Any tips for lower control arm replacement?

[Paul Bell]

YES, I searched!

There's a very nice video on youtube for the upper arm but not the lower.

Who's done this?

 

[smokey262]

I wanted to but two things stopped me. The first was that the ball joint that comes in the arm did not have a zerk fitting in it. The second was the torque required on the lower bracket.

I just did the ball joints.

I recall seeing one or two folks here who have done the whole thing, and I am sure they will be around shortly

 

[Paul Bell]

I've bought Moog arms. I'm changing the ball joints to their better ones with the zerks.

 

[BlazingTrails]

Should be a pretty straight forward swap? there are the 3 bolts on the bottom, ball joint to knock loose, end link, and the shock mount. I have heard some people prefer a puller for the lower shock mount, but I have knocked them loose with a hammer and pry bar several times.

Edit: I would try and mark all the way around the plate on the bottom, as it directly affects the alignment. both camber and castor.

 

[Sparky]

Those big bolts do have a high torque spec but that's what an impact or a really big cheater bar is for.

Blazing has a good idea for that bracket and the alignment. That would at least get you close so you can at least drive it to go get it checked. I'd suspect that you'd still need an alignment since the ball joints, bushings, etc would all be new and all those little variations could still potentially add up to things being off enough to wear tires funny.

 

[Paul Bell]

Sounds good, thanks!


Yeah, I'm prepared for some big bolts. An alignment is part of the plan.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

I use a pickle fork and BFH on bottom mount.

I have the Moog lowers to put on as well, but am keeping the ball joints. Zerk fittings seem to make weak spots on most thing like them and ujoints n such for me. I also tend to just replace parts more often with my abuse.

 

[Daniel644]

I did my passenger side this past weekend and will be doing my drive side next weekend, if your 4x4 you NEED to remove the spindle (and everything required to remove the spindle) and support the axle up out of the way, the lower ball joint "bottoms out" on the half shaft before the stud of the ball joint clears the hole in the spindle. I opted to go with the Mevotech Supreme like ChrisFix uses for his parts because it was the only replacement arm that had a greasable ball joint and that felt more important to me then the brand loyalty to Moog.

once all the bolts are out the control arm bracket will take some prying and rocking to slide it out of it's pocket in the frame, you will also notice the bolts at the bushings where the control arm meets the bracket on the new part are not tightened down, this is because you want to get it assembled and get the suspension loaded before tightening the bushings in ANY control arm so they have the proper tension.

I also used WD40 to "grease" up the hole to make it a little easier to slide the new control arm into the pocket on the frame.

 

[Sparky]

Mevotech might have greasable fittings, but I'd trust Moog build quality over Mevotech. Plus OEM doesn't have grease fittings to start with. JMO.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Members on ORTB had the balljoints go to junk in a quickness w mevotech. Like couple months quick

 

[Paul Bell]

I've always believed Moog to be a better brand than Mevotech.

 

[Daniel644]

Members on ORTB had the balljoints go to junk in a quickness w mevotech. Like couple months quick

where they using the cheap Mevotechs or the Supreme Mevotechs?

I've always believed Moog to be a better brand than Mevotech.

I actually agree, my Firebird is all Moog Problem solvers up front and Founders Performance rear parts (3-piece poly control arms and poly/poly panhard), but ChrisFix says he sees these Mevotech parts last just as long as Moog parts, we will see. It's a street truck where the closest to off-roading it will do is climbing the crappy driveway or some light georgia snow and I don't drive it all that aggressively anyway (gotta try to get decent MPG), I was just weighing the parts cost to mileage on the truck and opted to save some cash, the ball joints can always get replaced later if there is an issue when I get some cash saved back up, I was stretching myself thinner then I wanted to after getting the Belltech lowering kit (which sparked this whole fix any issue in the front end before alignment thing), so between the Belltech and the modified upper arms I had to go a bit cheaper then I normally like on the ball joints, but the truck has high enough mileage I wanted to replace the bushings in the lower control arm too, so I opted to do the whole arm.

 

[Sparky]

I did not know there were two grades of Mevotech.

Side note, I have the same Founders LCAs and panhard on my Camaro.

 

[Tiggerr]

From what I've seen the Moog, mevotech, beck arnley, and even the delco all have grease fittings on replacement ball joints, tie rods, and LCA assemblies.

 

[Daniel644]

I did not know there were two grades of Mevotech.

Side note, I have the same Founders LCAs and panhard on my Camaro.

Most brands have two levels, the economy replacement and the "professional grade" part with the grease fitting, look at how Rockauto has an economy subsection and a daily driver subsection under ball joints for these trucks.

Side note, I remember you from Fullthrottlev6 (remember this thread http://www.fullthrottlev6.com/forums/showthread.php?72692-Thinking-about-Replacing-the-Firebird it's mine, you where part of the why I decided on a Trailblazer) and LS1tech just Like Paul Bell here is on LS1tech Also

From what I've seen the Moog, mevotech, beck arnley, and even the delco all have grease fittings on replacement ball joints, tie rods, and LCA assemblies.

The Moog replacement arm is what Paul Bell has pictured in the first post, as you can see there is no grease fitting in the ball joint. It is a Moog R-series part not a Problem Solver part, the R-series from the info I can find don't have the grease fittings.

 

[Tiggerr]

That could be... I bypass the economy listings lol.

 

[Paul Bell]

The Moog replacement arm is what Paul Bell has pictured in the first post, as you can see there is no grease fitting in the ball joint. It is a Moog R-series part not a Problem Solver part, the R-series from the info I can find don't have the grease fittings.

HUH. I didn't know Moog had a better version, it's not listed at rockauto, where I got the arms from. I trust the better ones have the cheaper ball joints but still the good bushings.

 

[Daniel644]

HUH. I didn't know Moog had a better version, it's not listed at rockauto, where I got the arms from. I trust the better ones have the cheaper ball joints but still the good bushings.

I couldn't find the complete Moog arms in anything but the R-series, to get the better Ball joints (Problem Solver series) you have to press out and press in one of those and install the separately purchase problem solver ball joints, which was the whole reason I decided to give Mevotech a try (Rockauto actually had both the standard and Supreme versions of the Mevotech arms) so I got something with greasable ball joints, I don't think there is much of a difference in the Moog bushings either way.

 

[Paul Bell]

Had I now I might've gone that way but I have the arms and the better ball joints here so I'm good. I also have the upper arms.

I'm kinda short on funds and I still need to get the problem solver upper ball joints and wheel hubs. I wanted to do inner & outer end links also but I may have to hold off, I think my wheels are gonna fly off, they're rattling around pretty badly. I gotta get these arms installed.

 

[Paul Bell]

Members on ORTB had the balljoints go to junk in a quickness w mevotech. Like couple months quick

And THAT ^ led me to THIS> http://forums.offroadtb.com/viewforum.php?f=26

 

[Sparky]

I personally wouldn't bother swapping the BJs out of the Moog arms right away for the greaseable ones. I'd just run the ones they came with until they needed replaced and deal with them then. Again, JMO.

 

[Paul Bell]

I'm of the opinion that ball joints that are greased often with good grease will last a very long time. I'll say that the set of arms, ball joints and hubs I'm about to install will be the last set this truck will ever see. It has 230K on it and I generally keep vehicles until they go to the junkyard.

 

[coolasice]

Moog only makes a r-series control arm set, no premium for our platform.