I just wanted to share my experience changing the lower control arms on my 2004 GT. I'm not the most mechanically inclined, but if I can take it apart, I can get it back together. The new air compressor and air tools I got for Christmas, thanks to my wife, made this much easier. I used a couple of different sets of instructions that I found searching on this site.
I jacked it up and put jack stands under the frame, so this can be done at home in the driveway. I took off the wheels and unbolted the rear sway bar. You also have to disconnect two mounts for the brake line. The one up front blocks the front LCA bolt. I put a jack under the control arm below the spring. I jacked it up enough to put just a little tension on the spring to keep it from flying out at me. I removed the rear bolt from the LCA first.
I then unbolted the front, which is a PITA I might add. The bolt pulls out towards the middle of the car, right into the muffler. I've read that some people remove or just loosen their catback enough to slide it out of the way. I'm stubborn and managed to get away with doing neither. I pushed sideways on the muffler and pulled it down just a little which allowed me to slide the bolt out of the frame.
I had to pry on the LCA a little and after I lowered the jack, the spring pushed it right out. The new one was an experience installing. This should have been straightforward, except that I must have thrown away one of the metal sleeves with the box the new LCAs came in. I had unpacked them the day prior, trash day. These fit inside the bushing to keep the bolt from eating the bushing up. I applaud anyone who has ever taken one of these from the stock LCA and reused it. I tried to hammer it out, drill out parts of the old rubber bushing, I used a C-clamp...nothing worked. I ran through two batteries in the cordless drill and my POS C-clamp bent. It was just a little one that I used for compressing brake calipers in the past, so no big loss. That thing sucked like a $3 prostitute. No, I haven't visited a prostitute, but I thought the analogy applied here.
After getting really pissed off, which didn't help, I decided to go a redneck. I planned to burn out the rubber bushing with a small torch, like one that you use for working with small plumbing jobs. I headed to Home Depot and found something different. After arriving in the plumbing section, I then decided to get a really thick piece of steel pipe and cut it with a hacksaw. I didn't even have to do that. They had fittings and such, one of which happened to be a perfect 3 inches long. Needless to say, I'd spent more than an hour and a half working on trying to get out an old one, when I spent $.86 on this piece of pipe fitting. I pressed it into the bushing and voila, you can't tell the difference. It's just as thick and the perfect fit.
Everything else went back in just in reverse. The rear swaybar was harder to line up into the mounting holes, but it all went back together nicely. I did have to pry on the rear of the LCA when jacking it back up into place. Though I can't frequent a track, I can say my traction has definitely improved from a launch. I don't spin all the way through first now. I know my crappy street tires have a lot to do with that though.
My suggestions to anyone doing this at home: make sure you have everything, some deep or medium sockets, an impact wrench helps, a pry bar doesn't hurt, and beer...to drown your sorrows.
I jacked it up and put jack stands under the frame, so this can be done at home in the driveway. I took off the wheels and unbolted the rear sway bar. You also have to disconnect two mounts for the brake line. The one up front blocks the front LCA bolt. I put a jack under the control arm below the spring. I jacked it up enough to put just a little tension on the spring to keep it from flying out at me. I removed the rear bolt from the LCA first.
I then unbolted the front, which is a PITA I might add. The bolt pulls out towards the middle of the car, right into the muffler. I've read that some people remove or just loosen their catback enough to slide it out of the way. I'm stubborn and managed to get away with doing neither. I pushed sideways on the muffler and pulled it down just a little which allowed me to slide the bolt out of the frame.
I had to pry on the LCA a little and after I lowered the jack, the spring pushed it right out. The new one was an experience installing. This should have been straightforward, except that I must have thrown away one of the metal sleeves with the box the new LCAs came in. I had unpacked them the day prior, trash day. These fit inside the bushing to keep the bolt from eating the bushing up. I applaud anyone who has ever taken one of these from the stock LCA and reused it. I tried to hammer it out, drill out parts of the old rubber bushing, I used a C-clamp...nothing worked. I ran through two batteries in the cordless drill and my POS C-clamp bent. It was just a little one that I used for compressing brake calipers in the past, so no big loss. That thing sucked like a $3 prostitute. No, I haven't visited a prostitute, but I thought the analogy applied here.
After getting really pissed off, which didn't help, I decided to go a redneck. I planned to burn out the rubber bushing with a small torch, like one that you use for working with small plumbing jobs. I headed to Home Depot and found something different. After arriving in the plumbing section, I then decided to get a really thick piece of steel pipe and cut it with a hacksaw. I didn't even have to do that. They had fittings and such, one of which happened to be a perfect 3 inches long. Needless to say, I'd spent more than an hour and a half working on trying to get out an old one, when I spent $.86 on this piece of pipe fitting. I pressed it into the bushing and voila, you can't tell the difference. It's just as thick and the perfect fit.
Everything else went back in just in reverse. The rear swaybar was harder to line up into the mounting holes, but it all went back together nicely. I did have to pry on the rear of the LCA when jacking it back up into place. Though I can't frequent a track, I can say my traction has definitely improved from a launch. I don't spin all the way through first now. I know my crappy street tires have a lot to do with that though.
My suggestions to anyone doing this at home: make sure you have everything, some deep or medium sockets, an impact wrench helps, a pry bar doesn't hurt, and beer...to drown your sorrows.