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Control Arm Removal

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motofiaccone

motofiaccone

Senior Member
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Hi gents:

I went to remove the front lower control arm yesterday and ended up damaging the chassis! It is repairable and I'll weld in a supporting piece, but still...

So what is the trick for removing the lower control arm bolts? Evidently, when one tries pounding the bolt out with a hammer, it pushed the thin (!) control mounting bracket out of whack.

I'd like to remove the other side today, so any help is appreciated.

--Thanks, Chris
 
I use an air hammer. The vibration usually breaks them free.
 
I had to cut a few of mine off with a reciprocating saw, after I realized that pounding on the bolt was starting to bend the bracket. With a thin blade, it is possible to squeeze it in there without mangling the A-arm too badly. I had tried an air hammer too, but no joy.
 
sparkydave said:
I had to cut a few of mine off with a reciprocating saw, after I realized that pounding on the bolt was starting to bend the bracket. With a thin blade, it is possible to squeeze it in there without mangling the A-arm too badly. I had tried an air hammer too, but no joy.
Click to expand...

:iagree:
 
You know I have no clue as to what a "front lower control arm" is.

Are we talking about the A frame where it attaches to the body?
 
Exactly Jack, on those new fangled thingies thats what the call em.
 
Pins should knock right out after removeing the nut.
 
jlaird said:
Pins should knock right out after removeing the nut.
Click to expand...

yea right!...sure they will...

best bet is the recip saw, but be carefull, it is real easy to cut into the lower control arm/wishbone or the flimsy sheet metal mount.


mark
 
Lots of PB and two wrenches with extensions for leverage.

Saws????? those cars must of been sitting in a swamp somewhere.


Mark
 
I thought everyone called them control arm :smile:

OK, I figured out the trick. First, pry out the locking tab. Then gently tap the tab so the bolt rotates a bit. Then pry out the nut-side wash/tab. Finally, the whole bolts just taps out with gentle taps. First control arm took 2 hours; the second one took 30 minutes.

Now, for the next problem...

How do I remove the fulcrum pin? Look at the Haynes diagram, it should just spin out with a flat head screw driver. That didn't work. So I put a hardened screw bit on the impact gun and broke the bit. Surely there is an easier way. Any suggestions?

--Thanks, Chris
 
Now that is a cut it out. Fulcrum pins are not fun.
 
:iagree:
 
Yep, the PO seemed to lubricate nothing. I cannot believe he drove the car around like that. ALL the bushings are shot and there is binding all over the place.

I know it's called something different on a midget, but I can never remember the proper term. I'll call it an upright.

So to remove the upright from the lower control arm, I take it I cut the fulcrum pin on the inside of the control arm; is that right? If so, do I gently wedge a hacksaw between the upright and the control arm and carefully hack away?

I'm going to fabricate new lower control arms, but I want to be sensitive not to damage the control arm. Though I could measure it, it would be nice to use the actual arm as the jig.

Any help is appreciated.

--Cheers, Chris
 
Yes that is exactly what you do - and the upright is the King pin. BTW, a very common addition for existing A-arms is to add a grease nipple on the other side of the fulcrum pin so that there are 2.
 
There is actually enough room to get a cutoff wheel in there and slice it. OH...upright is kingpin
 
Fulcrum pins are nasty. The dowel pin holding the fulcrum pin is equally nasty. After I dulled a few drill bits (and a few hacksaw blades) trying to cut it out, my father in law took it to a machine shop and they got it out. Be aware, both of those parts are hardened steel.
 
OK, thanks gents. I'll have a go this evening and report back my luck...hopefully. That's a good suggestion about the cutoff wheel. I take it one must do it carefully.

As cool as these old cars are, it's designs like this that really frustrate me. Then again, the basic design lasted 30 years, so something must be right.

--Thanks, Chris
 
Yes, the wonderful retaining pin for the fulcrum pin that keeps it from rotating. That has to come out before the fulcrum pin will unscrew. Now those usually sieze and they're so soft that they mushroom when trying to drive them out, so you usually wind up cutting the fulcrum pin at the bushings and removing the rest along with the retaining pin on the bench. What a wonderful design! First time you replace these you'll never forget to grease the fulcrum pins again though.
 
OK, so whilst 'working' from home this morning, I think to myself, "Why not try to pound out the fulcrum cotter pin?"

And it turned out exactly like Bill described. In fact, the fulcrum cotter pin even broke down in the kingpin. So do I drill it out or just cut it off?

Are the bushings metal? Even if I cut the fulcrum pin, won't the retaining fulcrum cotter pin keep me from removing the fulcrum pin?

--Thanks, Chris
 
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