Ah come on.... It's fun just to say, I use a pickle fork and watch non-mechanics reaction.

 

Yea , if you have room and it actually works , for me I had to use the pickle fork

 

Fun to say, fun to DO!!

True, you have to have room to swing. I had lots of space with the fender wells out...

Now when i did my Ford 9 years ago, I mushroomed the heck out of that pickle fork with no budging of the ball joint. A firm WHACK at the spindle popped it loose. I kept hoping Oreilly would not charge me for damage to their tool...

 

The one I rented was beat to crap . It worked well for me , but I had been pounding on it prior to renting the tool so maybe I loosened it up . The pickle fork will destroy the rubber boot though and I don't know a source where you can just get the boot .

 

When I did mine I destroyed a Harbor Freight chinesium fork....and only got 1 of the 4 BJs loose. The "2 hammer - whack the spindle method" worked MUCH better for me...but I didn't have any fenders/wheelwells to deal with...

 

Rob!!

How the heck did you get the spring out of the lower pocket!! I did exactly what you've done so far, i have the spring chained to the frame so it doesnt pop out voilently. But it's sure holding in there pretty good!

The lower part of the A-Arm is completely on the ground and can't pivot any more...

 

Tony, lower the control arm right down to the floor. Sit in front of the control arm and push it down some more with your feet (it will prolly go about another inch or 2). Grasp the lower part of the spring (don't worry it has no energy left in it by now) and give a good outward tug. If you have a LOT of rust in there you might have to give it 2 or 3 tugs. It will pop right out. Found out after I did mine that I didn't even need to chain it - the spring energy was all dissipated.

EDIT: see 3rd para of this link: https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post322019

 

You will have to raise the car higher in order to get the additional drop from the A-arm. However, if the A-arm won't drop anymore because it hits the pocket that it is bolted in,(possibly HD springs) then you're gonna need a spring compressor.

 

I used a crowbar, after I was sure the arm was down as far as it would go.
It popped out but the rod I had goin g through the shock holes kept it in place. It this point there is not much energy left in it. After the rod was pulled, I used both arms to tug it on out.

 

Thanks for all the advice!

I've gotta grab some pictures when i get home...

I can actually turn the spring around in the spring pocket. But the inner side of the spring is catching on the lip...

 

Keep your hands gripped on it when prying it over the lip and it shouldn't bite...

We are back in the 10x* temperatures, and I am happy to be inside with AC than doing that car over again.
Still can't believe I lived to tell about it.

 

Hey, Speaking of which,

The top A-Arm came out with no issues! I used a pickle fork, 5-6 blows with a BFH and BOOM, the knuckle came loose!

The top bolts were a little bit more of an issue... Those had to be really coaxed out. but hey, i didnt buy a dead-blow chisel for nothing

 

yep , although I had a spring compressor on it , once the a-frame went as low as it would go the spring just fell right out

 

Tony, you need to have the front frame at least 15" off the ground. If its lower than that you will prolly have trouble getting the spring out. It should come out easy if you can rotate it in the LCA. That also means the energy has been totally released. You don't actually need the chain on it anymore, nor the rod. Lift the car another inch or two and the LCA will drop enough to make the extraction easy.

Midrange: Tony will likely have stock springs in his car - not the HD ones. If they were HD, they would likely have slipped out by now since HD are shorter to start with.

 

I've got the car pretty high up right now!! I'm actually on the train on the way home right now. Hopefully i'll have an update for you guys soon!

Any other advice with the removal of the lower control arm bolts?? I manged to get the nuts off without any issues! just... how do i get the bolts out...

 

Bolts will come out if you hit them with a hammer. Chances are that the bolt and metal sleeve on the control arm bushing are rusted/seized. Use a BFH and whack that sucker. Use a large punch to drift the bolt back through as far as you can. Try shooting some wd40 into the LCA bracket to see if it won't free up a little bit of movement.

re: springs/control arms. If the LCA is already touching the ground see if you can wedge some plastic (good stiff stuff) under the spring. Shoot the surface with wd40 for extra slip and give that spring a tug.

 

Rob,
What is the correct part number for these grease seals? There seems to be 2 types on Rockauto, minor difference in width, and construction. Would these work -TIMKEN Part # 8705S ?
Thx.

 

TIMKEN Part # 8705S is the one I used and it fit perfectly. They did not have a front flange like the originals, but they worked.
Make sure you are looking at only the front wheel seals, as RA also lists the rear axle seals in that section.
The fronts vary some in width, but that is okay. Outer and inner diameter are the important things.

 

Got it...Thx Rob.
Use your threads often for shortcuts, and how to's. Awesome info. Thx for taking the time crossing all those t's and dotting all those i's!

 

Not a problem - glad to help out where I can!

 

Nice writeup Rob. Looks like it took as long to take and post the pics, then type the text for this tutorial, lol. And you did it with humor in a cramped work area as well.... I wear sandals as well when doing the heavy stuff, just pulled motor/trans, LCA and UCA on my 69 and still have all my toes. California heat causes it lol. Just wanted to acknowledge work well done.

 

Thank you for the complements!
Yes, the writeup was pretty time consuming. However, lots of detail would certainly help out those who are doing the same project, and it has.
I do take similar pictures to all of my projects, as they really help when you forget where or how a particular piece went.
The tight quarters and heat were the worst parts. I assume you saw the entire underhood resto that stemmed after the suspension was pulled. Not sure how I lived to tell about it, but I did...

 

I wish I would of taken the detailed pics you did for the very same reasons .... and I feel sorry for you guys in TX . Working in that heat would kill me !

 

And I just keep asking myself, WHY, OH, WHY did we have to have the hottest friggen summer on record when I was doing the biggest automotive project in my life????
Geez.... This summer was hot, but "normal".

 

I don't see how you did it last summer Rob, it was brutal. I put my car together after paint and did the motor install but I had to work at night last summer...I couldn't have done it during the day. This summer was a breeze in comparison.

 

I havent seen that writeup as of yet, dont know if i dare look. I get inspired easy.... I might have to buy a new pair of wrenching sandals as well. Wonder if Rockauto has them in stock lol.

 

Surprised you missed that monster thread! Here is is for your enjoyment.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...tml#post292889
Have a few beers before-hand so it does not make you start tearing your car apart.
I usually wear no shoes in the summer, but sandals work if they are needed.

 

Okay maybe I did glance at that thread lol. Beer actually encourages me, silly i know. My sun baked asphalt will take the hide off my bare feet here.

 

Thanks for such a great thread Rob!

Saved me a lot of frustration

 

Glad it could help ya - that makes all the documentation worth it!

 

Just looked thru this thread. I already studied your under hood thread but had missed this one. Another great job, Rob. I am currently in the middle of rebuilding the front and rear suspensions of my 70 Vista beater. Its under Vista Cruisers and Wagons. Thanks for the pictures and instructions- I know many times that stuff does take longer than actually doing the work.

 

Thanks Greg, glad it helped you out, and that is the intent. I will look to your threads in the future, should I ever decide to take on a wagon rebuild. Odds of that happening are getting pretty low now, though...

 

I tried to get my alignment straight on my 93 Buick without complete success . I notice the outside of the tires I bought a year ago have about 1/16 more wear then the other side of the tire does . I'm not even sure you can get it any better being I had to replace a small section of floor where the body bushings hook up in the front on the passenger side . The rear portion of the frame is getting pretty rotten where it linked to the side of the rocker panel .

 

If the front is toed in too much or your camber is way positive you'll get that type of wear pattern.