Somwan

1993 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Royale
So, i drove out to my friends place the other day, 120km away, and after hitting a pothole, a grinding noise started up that was louder than my stereo. after a little trouble shooting, i found that the rear passenger side of the car was sitting pretty low...the grinding noise is the passenger rear control arm sitting inside the rim of the tire. since it was raining, i couldnt really get a good look at it, and before i head back out that way, it would be nice to have the parts i need along with me. I have narrowed it down with the help of the haynes repair manual:
1. end of control arm busted off
2. ball joint busted
3. knuckle
4. cotter pin busted and castellated nut fell off...ball joint popping out of knuckle.

wondering which would be the most likely thing to have happened, since i have to take the bus back to my car, and cant really afford to make more than one trip.
Also might be handy to note that before the incident, at higher speeds (70km/hr and up) every bump i hit made the car feel like it was on a spring...instead of just an up and down ride, it was an up and twist to the left. could be related, or may be another issue. just wondering what the experts have to say, and any advice on best way of replacing would help too, since its going to be a road side repair. (cant afford to get the car towed either...and obviously cant afford a shop...flyin solo on this one.)

Lady72nRob71

Sorry to hear about your misfortune!
I am going to guess #2. If the control arm was ever off before and the nut either not torqued enough, or was loosened to get the cotter pin in, the fit could have loosened over time causing the swaying feel. A poor fit can easily cause breakage. If this happened, then the knuckle hole is probably wallowed out also.
I think this might be a difficult side-of-the-road repair. You will need to get it flat-bed towed. By chance does your insurance have roadside assist or towing reimbursement?

Intragration

This definitely sounds like a tough side-of-road repair. You may need hardware or parts, and it's hard to guess in advance what you might need. I hate to make suggestions for shortcuts, if it was a short distance, hobbling it home might be do-able. But 75 miles is a bit of a cruise. Anyway, if you have absolutely no other options, an air shock pumped all the way up might work if the suspension is still connected, or maybe something wedged between the axle and the body...but really, these are shoddy and scary solutions if your suspension is falling apart and you need to drive the car 75 miles. If the rear really is coming disconnected, an emergency stop might yank that side of the axle off, cause you to lose control, kill someone or yourself, etc. I'd do everything possible to try and get it towed.

oldstata

I would have it towed .I do suspension work for a body shop ,and we never have all the parts needed .things break off differently under the way it was hit or dislodged .not to mention. Some gm suspension use special tools for the strut/ shock removel and you would have no way of doing the repair safely. Which might not be a problem with your case just saying safety first .

Somwan

thanks for the advice! no, my insurance dosnt cover towing...so to be on the safe side (safer anyways) probably find a way to pull all three off a car at the scrap yard..dont think they would charge too much. as for specialty tools...i can be pretty inventive to get a job done.