Repair or Replace Control Arms ?

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The bushings behind the brakes are rotted and I'd like to make repairs while I'm replacing the brakes.

Can the bushings and ball joints be easily replaced or is it better to replace the entire control arm ?
 
Unless I'm not finding the correct repair kits, it appears that replacing the entire control arms is slightly cheaper and eliminates the repair work.

Is anything missing below to complete a full repair ?

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ACDelco 45D1036 PG Front Left Upper Control Arm with Ball Joint $55.95

ACDelco 45D1035 PG Front Right Upper Control Arm with Ball Joint $51.45

ACDelco 45D3462 PG Front Left Lower Control Arm with Ball Joint $62.88

ACDelco 45D3461 PG Front Right Lower Control Arm with Ball Joint $72.63

ACDelco 45G25054 PG Front to Arm Lower Control Arm Rod Bushing $20.85

ACDelco 45G25057 PG Front to Frame Lower Control Arm Rod Bushing $32.26
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AcDelco was chosen because their Professional Grade chassis parts have a limited lifetime warranty.

If there's a more cost effective way to repair instead of replace I'd like to hear it.
 
i would add sway bar end links.

you also may find this useful.

TORQUE SPECIFICATIONS

• Description | N-m | Lb-Ft
• Lower Arm to Sub-Frame | 110-155 | 82-114
• Lower Arm to Shock Nut | 160-220 | 118-162
• Lower Arm to Spindle (Ball Joint) Nut | 113-153 | 83-113
• Lower Arm to Front Suspension Lower Arm Strut | 120-160 | 89-118
• Upper Arm to Body | 75-120 | 56-88
• Upper Arm to Spindle (Ball Joint) | 68-92 | 50-68
• Stabilizer Bar Link to Spindle | 53-72 | 39-53
• Stabilizer Bar Link to Stabilizer Bar | 53-72 | 39-53
• Stabilizer Bar Bracket | 55-75 | 41-55
• Shock Absorber-to-Front Suspension Lower Arm Nut | 170-230 | 199-243
• Front Suspension Lower Arm Strut to Sub-Frame | 120-160 | 89-118
• Upper Shock Mount to Body Attachment Nuts | 23-32 | 17-24
• Tie Rod End to Spindle | 53-72(a) | 39-53(a)
• Front Brake Anti-Lock Sensor Bolt | 4.6-6.8 | 40-60 (Lb-In)
• Brake Hose Bracket Retaining Bolt | 11-16 | 9-11
• Lug Nuts | 115-142 | 85-105
• Front Axle Wheel Hub Retainer | 255-345 | 188-254
• Brake Caliper/Anchor Plate Bolts | 119 | 88
(a) - Tighten to minimum torque, then continue to tighten until aligned to nearest cotter pin slot.
 
Other wear and tear items near the front wheel wells include sway bar bushings, strut rod to frame bushings (only use Ford rubber bushings), inner and outer tie rods
 
Look up similar year thunderbird parts. They are usually cheaper, I know for a fact that the LCAs are. Just have to get Mark specific UCAs. - if you still have air suspension.
 
I'll check out the corresponding Moog part numbers.

To be clear, is replacing the entire part (those I listed above) cheaper than buying their repair kits ?

I'm on a budget and many other parts will be replaced.

If I could save money by getting the repair kits, I'd rather do that.
 
imo, it's smarter to buy new LCA's...the cost of parts and the labor to r/r the sub-frame bushings and lower bj's in the old ones will be more than getting new parts..some guys here have had problems with Duralast UCA's
 
THUNDERBIRD
MOOG Part # K80055
Problem Solver
Front Right Lower; Incl. powdered-metal gusher bearing to allow grease to penetrate bearing surfaces; Incl. arm to frame bushing; Incl. arm to strut bushing

$47.79
Add to Cart

MARK VIII
MOOG Part # K8784
Problem Solver
Front Left Lower

$75.79
Add to Cart


Example of how the mark parts cost more for the same part. Supposedly the durometer of the bushings .
 
DieselDan said:
Look up similar year thunderbird parts. They are usually cheaper, I know for a fact that the LCAs are. Just have to get Mark specific UCAs. - if you still have air suspension.
Click to expand...

what about hydraulic hoss for the brake calipers? I'm thinking my 96 Mark is compatible with a 95 T-bird? def less $ for the T-bird hoses
 
probably...
the suspension is the same, caliper placement, etc.
i have aftermarket t-bird braided stainless lines on my car. that's a little different, but still.




also, with the cheap LCAs i had, the lower ball joints blew out almost immediately.
so i replaced the lower ball joints only. without even removing the LCA from the car.

but, all the bushings were inspected and were in good shape still.
 
