Upper control arm installation - made a little easier

JayBay

JayBay

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I installed an upper control arm on the driver's side of my 94 yesterday. Any of you who have done this know what a pain it is to get to the rear bolt. I found a whitepaper (on another site) indicating this can be done with a ratchet extention and a pivot through the factory provided access hole - which is the best way to get to it. However, my little modification I think makes it easier to work with. I extended the access hole with an air-powered body saw, making sure I was only penetrating about 1/2", so as to not damage anything behind the metal. The larger access hole made this job much easier, and only took a few minutes to cut. I figured it's getting covered by the inner fender anyway, so why not? The picture shows a dotted line where the factory hole was. Hope this is helpful.

controlarm.jpg
 
Good Idea.


It does NOT affect anything structual either. I have that piece almost completely removed on the 94 to fit the clutch linkage in there.


Mike


EDIT. I'm a slave to my habits anyway. I always pull the master cylinder out and move it out of the way to get to the bolt.


Works fine for me.
 
I thought about doing that when I replaced mine. Instead I ended up using a long breaker bar to reach in and get that nut. I unplugged that big connector next to the master cylinder, slid the breaker bar down through that area put the socket on the nut, then popped the flag off the other side and used a ratchet to loosen it.
I don't have the patience to use a gearwrench one click at a time like alot of people do.
 
I broke the flange off the nut but the strut and then used a ratchet the rest of the way.

That way all I needed was a box wrench on the engine side of the top bolt and I could put a ratchet on the wheel side.
 
I'm getting ready to do this on my '98. I noticed in the pic that the air strut / shock is out of the car. Is it necessary to pull the struts to get the upper control arm out and the new one in?:confused:
 
turn_on68 said:
I'm getting ready to do this on my '98. I noticed in the pic that the air strut / shock is out of the car. Is it necessary to pull the struts to get the upper control arm out and the new one in?:confused:
Click to expand...

You don't have to completely remove the airspring. Just release the air and then remove the 3 top nuts that hold the top of the airspring. Then compress the airspring to pull the studs through and just move the top of the airspring outward a bit.

You need to do this to get the control arm bolts out. You'll see what I mean when you do the job.
 
billcu said:
You don't have to completely remove the airspring. Just release the air and then remove the 3 top nuts that hold the top of the airspring. Then compress the airspring to pull the studs through and just move the top of the airspring outward a bit.

You need to do this to get the control arm bolts out. You'll see what I mean when you do the job.
Click to expand...

Thanks Bill. I just did both struts a week ago so I wasn't looking forward to doing it again. The drivers one just wouln't compress without a long brake bar to push it up and over. I just got two upper control arms new from Arnott off eBay for $114 delivered. O'Reillys was $100 per side and they don't look like the OEMs. They were Moog and had differnt adjustment screws. If anyone wants a pair there is another pair on there from Arnot,
 
I used a gear wrench - ratched wrench. those tool are a blessing to mechanics
 
I did the drivers side upper control arm last week on my 98 and all i had to do was unbolt the master cylinder from the booster and lift it out of the way and i had no problem getting to the bolts. a little trick to getting the master off is break the inner bolt with a full size wrench and then take it off the rest of the way with a mini ratcheting wrench
 
jkastell said:
I did the drivers side upper control arm last week on my 98 and all i had to do was unbolt the master cylinder from the booster and lift it out of the way and i had no problem getting to the bolts. a little trick to getting the master off is break the inner bolt with a full size wrench and then take it off the rest of the way with a mini ratcheting wrench
Click to expand...

Are you talking about a open end ratchet wrench?
 
turn_on68 said:
Are you talking about a open end ratchet wrench?
Click to expand...

I've been waiting for Bob Vila and Craftsman to invent a ratcheting open end wrench for years now.:)

The ratcheting box wrenches are great when you can use them, and a ratcheting open end would be cool.

I've actually joked about a patent for such a wrench but I don't know how how you could make it work.:)
 
billcu said:
I've been waiting for Bob Vila and Craftsman to invent a ratcheting open end wrench for years now.:)

The ratcheting box wrenches are great when you can use them, and a ratcheting open end would be cool.

I've actually joked about a patent for such a wrench but I don't know how how you could make it work.:)
Click to expand...



They already make them?????


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=2581&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


I have a set of metrics, but are good for nothing other than working an already loosed nut or bolt out of a blind situation. If you try to break something loose with it you will just round off the fastener.


Giveme a set of Snap-On flank drive plus wrenches anyday. I have 2 sets and would'nt trade em for the world.


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=17480&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

then the complete set of these.


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19836&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19836&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


Mike
 
They do take a little practice, but when you need them, nothin else will do...
 
MediumD said:
How the heck do those ratcheting open end wrenches even work?
Click to expand...
Craftsman have a inner ring that fits the nut and it has a ratchet lever on the side,also it is offset so all you have to do is flip the lever one way or the other. Now I have another set that have black plastic handles inside the steel frame and these are completely flat you just flip them over to go the other way. I also have crows feet do you recommend to use them to break the nut loose on the UCA?
 
JayBay said:
I installed an upper control arm on the driver's side of my 94 yesterday. Any of you who have done this know what a pain it is to get to the rear bolt. I found a whitepaper (on another site) indicating this can be done with a ratchet extention and a pivot through the factory provided access hole - which is the best way to get to it. However, my little modification I think makes it easier to work with. I extended the access hole with an air-powered body saw, making sure I was only penetrating about 1/2", so as to not damage anything behind the metal. The larger access hole made this job much easier, and only took a few minutes to cut. I figured it's getting covered by the inner fender anyway, so why not? The picture shows a dotted line where the factory hole was. Hope this is helpful.

controlarm.jpg
Click to expand...

Okay no one else as asked, so I will ask, what is the white plastic cup looking thing over the bushing? Is it to keep it from drying out while on the shelf? Does it hold a lifetime supply of grease? What gives here?:confused:
 
turn_on68 said:
Okay no one else as asked, so I will ask, what is the white plastic cup looking thing over the bushing? Is it to keep it from drying out while on the shelf? Does it hold a lifetime supply of grease? What gives here?:confused:
Click to expand...

Shipping protector.
 
94m5 said:
They already make them?????


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...&group_ID=2581&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


I have a set of metrics, but are good for nothing other than working an already loosed nut or bolt out of a blind situation. If you try to break something loose with it you will just round off the fastener.


Giveme a set of Snap-On flank drive plus wrenches anyday. I have 2 sets and would'nt trade em for the world.


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=17480&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

then the complete set of these.


http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19836&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog

http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/item...group_ID=19836&store=snapon-store&dir=catalog


Mike
Click to expand...

SEARS has the gear wrenchs on sale right now. I just got a flyer on their tools that are on sale.:)
 
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