replacing upper bushing shafts

[2x57sedan]

ok i made my own upper bushing manual press (a couple sockets and a threaded rodw/a couple nuts)

my old upper bushings were soo worn getting the original shaft to come out was really easy so i now have my new front end kit from kanter with new shafts  my question is can i install the bushings and the shafts by myself or will i have to use a real press to do them

im guessing the new shafts wont slip through the new bushings after they are installed in the arms

[RICH MUISE]

I got mine done at home. The lower control arm bushings can be removed and reinstalled using your threaded rod set-up, but my memory is failing me on how I reinstalled the new bushings on the upper control arm. This is more of a guess on how I did it, rather than remembering, but I would think I at least tried to install the new upper bushings by using bolts in the new shaft to draw them in. I'll try to find some old pics to jog my memory. With both upper and lowers you need to be cautious to not distort the arms, so you will need to rig up a solid spacer inside the upper control arm to keep it from collapsing in while your applying pressure to the bushings.
I'm curious about the Kanter new upper shafts...are they a forged piece, as oem, and if so, do they have a "RP" in raised letters? The ones I got at concourse were drop shipped to me from the manufacturer..Rare Parts...and were close to 300. for the pair.

[2x57sedan]

the kanter shafts are forged and look like the originals  with no raised RP on them the only real difference i see between them is the new ones are bigger in diameter

when installing the new bushings should i sand the arms slightly or oil/grease to help them slide in or maybe heat the arms alittle bit

[RICH MUISE]

I used a little white lithium grease..PB Blaster or WD40 should work also. I would think if you got the control arm hot enough to change the bushing hole size any, it would not only make it easier to deform the control arm, but the heat might have negative effects on the rubber in the bushing....just mho.

In my case I had painted the control arm while disassembled, so heat wasn't a consideration from the start.
Rich

[2x57sedan]

i was thinking of painting my arms after i got the bushings and shafts in them

[65kcode]

I'm replacing the upper bushings, what a PIA!  Anyways, how much shaft play (if any) should there be when the bushings are pressed into the arms.  My 57 shop manual doesn't say.  I'm guessing none, but what is the opinion on here?

Kevin

[RICH MUISE]

If I remember correctly, the bushings have an inner split sleeve that will take up any slop and be snug on the shaft. I think I remember not being able to  rotate the shaft with bare hands, but being able to rotate the control arm with bare hands after it was bolted to the frame. I had replaced my upper shafts with new forgings, but the new ones were actually .001 smaller than the original 50 year old ones.

[65kcode]

Thanks Rich,

I realized after re-reading the manual that the bushing go into snug, after you place the arms on the frame, then you tighten the shaft bolts snug.  That pulls the (in my case) 7/16" in tight. haha

I can paint them tomorrow and start putting it all back together!!

Thanks again
Kevin

[ROKuberski]

I know this is an old topic, but it is what I am working on right now.

I have the entire front end taken apart.  I have media blasted all the parts and am in the process of painting.  I have one lower control arm reinstalled.  I can hang the spring on the lower arm, but then it is perpendicular.  I guess I will have to get a spring compressor to get me started so I can put the jack back under it and push it up into position.  I am painting the control arms Ford engine RED, everything else is black.  I just started Monday and I have an appointment Saturday for a front end alignment.  My parts won't show up until Thursday.  I did have the lower control arm bushings, they came with the car when I bought it two years ago.  I have a vibration at about 65 mph and I hope this helps.  I already put in new wheel bearings.  Also, I found that all 4 of the lower control arm bushings were shot.  The uppers seem pretty good, but I've already got them out.  Also the upper ball joints seemed okay, but at least the left lower was loose.  It's a lot of work, but I can see the end of it already.

I bought a kit on eBay that has all of these parts, the guy says he buys his kit from Kanter.
Rich

[RICH MUISE]

Rich...I'm not sure how these guys that are swapping springs get it done in a few hours. When I did mine, I had no engine or front clip on, so a jack was useless, not enough weight....just jacked the whole car up! What I ended up doing was getting a length of 1/2 or 5/8 threaded rod, and used a heavy bar on the bottom (a milling machine table clamp actually) to span the large bottom hole. A couple lock nuts on the bottom, some hd washers, Make sure you have the spring's end nestled in the pocket for it on the control arm. Wouldn't hurt to also have the jack under it as a safety. To start, I used the threaded rod to undo it...and put a bend in the threaded rod doing that. As it turns out, if my memory serves, the threaded rod actually had to be bent to do it back up.

[ROKuberski]

My good friend that owns a repair garage has loaned me some tools for this project.  One thing that I did not take was the spring compressor.  Thursday is my volunteer day at the Colorado Rail Road museum, so I won't get much done on the car tomorrow.  But, assuming my parts package shows up tomorrow, I will install all of the ball joints on the control arms before I hit the sack.  Friday morning I will go and get the spring compressor. That should crunch the spring enough to allow me to use the jack to push the lower control arm back into position. 

Everyone I know has been giving me a load of crap about my red control arms.  Unless you craw under the car, you won't see much of it.  You will see about 1/4 of the upper control arm in the engine compartment.

Rich

[gasman826]

If you are using a floor jack, lay a chain on the floor...jack on the chain...wrap the chain around the frame.  Frame can't go up.  Drop another small chain through the shock hole, through the center of the spring, through the lower control arm and loop back and attach.  If something goes wrong, spring will hit the end of the chain.  BE SAFE!

[ROKuberski]

That sounds like a good idea.  I am hoping that the spring compressor will give me the necessary slack so the jack can do its job.

Rich

[Ford Blue blood]

One more thing, when you have the front end assembled DO NOT tighten the nuts on the upper and lower bushings unless you have full vehicle weight on the suspension.  Tightening the nuts with the suspension in the full "down" (front tire off the ground) will preload the rubber in the bushings and cause premature failure.  Leave those nuts only "finger tight" (put a note on the windshield to that effect) and make those the last thing you do before putting the car on the road.  Best is to take a couple laps around the block, let the suspension settle in, then tighten them up with full load on them.

[ROKuberski]

Thanks for the tip.

My parts came today.  I tried a different method of installing the spring.  I took a piece of 1-1/2" steel pipe about 4' long and stuck it into the hole for the cross member, then put a come-along from the end of the pipe to the end of the lower control arm and raised it up to about 45 degrees then put the jack under the control arm.  It worked very well.  With a little luck, I will have it all back together tomorrow. 

Rich