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Steering rack and lower control arm replacement


rc_cola_j
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Hey all!

 

Okay so, last year about this time I replaced my front struts and springs (with OME), new CVs, brakes, rotors, bearings, Installed Warn manual hubs, bushings, tie rod ends, Fleury's Spacers......a few other things. BUT! Stupidly!! I stopped short and did not do the lower ball joints, lower control arms or bushings....most importantly I did not replace the steering rack.

 

Note....I paid my friend, a mechanic to do the work last year. Not doing so again.

 

I'm going to try to do this myself. I'm going to try to do the front and rear lower control arms as well as the steering rack.

 

What am I getting myself into? What should I know that may not be obvious off the bat? Special tools?

 

 

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I just did mine. First pull the sway bar off the truck and get it out of the way. I replaced the rack first and installed urethane mount bushings. You will need to loosen the V drive on the steering to gain enough movement to remove the steering link. The tricky part is the reinstall when you clock the steering wheel to the rack. Here is the procedure

 

1. Hook up all the mounts and fittings to the rack, do not attach the tie rod to the spindle yet.

2. Hook up the steering shaft to the rack.

3. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the right.

4. Turn the steering wheel all the way to the left counting the number of turns, I put a piece of tape on the top of my wheel for counting, I think mine was 3 turns

5. Turn the wheel back to the half way mark, 1 1/2 turns in my case. At this point the rack is centered but the steering wheel probably is not.

6. Disconnect the steering shaft from rack, center the steering wheel and reconnect the rack.

 

It's a pretty easy job, good luck

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Now a couple of things on the lower arms.

 

First an old mechanic showed me how to remove ball joints and tie rod ends using only a large hammer. It has never failed me in the 44 years I have played with cars.

 

1. Remove the cotter pin and loosen the nut holding the joint. Bring the nut all the way to the end of the threads.

2. DO NOT HIT THE JOINT WITH THE HAMMER. Hit the housing (spindle) that the joint goes through with a solid hit. The nut is left on the joint in case you miss. These joints are tapered pins, what you are doing is creating a shock wave through the housing to break the taper. It will take several good hits and the joint will come loose.

 

Second when you tighten the rubber bushings of the lower control arm I jacked up my arms to ride height so the position was neutral at ride height.

 

Hope that helps.

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Now a couple of things on the lower arms.

 

First an old mechanic showed me how to remove ball joints and tie rod ends using only a large hammer. It has never failed me in the 44 years I have played with cars.

 

1. Remove the cotter pin and loosen the nut holding the joint. Bring the nut all the way to the end of the threads.

2. DO NOT HIT THE JOINT WITH THE HAMMER. Hit the housing (spindle) that the joint goes through with a solid hit. The nut is left on the joint in case you miss. These joints are tapered pins, what you are doing is creating a shock wave through the housing to break the taper. It will take several good hits and the joint will come loose.

 

Second when you tighten the rubber bushings of the lower control arm I jacked up my arms to ride height so the position was neutral at ride height.

 

Hope that helps.

Dude. Thanks!

 

Can you elaborate on that last part about setting the arms to neutral? I'm not following.

 

 

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The front bushing is fixed in the lower arm. If you tighten it up in the droop position when you ride down the road the bushing will be flexed the whole time. Likewise for the aft bushing but not as much. The rotation of the front bushing is not a true rotation but flexing of the rubber within the bushing.

 

 

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The front bushing is fixed in the lower arm. If you tighten it up in the droop position when you ride down the road the bushing will be flexed the whole time. Likewise for the aft bushing but not as much. The rotation of the front bushing is not a true rotation but flexing of the rubber within the bushing.

 

 

So tighten it up with the vehicle is on the ground is what you're saying?

 

 

 

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Yes, that way the bushing is set in a position that's "comfortable" as much as possible.

 

Exactly! But I left the chassis on jack stands and put the jack under the lower arm and lift until the chassis just comes off the stand. Then tighten the bolts.

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