The mark brake hose has the bracket that holds the stud for the air ride sensor. Iirc.
 
I'm fixin to tackle the hub swap/Cobra brake mod on my brown mark- figured I'd r/r hoses at this time; t-bird hoses next to my coils, no prob! (about $6-10 less per hose)
 
DieselDan said:
The mark brake hose has the bracket that holds the stud for the air ride sensor. Iirc.
Click to expand...

yes, you are correct.
i remember tacking that issue by mounting the brake hose and air ride height sensor separately. i cut the bracket apart.
 
Denna - i would try to install your new suspension parts yourself and save money,. i was quoted @ 271$ to BUY a 1 control arm at a local repair shop around here , i said screw that and got an every single piece of my front suspension replaced with all moog parts i ordered off-line, i paid a little over 500$ and installed it myself on my driveway with jack stands and hand tools, had i went to a local repair shop i would have paid between 1500-4000$ according to the quotes i got. The only thing i did wrong was buy moog strut rod bushings, i dont know why they arent as good as the oem type but i hear nothing but bad things about them, the 500$ is worth it for the piece of mind of having a SAFE and new front suspension. i had a ball joint and sway bar end link fail on me at the same time while driving, not very fun at all man, especially seeing your mark up on a trailor being towed away. As for the control arms do yourself a favor and just get the entire control arm, theres barely a price difference between the entire control arm assy. vs. the bushings & ball joints, and the labor and pita level previously mentioned will far outweigh any money you might save.
 
Here is a photo of what commonly happens to the Moog strut rod bushings

IMG_0204.jpg
 
OUCH! thanks for sharing todd, very interesting. how many miles did you get out of those bushings before that happened?
 
Travisg32v said:
Denna - i would try to install your new suspension parts yourself and save money,. i was quoted @ 271$ to BUY a 1 control arm at a local repair shop around here , i said screw that and got an every single piece of my front suspension replaced with all moog parts i ordered off-line, i paid a little over 500$ and installed it myself on my driveway with jack stands and hand tools, had i went to a local repair shop i would have paid between 1500-4000$ according to the quotes i got. The only thing i did wrong was buy moog strut rod bushings, i dont know why they arent as good as the oem type but i hear nothing but bad things about them, the 500$ is worth it for the piece of mind of having a SAFE and new front suspension. i had a ball joint and sway bar end link fail on me at the same time while driving, not very fun at all man, especially seeing your mark up on a trailor being towed away. As for the control arms do yourself a favor and just get the entire control arm, theres barely a price difference between the entire control arm assy. vs. the bushings & ball joints, and the labor and pita level previously mentioned will far outweigh any money you might save.
Click to expand...

Travisg32v,

I'm definitely going to do the installs myself.

When repairing the suspension parts, are there any special tools I should be using ?

Learning from you guys, I've determined that even an inexperienced DIYer can get these repairs done.

From what I've found, there's no way to justify buying the wear parts instead of the whole assembly.

There's appears to be only two manufacturers with limited lifetime warranties on professional grade suspension parts with reasonable prices - ACDelco and Moog.

Is there a difference between the two ?
 
I know everyone goes with what everyone else suggest to go with but I went with dorman uppers and lowers just to see for myself if they'll last. So far 11,000 miles on the uppers and 1,000 on the lowers and srb's and it rides perfectly. My wife drove it for the 1st time in years today and said "my god that car rides better now then it did when you bought it". All I could say is "yeah I know, thanks to the lvc members!"
 
Denna said:
Travisg32v,



When repairing the suspension parts, are there any special tools I should be using ?
Click to expand...
definitely ratcheting/gear wrench (18mm) for the UCA's...you may or may not need to pull the master cylinder for the LH UCA; if you are do the job on jack stands, get big ones- up to @ 22''
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there are prolly dozens of threads on this project, here's a good one
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?88842-SRB-s-Spacer-s-and-LCA-s
and here's another one
http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?89555-LCA-SRB-wind-up
 
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When removing the upper and lower control arms, will these parts be under pressure and fly out when unbolted ?

Or after unbolting will the control arms just drop ?
 
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