ithaca4me

I know this will be a dumb question but do I have to remove the spring and take the arm off to rplace the bushings or can I just lift it up and get the weight off of it. Suspensions are not my thing in the least nothing worries me more than a loaded spring. By the way if it matters it is a 66 cutlass.

joe_padavano

Actually, it is NOT a dumb question. You CAN remove and replace the upper control arm without removing the spring. Simply leave the shock in place (to ensure the spring can't come out) and support the weight of the car under the lower control arm. There will be no load on the upper arm and you can remove it easily.

Of course, the problem is that the LOWER arm carries all the load and if the upper bushings are worn out, the lower ones are likely worse.

ithaca4me

yeah I bet all the bushings are shot but I want to wait until winter for that. I want to get a 400 or a 425 later down the road and do not know if I need to get bigger springs but I was going to go through the hole front end. this winter but that squeaak is annoying.

So what your saying is lift the car on the lower side that I am going to be doing and just take the bolts out and it won't tweak out of place to get them back in.

MDchanic

If you jack the car up under the frame near the wheel, then put a jack under the lower control arm, you can control the lower control arm without having all of the car's weight on it. You may find it helpful to disconnect the sway bar as well.

Basically, you loosen the upper control arm shaft nuts and remove the adjusting shims (and keep track of where they went!), then tap the splined bolts back out of the frame, so you can lift the control arm pivot shaft straight up and over the frame rail, then tilt the spindle outboard with the upper control arm attached to the top.
You may be able to simply rotate the upper control arms outward on the upper ball joints (depending on fender liner clearance), so they stick out into the fender wells, making it much easier to replace the bushings (Advance Auto and other mainstream stores "rent" an upper control arm bushing puller for free, which makes this almost easy).

When putting it back together, you may have to adjust the height of the lower arms / springs a few times to get the upper control arms jiggled back over the frame rail, and lined up, with the bolts through the holes.

It's much easier than removing the springs, especially if you don't have a lift.

- Eric

joe_padavano

Just disconnect the upper ball joint and completely remove the upper arm from the car. Life will be MUCH better when you're working on the bench and not crouched in the wheel well. Plus, it's REALLY tough to fit the hydraulic press in that wheel well to reinstall the bushings. You MIGHTASWELL replace the upper ball joints while you're at it.

Remember not to torque the nuts on the ends of the upper control arm shaft until the weight of the car is on the suspension.

Junkman

My experience is that it is the lower bushings that cause the squeaks and the uppers just wear out and then "clunk". If you are going to be doing the job this winter, I would just live with the squeak until you have the time to do the complete job. You can also spray the bushings with WD40 and sometimes it will lessen the squeak. WD40 is a fish oil derivative, and will not harm the rubber.

MDchanic

This is absolutely true.

Didn't need a press for mine - just tightened them on with the end bolts - slow and steady, with a bit of grease.

If you've got 'em off, absolutely.
But, if you want to avoid wrecking something when you remove the ball joint (a fear of mine, because I hate it when a small job turns into a big job) and the ball joint is fine, you have the option to leave it alone and still change the bushings.

-Eric

ithaca4me

Does anyone recommend a brand of bushings.

Lady72nRob71

It will be easier to do it all at once.
The upper arm will need to be removed completely to replace the bushings.
Here is a thread that might help you...
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...t-end-job.html

Try WD40 between the UCA bushings and the two large outer washers.
OR, with the car at rest on the ground, loosen the two large outer UCA nuts, pull the washers back, apply grease to the bushings, and retighten them. This might get you by until you can do it all at once.


My uppers squauked loudly for the first 10 miles or so. I thought they were the lowers, but confirmed it was the uppers after the spindle was pulled.

Moog for OEM style rubber.

ah64pilot

Having done this exact job 3 times on the same Cutlass let me tell you, the BEST $75 you can spend will be on Energy Suspension Polyurethane bushings. The ride quality is BETTER and you won't be replacing the bushings 5 or even 10 years down the road. You can get black polyurethane so they will look stock, OR, if you're not worried about stock appearance you can get red as I did. My reason, I have had this car and 2 others for so long that I couldn't remember what had rubber and what had poly's...the red bushing answers the question right away.

ah64pilot

One other thought, if you have never driven a Cutlass with poly bushings and poly sway bar end link bushings you will be BLOWN away when you take the first turn. I have a Hellwig large diameter sway bar, poly bushings all around, and a Hellwig rear way bar...my car handles like a go cart compared to stock. Those modifications alone made my car such a pleasure to drive. Even without the sway bars, the poly bushings make such a difference.

MDchanic

I got mine for $56 including shipping, on sale, from autoshepherd.com about two months ago.

- Eric

ah64pilot

That's even better No excuse not to use poly now...unless its a concourse restoration and HAS to be stock.