Hi,

I am going to do some much needed suspension work on my 1971 Cutlass. I noticed the control arm bushings were in bad shape last year and the car bounces a lot so my list so far is:
Upper and lower control arm bushings
Upper and lower ball jointsNew springsNew shocksNew sway bar bushingsNew sway bar end links
Is there anything else that makes sense to do while it's all apart?

The other thing that I was wondering about is the control arm shaft to frame bolts. If I understand right these are the ones similar to wheel stud bolts. Is it ok to reuse them or should I get new ones? The Chilton's manual says to mark them and put them back the same way. Plus, all the ones I'm finding inline seem to have negative reviews. As long as it's safe to reuse them I think I would prefer that. And last - is an alignment needed or recommended after all this?

Thanks!

 

If the bolts are not spinning I would reuse them. I would also not remove them from the frame. Stock Moog parts are inexpensive and work well. Yes, an alignment is required when you are done.

 

Perfect! It was hard to tell from the manual and the car is still covered so I couldn't go look but I was hoping I could get the control arms off without taking the bolts out.

Most of the new parts are Moog so that's good to hear.

 

With a small block and stock manifolds, there's enough room to slide the upper arms inboard to get them off of the bolts. With a big block or headers, you typically have to press the splined bolts out.
Since you have to disconnect most of the steering linkage, consider replacing those parts as well.

 

Thanks Joe. I do have headers so that good to know going in.

 

I've been able to use the method shown in the CSM - a piece of wood against the header and a pry bar on the end of the bolt. Loosely thread a nut on the bolt to protect the threads when prying on it. Sometimes you need to pry against the end of the bolt while tapping on that nut using a brass drift and hammer to loosen it.

 

I will give that a try. I read somewhere about modifying a c-clamp to press them out but this sounds easier.

I also recall the tie rods not looking bad. If they are in good shape the Chilton's manual makes it look like I can do the top control arm, then the bottom and leave the tie rod connected through it all. If that's the case, and the control arm shims go back where I found them do you guys still suggest an alignment?

 

The bushings are worn now. The new bushings will move the control arms relative to the pivot points. That changes the alignment.

 

That makes sense. In that case tie rods are cheap so I will pick a couple of those up and get the alignment. I can't wait to feel the difference all of this is going to make.

Thanks for the help and advice guys!

 

Hi,

I couple of other questions came to mind. Unfortunately I am going to have to do one side at a time. Will having one wheel up and one on the ground cause issues for any of this? The only thing I could think of was maybe this would put some tension on the sway bar making changing bushings and ends links a problem...

The other thing was right now I have drum brakes. From what I can see in these disc brake conversion kits the bulk of it consists of new knuckles that take the disc brake/caliper assemblies. Since these will already be off would now be a good time to do this (assuming it's a good idea at all)? The only other major component looks to be a brake booster. I'm just wondering if there is something I'm missing or maybe if others have had bad experiences with these kits...

 

The only issue with doing them one at a time is reinstalling the sway bar links. If one side is at ride height and one side at full droop, you'll never get the links installed. Just make sure both sides are level when you install the links. And of course the lower control arm bolts and upper control arm shaft nuts must be torqued with the weight of the car on the suspension.

 

Great, thanks Joe.

I also found a great post from you about disc brake conversions and think I have a much better idea of what is required there. I think it is something I should definitely do or else I will be kicking myself later. I am going to make a new post in the appropriate brake section here a little later.

 

I may start digging into all this stuff this weekend. There seems to be some conflicting info in my Chilton's manual. In the directions for lower control arm removal they make it sound like just separating the lower ball joint and slowly lowering the control arm will fully decompress the spring to safety remove it. But, looking specifically at the spring removal instructions it mentions a spring compressor. Does anyone know if a spring compressor is needed?

 

No, a spring compressor is not needed and in my experience makes the job more complicated. Raise the front of the car as high as you can as the control arms will need to drop a LOT in order to fully decompress the springs. I ran a chain through the center of the spring as a safety measure. Put a floor jack under the end of the lower control arm, separate the ball joint, then lower the jack until the spring is loose.

 

That's good to hear. I was going to use the chain too. I had to use a spring compressor to get the springs out of my Mustang and it was an unnerving job to say the least, lol.

 

Ok, so everything is apart. I got the first lower ball joint pressed out and the new one in, but I think I have a problem on the second one. I got the old one out, but the new one fits in without being pressed. I am going to see if I can get a ball joint locally to rule out the part being wrong. If it isn't the part I assume I need a new control arm?

If yes, is there any brand to stay away from?

 

This is unfortunately not an uncommon problem. Moog makes "problem solver" ball joints that have a slightly larger splined section for just this problem. I've also simply tack welded the ball joint to the LCA on the underside in a few places. The ball joint is in tension on the arm once the spring is in place. It isn't going to fall out.

 

I saw "problem solver 62" on the ball joint, now I know what that means. I was thinking the same that once it's all back together there is no way for it to come apart. I may give your solution a try. I just wanted to be sure I wasn't doing anything unsafe or that would cause performance issues.

