My first race after chip install

Had a nice trip to advance today. I've read mikes tech article on the ball joint replacement and yeah I don't think I have the tools yet. The biggest socket I have is 19mm, and it was late in the day so I'm plannin on doing as much as I can myself.

Unity I picked up a torch too, 15 bucks.

I ended up just lubricating the upper and lower ball joints and a few other things which helped for a few hours. They're all shot, dried, cracked, all botched up. When the car is parked if I put weight on the front drivers side you can hear the creaking. I'm going to start buying these parts a few a week.

I'm looking to buy

Upper/Lower control arms obviously, now heres where I'll need help, what else? 93 w/ 117k.

sway bar w/ end links? inner/outer tierods? is there anything else really?

Also, I have a 68 piece ratchet set w/ the largest socket being 19mm (same as the lugnuts) what else should I need, I saw mike mentioned a 23mm somewhere in his tech article
 
The Rev said:
Ok so I've been having these front end squeaks/squeals/very annoying noises when turning the wheels.
Click to expand...

Somebody has to say it so I figure I might as well be the one. (And this is not a flame. Consider it fatherly advice)

YOU'RE AN IDIOT!

Surrender your license ASAP.

1st: LVC does not condone high speed driving unless it is on a race track.

2nd: You're driving around with only 4 of 5 lug nuts on each wheel.

3rd: You have worn out ball joints and other suspension components. Have you ever seen a car tuck a wheel when the lower control ball joint fails? Catastrophic loss of control at any speed over 60, must less what you did.

My advice. Sell the car before you kill yourself and others on the road.:mad:
 
I've been reading a lot about it. The car doesn't feel safe to drive around the city rather than over 60. Parts ordered, until then I wont be driving much.
 
Well in his defense...

I had a 73 Mark IV. It was in storage without being driven for about 15 years. My grandfather and I took it out of the barn and got it home with grandma in the minivan behind us. Surprised it started up and the coolant, tire pressures, etc where all in check.

Anyway I got it home and once I got plates I had to take my friend out in it. Those 460 V8 engines kick some ass and we took it on a country road and floored it hard. Got over 100mph and just coasted down the road.

The next day I was doing about 30 and the rear tire blew out. Never heard anything so loud before.

It could have been worse. I learned my lesson REALLY quick. Of course now I am afraid to take Avi8tor above 100. :)
 
After reading a few horror stories I don't want to become one. I had been trying to save this money I recently got as a performance bonus at work, and yeah it went toward the mark, as usual with most of my extra cash haha.

Based on what I've been reading I caught it early. I've read that people have ignored it and thought they were in the clear and then something would just snap, having the tire buckle like monster said. I'm trying to dig up what people use for a sway bar up front, the stock ones are hollow correct? I also need new sway bar links as well as the boots are in a little rough shape
 
I *think* the fronts are solid? But I never heard of them falling apart the the rears do!

Reminds me, I need a new rear one ASAP! What is a good size and where to buy? (PM me!, dont want to hijack thread)
 
got the

uppers/lowers
inner/outers
sway bar end links
and studs too!

now we wait til they get here
 
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How about control/strut rod bushings. Cheap but OEM is best for sure on these. They can go right on when you do you LCA. Takes a minute to do each side.

edit: Here is what I all picked up. The only thing I did not get at that time was the inner tie rods (just did them last week, VERY easy) and the bushing mentioned above, picked up those local.

rock.jpg
 
Good, same as what I got. I'm interested in the rear as well, addco people have said? I'll end up picking which ever anyone recommends.
 
unity said:
The next day I was doing about 30 and the rear tire blew out. Never heard anything so loud before.

It could have been worse. I learned my lesson REALLY quick. Of course now I am afraid to take Avi8tor above 100. :)
Click to expand...



i had a right front blow out at 120 chasing down a street bike.


i spend money on quality tires now and wont drive the car if the tires are questionable.
 
The Rev said:
After reading a few horror stories I don't want to become one.
Click to expand...

heres our ball joint story

for about 2 weeks tiffs car (93 mark 8) had a squeak when the front wheel was turned.

We bracket raced our cars every week for years and drove 82 miles at 70-80+ to get to the track.

After 1.5 hours blasting down the freeway, we arrive at the dragstrip.. enter the gate and proceed to our pit area..

When Tiffany turned right to go into her pit space the driver side lower ball joint broke. folded the tire up into the fender well.

HAD that broke 2 minutes earlier, OR 2 minutes later it could have been catastrophic.

2 minutes before we were side by side 80MPH on the freeway,
2 minutes later we would have been 80MPH side by side on the dragstrip
{we always ran our time trials against each other)

Was a very sobering moment for us both.
 
Got the strut rod bushings as well. Now are there any kind of tools I'm going to need besides my ratchet set? I'm PB'ing the bolts a little each day so they wont be murder to get off. Got my torch just in case.


How fun is this gonna be to replace?
 
It was easy work for me. There are MANY write-ups on this, its not too hard just time consuming for the first time.

When I did mine I disconnected the upper ball joint from knuckle. Then I took the three (or four?) strut tower bolts off. Next was the lower control arm bolt at the frame. Finally the control rod nut. This way I slid out the entire strut with lower control arm. I was replacing my struts, thats why. But if the LCA to strut is a pain it *might* be easier to bench it than do it from the underside.
 
Oh, I forgot. There are also bushings are the front of the strut rod that I replaced. Again, not terribly expensive but pain to replace. I glad I worked on them though, made it easy work for the alignment shop. Otherwise those forward nuts/threads can be in bad shape. I defiantly used a torch on those.
 
Yeah I'm enlisting the help of my little sister, more for keeping me sane than anything. I'm (hoping) that I can get this ALL done on next thursday, if the parts are in by then. In the meantime I'll read all the writeups I can find, look for the tools I'm gonna need, and continue to soak the bolts w/ wd-40.

And probably buy a few propane tanks haha.

Top speed tonight on the way home -> 20 mph. Definitely driving as little as possible. Any reason why my lms chip is yielding less than 10 mpg? Shell v-power 93 octance and no punching it either. I was averaging 13-15 before.
 
"Top speed tonight on the way home -> 20 mph. Definitely driving as little as possible. Any reason why my lms chip is yielding less than 10 mpg? Shell v-power 93 octance and no punching it either. I was averaging 13-15 before."

Lets worry about that later! :D lol
 
Yeah, I'm getting a little greedy. I'm excited for this to all get here. Advance didn't have anything in stock really, I've got like 7 packages coming in.
 
back window or rear windshield? It doesn't look too big on the rear window. A few comments today;

"that thing has a cobra motor?"
"dude you got a 5.0?"
"you think its fast? I got a prelude if your down to race"
"what is that, a lincoln?"
 
i told em
a) i wouldnt waste my time
b) my car would probably fall apart

he had a soda can muffler anyway
 
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