulder that will touch the bushing, but the outside ring of that shoulder shouldn’t touch anything.
I use a battery powered impact to get mine started, and prefer using a regular nut with a lock washer. The Firm Feel pins I use call for a 100 ft/lb torque spec, so, I don’t worry about them backing off or about starting them with the impact.
Leave the "shaft" in the crossmember.
Take the control arm off the of the shaft.
Get out your vise grips, channel lock pliers.
Put onto the shaft, in a non marring location.
Tighten down the self locking nut.
Reinstall the LCA, onto the shaft.
Easy peasy.
It's the same principal, but in reverse, if you were at a wrecking yard, pulling LCA's off some donor car.
When the LCA bushings are so shot to hell, you can't get the nut OFF, because the shaft is spinning around due to the shot bushing.
You pull the LCA back off the shaft, tighten down your vise grips, remove the nut from the front threads of the shaft.
Done that, many times pulling LCA's off cars at the Pick-N-Pull's.
But, here's another FYI here for you.
I always have found plenty of room to tightening or loosen the nut on a LCA by using a pair of vice grips by clamping down on a shaft in the car, by going up between the the back side of the cross member, and the LCA itself, when removing them.
You can do the same on installation, tightening down the nut.
Take a look at your car, and you will see what I'm talking about.
Take the control arm off the of the shaft.
Get out your vise grips, channel lock pliers.
Put onto the shaft, in a non marring location.
Tighten down the self locking nut.
Reinstall the LCA, onto the shaft.
Easy peasy.
It's the same principal, but in reverse, if you were at a wrecking yard, pulling LCA's off some donor car.
When the LCA bushings are so shot to hell, you can't get the nut OFF, because the shaft is spinning around due to the shot bushing.
You pull the LCA back off the shaft, tighten down your vise grips, remove the nut from the front threads of the shaft.
Done that, many times pulling LCA's off cars at the Pick-N-Pull's.
But, here's another FYI here for you.
I always have found plenty of room to tightening or loosen the nut on a LCA by using a pair of vice grips by clamping down on a shaft in the car, by going up between the the back side of the cross member, and the LCA itself, when removing them.
You can do the same on installation, tightening down the nut.
Take a look at your car, and you will see what I'm talking about.
Last edited:
doopdoop67
Well-Known Member
They are pressed in though. Don’t think it would come off
doopdoop67
Well-Known Member
Ok good tip. Maybe I’ll clean the threads up and try a regular nut. I tried with my impact but just was spinning in the LCA. Thanks a bunch!
I thought we were talking about "POLY" bushings here?
Didn't know POLY bushings have to be "pressed" onto the shaft, then in the LCA itself.
Then you are right, if you're using bushings that press into the LCA, it won't work.
Last edited:
doopdoop67
Well-Known Member
Starting to think it’s not worth the price. Stock worked for 50 years, maybe I shoulda stuck with it. Oh well.
EDIT.
Somehow my reply got double posted.
Somehow my reply got double posted.
Which poly bushings are you using?
Typically a full on press isn’t necessary to slide the bushing onto or off of the pivot shaft. Cue all the knuckleheads saying that the rubber in the rubber bushing somehow locates the control arm.
Usually with poly you can slide the LCA and bushing off the pin. You can install the pins and then slide the bushing and LCA onto the pin already installed in the K. It should require some effort, but not a press.
It’s clearly a poly bushing in the picture. Some are a tighter fit than others though, and not all of them are constructed the same.
Stock didn’t work for 50 years, not with a single bushing. And certainly none of the rubber reproduction bushings will last anywhere near that long.
Looks like you already did the right thing and have greaseable pins. The installation of the poly bushings is a little different, it will work fine but the process is a little different than with rubber. Poly is not rubber, the install is not exactly the same. In fact, if you do the install the same as with rubber, you’ve done it wrong.
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