Changing Ball Joints and Bushings in Front Arms?

90mustangGT

I felt sorry for girls because
Founding Member
Jan 15, 2002
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Dallas, GA
While I have them off, I'm going to clean, paint, and put in new ball joints and polyurethane controll arm bushings, just wanted to know any tips or tricks in doing this. I can do it, but if there is an easy way, please let me know.

I was thinking of aftermarket A arms but they cost alot, and I am too broke to buy coil-overs, and they wouldn't save that much weight. So for now I'm just going to renew the front stockers.
 
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A few years back, but I dropped mine off at the local NAPA machine shop. For $50, I had them press out the bushings and ball joints, then media blast them, and then press in new delrin-aluminum bushings and Steeda ball joints. Dropped them off one day, picked them up the next. I took them home where they were cleaned, primed, and then a high-gloss black finish sprayed on.

Yes, you can rent tools for this type of work, but for as little as was going to be charged, my time and sanity was worth having someone else do it.

Just me.
 
Jason, i did the same as AutoXR. i have a ball joint press (you know - the heavy duty C clamp and spacers). i tried popping one ball joint for fun, and it was coming out fine. i stopped (i just wanted to see if it would work). i knew i was having a machine shop press out the old ball joints and bushings and press in new poly bushings and ball joints - 40 bucks was not worth me hassling it. if you are unsure, one of the guys at your work is probably all over it (there is something about the shell on the bushing and depth to press the bushings in, that one has to watch).

oh yeah, i put some poly ball joint boots on - might hold up a little better than the new rubber boots - for 5 bucks, why not.

my two cents. good luck.
 
Well, I went to Mustang's Unlimited and got two new ball joints and poly bushings, paid a total of $100. This "I spent a franklin on stock arms" bug is biting me because I want to go with a full K-member system. I am figuring that it might be a while. After this I will probally leave the suspension alone and go to another part of the car.
 
Forgot to add

I work in a shop, so we have lots of equipment. I guess there arn't any special tricks. I'll probally do it at lunch or after work tomorow. I took a wire wheel to my spindles, they cleaned up nice, going to SOS/Brillo them and paint everything at once. Those factory dust shields weight about 2lbs each, and have been discarded. I should have everything up and running this weekend, I hope. Might get to do the 1/4th due to the track being open for Snap-On this Sunday.
 
on the baljoint subject, if you have sn95 spindles is there a diffrent ball joint that can be used so you dont need the .330 spacer?

would it be worth boxing in the lower part of the a arm?
 
Ball Joints:
After a spray of penetrating lube, I just put the controll arm in the vise and removed the boot and nailed the old ball joint with a hammer, after a few hits it came flying off. Put some penetrating oil on the new one and hammered the new one in place. This was easier than I thought.

Controll Arm Bushings:
What a PITA. The first one three guys at my work got to goofing around and hitting the one bushing sleve with three air chissels and the thing just disenigrated. I was saying "hey, there has to be an easier way" but they seemed to be having fun with my parts, but they were only trying to help. After they left I soaked the old one's in penetrating oil and found a way to do it. Hit it with a air chisel at the big end just barley bending it around where it meets the arm and then straight through in the middle, and blast downward and to the side and it will begin to turn and go downwards. The new bushings arn't so easy because we don't have the right kind of press, I got them in most of the way except the one the three co-workers opened the can of woop-ass onto, I think they warped it or something. I'll probally take it to shop with the right kind of press tomorow.
 
dont forget.....
when reinstalling them do not tighten the a arm blts all the way until the car is sitting back on the ground or you put a jack under the a arm or the new bushings will bind and wear out in a hurry.
 
Well got them complete except paint. Overall I don't really think it was worth it for the stock front controll arms. Getting the old bushing out was time consuming and a PITA, getting the new poly bushings was just as bad. The POS press at work didn't quite do it, so I took it to Napa and the machinist did it for $15, I guess because I assisted him. As I carried the big heavy arms out I kept thinking that it might have been better to just wait for better arms. $100 and a couple hours of my time and now I have improved stock controll arms. Combined with new springs, struts, and C/C plates, I hope it will feel better than stock.
 
You can't say control arm bushings are a PITA... Man.. You have no idea... I was replacing mine when I did my drag springs... Well... I got them out, then the new ones came, and were wrong... Long story short...No one had anything close to what size mine were... They were either too big or too small. So I got new control arms from FRPP... Fug it. lol. I had fun getting them out, too... I took a torch, burned all the rubber out, and then took my air hammer, and busted the shells out... It was actually fun destroying it. lol.

Nick