Control Arm Hardware

nghtshd88

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Went to change my front shocks and realized the upper ball joint was about to fall out.. anyway the stud isnt long enough to hold while unscrewing the nut so it is welded on still.. i guess ill be cutting it off..

Second the two bolts with tabs up by the spring rusted round so you cant even get a wrench on it.. cant find an exact part number for them? FPG had hardware listed but all read discontinued. Im sure it is a common bolt though.

Trying to see if I can find some online before asking the dealer..

It looks like moog includes the ball joint nut.

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20200604_153127.jpg
 
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Went to change my front shocks and realized the upper ball joint was about to fall out.. anyway the stud isnt long enough to hold while unscrewing the nut so it is welded on still.. i guess ill be cutting it off..

Second the two bolts with tabs up by the spring rusted round so you cant even get a wrench on it.. cant find an exact part number for them? FPG had hardware listed but all read discontinued. Im sure it is a common bolt though.

Trying to see if I can find some online before asking the dealer..

It looks like moog includes the ball joint nut.

View attachment 828574248

View attachment 828574249
If I'm understanding you correctly .....not really sure...but to answer your question ...No ...usually the new upper control arms don't come with hardware for installation (Nuts not included with components) ...still not sure if this is what you're asking?
 
Not sure what he means either...but also. Those bolts with tabs ...on the tab side it's round from factory..you need to take the nut off from the inside and it SUCKS to do. No hardware is included usually...but use new nuts...or Atleast threadlocker.
 
Best source for used unavailable hardware... is the junkyard. Just be picky about what you pull... and don't mess it up when pulling it.

Vise Grips work best on the bolts with the tabs... when the heads are rounded off.

Don't lock the vise grips so hard that you crush the tab. The point is just to hold it from turning.

The upper control arm bolt on the driver's side closest to the cabin is a PITA... because its buried under the master cylinder and the brake lines. A ratcheting wrench works best... one click at a time... while you hold the nut with vise grips.

Time for a new upper control arm. Do yourself a favor and buy a new Motorcraft one... unless you want to replace it again in 6 months to a year.
 
The nuts with the tabs are designed to catch on the sheet metal in the shock tower. That's what stops them from turning as the control arms move. You can bend the tabs out... so the nuts will rotate... but make sure you bend the tabs back in after tightening the nuts.
 
Get the remainder of the boot off the ball joint stud... and use a pipe wrench that fits between the upper control arm and the knuckle. Get a good bite on the stud with the pipe wrench... and use a box end wrench on the nut to back it off.

You'll want to put a jack under the lower control arm at the bottom shock eye... and jack up the lower control arm just enough to take the tension off the upper control arm.

If you still have the caliper, rotor, and wheel hub mounted on the knuckle... watch that the top of the knuckle doesn't fall toward you, (due to the weight), and smack you in the face when you get the nut off the upper control arm ball joint.
 
The upper control arm bolt on the driver's side closest to the cabin is a PITA... because its buried under the master cylinder and the brake lines. A ratcheting wrench works best... one click at a time... while you hold the nut with vise grips.

Agreed. Mentioned in another thread disconnecting the master cylinder from the booster gives more access. I didn't do this but maybe it would have made the job a lot easier?
Front Upper Control Arm Replacement Questions
Don't forget to final torque with the vehicle at ride height or measure ahead of time center of the hub to the fender and write down the distance. Then you can jack it to the same and final torque. I always forget ahead of time myself.
 
I ordered Moog arms for 200 on ebay. OEM was 300. Really hope they last more than 6 months.. i already have moog tie rod ends.

By hardware I meant the nuts & bolts. I confirmed Moog comes with the ball joint nut.

I didnt know the bolts with tabs were rounded from factory. Regardless they are rusted up. I would hate to reuse them and a year later the tab breaks off. Was looking for the part # to see if any new ones were laying around.

I had no issue getting the two nuts off on the passenger side. Very easy actually.

In this thread a 15mm gearwrench supposedly worked for the drivers side w/o removing all the BS.
Anyone got a upper control arm trick?

I understand about using threadlocker etc. Have never ever anything come lose.

I was curious though about when tightening at ride height being I have new springs and shocks the suspension will be sitting higher for a bit. Does anyone ever go back and retorque when it settles?
 
... Does anyone ever go back and retorque when it settles?

It'd be a bit too late then.
The main (not only) point of tightening them a ride height is to keep them from being damaged by going to far from neutral in either direction.
 
I think he means after the new springs soften up and the ride height changes a little bit. I would say no. By the time you decide to retorque them they have already been driven on that way. Already too late at that point.
 
Installed the Moog arms today along with Bilstien B4's/jag coils finally. Noticed there is a threaded hole on top the upper arm for grease shouldnt that be plugged to keep dirt out?

If I would do this again which I probably never will I would totally have spent the extra 20 bucks for the B6 shocks. The 4's are pretty soft.

20200616_145151.jpg
 
...Noticed there is a threaded hole on top the upper arm for grease shouldnt that be plugged to keep dirt out?...

You're supposed to screw a grease fitting in there, and then add some grease, now and then every so often. If you do, maybe they will last as long as the factory (> 200K miles) ones that you never have to grease.
 
Thats what I thought lol of course they werent included. Only a few dollars probably..
 
Installed the Moog arms today along with Bilstien B4's/jag coils finally. Noticed there is a threaded hole on top the upper arm for grease shouldnt that be plugged to keep dirt out?

If I would do this again which I probably never will I would totally have spent the extra 20 bucks for the B6 shocks. The 4's are pretty soft.

View attachment 828574312

It's probably not the shocks... but the fact that the springs are progressive rate. They will give a slightly softer ride during normal driving.

Take it out and push it hard through some curves. I think you'll notice a difference then.
 

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