 

Ok, last step before the fun part of putting all the new stuff on - upper control arm bushings. The ones I'm taking out were pushed in as far as they could go but my Chilton's manual says there should be a 0.5" gap left and not be fully pressed in. I noticed there are teeth on the inner metal part of the bushing. I just want to be sure I know what I'm trying to do here. If they go in too far I don't think there is an easy way to fix it.

I see the new bushings are also longer than the old ones. Perhaps stock vs new is longer and where that 0.5" gap comes from? It's crazy for me to think they could be original, but the upper ball joints were and I suspect a lot of other pieces too.

 

The upper control arm bushings bottom against shoulders on the cross shaft. That's what governs how far they get pressed on. They should be centered in the control arm, but usually that means pressing them all the way in. Note that the control arm can be distorted when pressing. I cut a length of wood or angle iron to fit between the ears on the control arm as a guard against bending them when pressing the bushings.

 

As per Joe's suggestions. The bushings get pressed all the way in.

 

Ok, next question... that I think I know the answer to - any trick to getting the new springs in? I didn't need a compressor to get them out but think I might to get the new ones in....

 

I was able to get the new springs in by inserting the top into place, pushing the control arm down as far as possible while pushing the bottom of the spring towards the lower control arm pocket, then using a lever on the bottom of the spring, with the end of the lever in the pocket, to simultaneously lift the bottom of the spring, push the control arm down, and push the spring into the pocket. Make sure the end of the lower coil is aligned with the hole in the bottom of the control arm pocket.

 

Thanks! It worked.... well it was in. The problem was through all the fighting with it to get it to pop in the end of the spring was about an inch past that hole in the control arm. Once it was in there was no way to spin it. How important is that? Is it a drainage hole?

 

The hole is used as an alignment mark for the end of the coil so the coil is seated correctly in the spring pocket, which is important for the ride height.

If you noticed, the top of the spring is made so it is flat and sits flush in the upper spring pocket. On the bottom of the spring, the end of the coil is not flush, so that end needs to sit in the channel in the lower pocket so the compressed spring height is correct.

 

I have tried everything and I think the way the top lines up spins it when trying to get the bottom in the right way. Comparing the new Moog spring to the old the top and bottom ends don't line up the same way so maybe that is it? I have had it in three times but it's never with the bottom end lining up with that hole...

 

The top end of your new springs appear to be different than the ones that I installed, so yeah that may be part of your installation issue.

These are Moog 5536 springs and the original. Note that both have the top end flattened so they even stand up by themselves.

 

If you can get the springs on both sides installed the same way, the ride height should be even.

 

Are those lowering springs? They look quite a bit shorter. Mine are Moog 5390. Just doing some research now to make sure they are right.

Something seems really off. I tried jacking it into place and with about 2" to go to get the ball joint in the whole car starts lifting....

 

No, those are not lowering springs, they are standard ride height 442 springs (FE2 HD suspension). They have a higher spring rate than the standard springs (5536 = 487 lbs/in; 5390 = 336 lbs/in) so they don't compress as much when the weight of the vehicle is applied. After installing them my front end sat at the same height as it did with the 40+ year old original springs.


Here's a pic with a yard stick to show the free standing height. I gotta say those 15" tall springs were much easier to get in than the originals were to get out. A taller spring would have been a PITA.

 

Interesting, after reading some reviews on other stock height springs they are saying it actually raised the car for that reason. They are stiffer so if they are the same height the car rides higher. These look to be about an inch shorter than what came out so I assume that would be why. I'm just concerned that I can't get the spring compressed enough to bolt up the ball joint without lifting the car....

 

I remember some posts about folks with the engine out having that issue. One method to resolve that was running a chain around the floor jack and frame or upper arm so they could compress the spring without lifting the vehicle.

 

Ok, I guess that would work. Seems like an odd thing to have to do with the engine in the car. I thought maybe I had 455 springs or something but it appears they are for 350...

 

Springs are in. I was jacking the control arm up from under the spring. When the jack is moved to under the ball joint it went in fine.

I am close to done, but noticed a clearance issue with the sway bar end links. They were tight before but not touching....

 

I had the exact same issue on my '71 CS convertible. I also rebuilt my entire suspension. IIRC, I had to lower the front-end on the ground (wheels/tires attached) & I then install the end links. Sorry, I can't recall exactly but I think that's what I had to do. That front sway bar in your image is beat - might consider a new one.

EDIT: BTW, here's some pics of my suspension rebuild. Winter Project - '71 CS Suspension

 

Well, your first problem is that the nut on the sway bar end link isn't tightened. The bushings need to be compressed to be effective. Your second problem is that the suspension isn't at ride height.

 

Ok, good to know it's not just me, lol. I thought the car back on the ground might get the clearance. So when you jack the car up are there any issues?

And yes, sway bar has seen better days. I will replace. It had the original upper ball joints so I think there are a lot of original parts that could stand to be changed

 

As per Joe, you need to tighten down the nuts - at ride height (I thought I remember having to lower the front-end to ride height to maneuver those bad boys). Keep up the good work.

 

I thought I had some images of my front control arms/springs/end links/ball joints in that link - guess not. It was so much fun I most likely was caught up in the enjoyment of it all.

 

Ok, thanks guys. I will do the end links when the car is back down. I didn't tighten them up at all because of the clearance issues. All that's left is tie rods, master cylinder, proportioning valve and brake lines.