I started on this on my van today, and had partial success. At first, things seemed straightforward:

0. Loosen lug nuts on wheels
1. Jack up front end, support on stands.
2. Jack up control arm slightly, remove wheel.
3. Loosen upper ball joint pinch bolt on spindle, separate control arm.
4. Loosen 3 LONG bolts that fasten the control arm barckets by removing 3 mondo nuts (15/16") from under cross member.

At this point, the small bolt on the front bracket come right off, but the front bolt on the rear bracket is blocked by the control arm pivot shaft. I had to jock the assembly around to get the rear shaft nut off, which allowed me to separate the shaft from the rear bracket. This allowed that last bolt to be pulled out, freeing the upper arm assembly.

I stared at the brackets for a while figuring out how to remove the old bushings. I ended up using a "cat's claw" to smack against the outer bushing shell. This distorted the shells enought to allow them to be more easily pulled out. The next step was to try to install the new bushings.

That's kind of where I am right now. I've partially pressed one bushing in, but I can't seem to bottom it into its hole in the bracket, and I'm starting to distort the ridge aroung the end using variously shaped arbor plates. I've just purchase some large sockets that will fit over each side of the bushing, and I'll try to use them as arbors tomorrow.

Most instructions I read about this state how important it is to mark the locations of the brackets on the bolt plate under the brackets so you can re-install them at the same place. But this only works if you can actually press the new bushings back to the same depth as the old bushings. If you did this before, how did you press the new bushings in place?

While I was down there, I noticed that the flexible hose connecting the hard line to the brake caliper was wet with brake fluid. I pulled down the segment of thick rubber tube shield that was around the top of the hose and found the metal fitting to be rusty and leaking. Maybe the protective shield trapped moisture around the fitting. In addition, the bottom edge of the shield had worn trhough the first couple layers of the flex hose. I found this on both sides. Seems kind of dangerous. Has anyone seen this? I'll bne replacing them as well tomorrow.

 

By any chance do you have a camera? I'd love to see step by step pictures of your work. I'm getting ready to rebuild the front end on my 94 4.0. I've got all the parts. I'm just waiting until I have enough time. I've not done ball joints before nor control arm bushings. I've got the Ford CD, Haynes and Chiltons, and the forum here for reference. If you get a chance to post some pictures it could be very helpful.

 

Tom,

I'll see what I can do. It's hard to be doing this and shooting pictures at the same time. Also, I'm still not allowed to post attachments. Is that the only way to post pictures right now?

 

No what I do is sign up at photobucket.com its free and from there you upload your images. Once you have the path which is under each image go to your post and click the insert image button which is a picture of a mountain and a sun then type the path to the image at photobucket. This will embed the image directly into your post.

Or you can just create a link to the image at photobucket so you just click and the image appears in another window just click the insert link button the icon is a globe and a chain.

 

Just did the passenger side a couple of weeks ago. I wound up splitting the old bushings with a cold chisel and then they came out pretty easy. As you found out, it is pretty tough to seat the new ones all the way in. I came within 1/16 to 1/8 and then said to hell with it and installed them like that.....sofar no ill effects. I took care of that partially hidden bold with a box end wrench; I could only turn it a minimal amount, so it took forever to get it off and back on.....

Klaus Cook
Houston, Texas

 

Klaus,

I was going to say that a cold chissel works just as well to collapse the outer bushing shell. I couldn't find mine, so I used a cat's claw.

I haven't gotten any pictures up yet, but I'm almost done with the front suspension. Actually, the bushings are in; installed using the two large sockets and a press. A large bench vice would work just as well.

While I was there, I wanted to check and possibly replace the upper ball joints. One of them had a torn boot, spewing grease all over the suspension. It was loose enough that I wanted to replace it. (The other boot looked to be pretty dried up, and will go soon, so I want to find a replacement boot.) After fighting with those rivets a little, I found out that if I used a large drill bit (3/8") and carefully drilled into the center of each rivet from the ball stud side, eventually the heads pop off when the bit reaches the control arm. Then the ball joint can be separated from the control arm by pulling the rivets out with it.

Now I had another problem. The replacement ball joints from AutoZone had much smaller ***** than the stock joints. The stock model had these slots on the ball that help spread the grease, while the cheap replacements did not. I'm thinking of returning these (made by a company called Duralast) and looking for another brand. I wonder if Moog or McQuay-Norris make models that are more like the stock design?

 

Gentlemen:

Buy a balljoint press from Harborfreight for about $20. That'll help pressing the bushings out and in very easily.

The press looks like a giant C-Clamp with a whole bunch of attachments of various diameters.

Xlt4wd90: I used the McQuay Norris balljoints. I am not sure how different they are from the Autozone cheapie brand, but they seem to work well so far. Besides, let's face it, with the rivets out and the bolts in, it takes no more than 30 minutes to replace the upper balljoints, right?

 

Copper, is this the press from harbor Freight you mentioned?

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/cta...emnumber=38335

 

max,
good choice repairing front end now

Autozone and other parts houses either loan out for free or a minimal charge ball joint multi size press kits if you buy parts from them....will save you money for a tool that you will seldom use

be sure to get u and l ball joints that have grease fittings, seem to last longer than the ones designed with greaseless low friction materials

 

Yeah, thinking so too - woulda been better if she'd listened to me couple of months back, when I told her they were about to die on her...

As for buying vs. renting the press, I'd rather buy it. This way, when the issue comes up again, with either her van or my car, I won't have to worry about trying to rent one again - even though you get the deposit back, sometimes, it just isn't possible to fork over the deposit fee at the time...

 

Max:

Yes, that's what I was talking about. If you are that tight financially, I'd suggest that you just borrow the tool from Autozone and return it after you are done.

 

The other problem with those loaner tools I've run into is getting them home and then finding they have been severely abused by previous dumbkoffs to the point they won't work as intended. (Especially so with fan clutch wrenches).

 

Oh, you got the same fan clutch wrench that I got!! You know, it was just a piece of steel cut out, and was very soft to begin with. It started to round off the nut. I had to remove the water pump, clutch and all, then put the old impeller in a vice, and turn it with a real socket. The shaft was turning on the impeller!! Finally, it broke loose, lucky it. I was about to grab the torch!!

 

Out of all the repairs I have done on both of my 'Stars, the fan clutch was the easiest. Before loosening the fan belts I put a large adjustable wrench on the "nut" and tapped it a couple of times with my "precision tool" (can you say big, heavy ball peen hammer?). Both of the spun right off......guess I was just lucky.

Klaus Cook
Houston, Texas

 

I bought the bushing removal tool from JC Whitney but had to return it because I could not find any room to work with. Was I not using the tool correctly? I tried to remove the bushings when they were still on the van. There is no room in the area to remove the bushings with the special tool. Are you supposed to remove the brackets prior to removing the bushings. I ended up using my air tools with the jackhammer air tool and it pressed the bushing with ease.