I put in new ball joints and upper control arms recently. I had to buy replacement end links with the same dimensions as the old ones. I got one side in, but I can’t get the other side even close.

I’ve tried jacking up the control arm, putting both wheels on the ground, loosening the other side, but it just isn’t making a difference.

The old and new links have a 3 inch spacer in the middle. Would it compromise handling to shorten both sides to maybe, 2.5 inches?

 

I've never had issues installing end links. Maybe try putting the bolt in without attaching the nut? Then after getting both bolts in. put the nuts on? Might require a second set of hands.

 

Really need some pictures so we can see what you are looking at.

 

Passenger side went on with the jack under the control arm. Driver side doesn’t stick far enough to get the nut on.

 

Anything else uneven about your suspension components - i.e. springs sitting even, control arm mounts where the links pass through are not distorted, etc.

Just reaching here but if all else equal as to how the car sits on its suspension and level ground conditions, seems strange a matched set of links won't reinstall on the car they came off of. They are matched, correct? One assembly looks newer than the other

 

It looks like the bolt dropped down not the same amount of thread on both sides sticking up.

 

It looks like that in the picture, but unfortunately not that easy. The passenger side bushings are just compressed.

 

Try putting the nut on and compressing just 3 of the bushings a little and then remove the nut and see if you can get the fourth one on.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, but the fix will be as simple as going back to autozone. I had to dig the boxes out of the recycling bin to confirm this one.

The guy rang up two separate part numbers as the same, and I only measured the correct one thinking I got identical parts.




I got a little burnt out with all the other problems so it wasn’t a surprise I’d get stuck on something right in front of my face like this. I’m a little embarrassed about this one. Lesson learned for next time I walk up to the counter looking for a specific part number.