Upper control arm now won't fit

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68gtxman

68gtxman

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This is my first front end suspension project. I had all new bushings pressed in the LCAs and the UCAs. I installed the LCAs with no problem. Not so for the uppers. It seems that the bushings on the UCA (I only tried one side so far) are now spaced about 1/2" too wide for both to fit in the mounts. :wack: Did the guy who pressed in the bushings leave them a little short? Should I just use the home tool with the all-thread rod and press the bushings in further? Should I press both ends in equally? FYI - the car is a 1967 Barracuda vert.

Thanks for your advice! You guys rock!
 
Yes, here are two photos - one of the front side and one of the rear side on the driver's side of the car.
 
Looks like the control arm is bent. I just did a bbp disk brake swap on my Dart and had the same problem. Pressing the old bushings spread the control arm open, to wide to fit in the brackets.
 
it looks to me like those bushings could still go in some. i would try to rig up a way to fully seat them. i would run a piece of all thread through both ends with a nut and washers and try to pull it together a taste.
 
It is likely that the guy did not support the arm properly when he pressed the bushings out. You'll know if you eyeball through one bushing to the other. when you center the farther bushing in the hole of the closer one you see if they are straight. A long 1/2 bolt will tell the same thing.
 
they look like they could go in a little. I just redid mine and had to open up the brackets to get mine in to fit (my inside bushing to bushing was ok but the brackets on the frame rail were squished in from repeated adjusting of worn out bushings) I'd just see if I could get those bushings in a little more to alighn correctly and whack open the frame rail brackets a bit to get everything to fit. once you put in the adjustment bolts it'll pull in the brackets just fine
 
they look like they are pressed into the control arm properly, need to squeeze the top of the control arm back together so they will fit into the holders, common problem, start with the control arm at the top of the holders and tap down one side then as it gets a lil crooked you will be able to tap in the other side or.....use an all thread some nuts and washers to squeeze the control arm back to the size you need
 
Thanks for the great advice! The UCA bushings are the poly type and the inner piece separated just a bit from the outers. I squeezed them together with a bolt and then with a little prying I was able to squeeze them into the mounts.

I dropped it off at Goodyear for a front end alignment and they said they will have to charge $125 since it was an old car and may need shims. I told him I just replaced all the front end suspension pieces (bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.). I told him that this set up did not take shims, that it had cam bolts. He said the cost was the same. New cars can be aligned for $80. Maybe the new cars don't have all the adjustments? Well for a labor cost of $100 per hour, I have no room to complain.

Also, I found a new cam bolt with a manufacturing defect in it. Of course I didn't find this until after I put it in the UCA and couldn't align the cams. Thank God I didn't waste any time playing with it - I pulled it out right away and checked it against the others and the old ones. Lesson learned (again) to check the new parts before installing them.

Thanks to FABO!
 
73abodee said:
it looks to me like those bushings could still go in some. I would try to rig up a way to fully seat them. I would run a piece of all thread through both ends with a nut and washers and try to pull it together a taste.
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+1
 
68gtxman said:
Thanks for the great advice! The UCA bushings are the poly type and the inner piece separated just a bit from the outers. I squeezed them together with a bolt and then with a little prying I was able to squeeze them into the mounts.

I dropped it off at Goodyear for a front end alignment and they said they will have to charge $125 since it was an old car and may need shims. I told him I just replaced all the front end suspension pieces (bushings, ball joints, tie rod ends, etc.). I told him that this set up did not take shims, that it had cam bolts. He said the cost was the same. New cars can be aligned for $80. Maybe the new cars don't have all the adjustments? Well for a labor cost of $100 per hour, I have no room to complain.

Thanks to FABO!
Click to expand...
Should be $ 80. Straight forward alignment.
 
OwdKasd said:
Should be $ 80. Straight forward alignment.
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Yup, it'll take them longer to set the car up on the rack than it will to align it.

The manager at the shop I take my car to is the same way "its old so it must be hard". The mechanic always has to remind him that the old mopars have cam bolts and take all of a few minutes once they're up on the rack.
 
68gtxman said:
I dropped it off at Goodyear for a front end alignment and they said they will have to charge $125 since it was an old car and may need shims.
Click to expand...

RUN away fast. The rep has no idea what he's talking about and I doubt they know how to properly set up a mopar.
 
Forget about Good Year, as previous posts state run far and fast. They don’t have a clue from torsion bar suspensions, and old Mustangs and Vetts… Where would one put a shim in the front end… Dump it into the radiator?

Call around to different shops, if they say we do Mustangs and Chevys all the time, no problem, hang up and call the next place. Eventually you will find a Mopar friendly shop.
 
Ask some of the members here from the Jersey area. Maybe Abodyjoe knows someone that has experience with mopars.
 
..this isn't too hard if you have a bit of patience
upper front bushing out all the way and rear bushing all in
bring rear bushing out until your wheel is vertical
set toe at 1/8".. in
you'll be close enough to drive until you find someone you can trust to check it for you.
 
Modern alignment techs are generally completely ignorant about their job. I had one shop tell me that they would charge me double because their tech was not familiar with Mopar suspensions. I told him that I WAS NOT paying for training for his tech. That's exaclty what you're doing if you pay this exhorbitant amount. I had another shop tell me that setting ride height was NOT part of an alignment. That was another shop that would not touch my car. Had another shop set positive camber on the right side and negative camber on the other side on an '87 Daytona and then not understand why it had a severe pull...

I have a level carport and an inexpensive caster/camber gauge. I do my own alignments now....
 
Jim Lusk said:
Had another shop set positive camber on the right side and negative camber on the other side on an '87 Daytona and then not understand why it had a severe pull...
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Isn't that the way they align them for nascar and small round dirt track cars. LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT LEFT I guess you didn't want a race car alignment

You could try a Toyota dealer. I know it sounds bizarre and kinda dumb, but all toyota trucks for the last 15 years have had cam bolts on the lca's. And many toyota dealerships (rustbelt)have had to replace entire truck frames so they should have at least one compentant alignment tech that has had to adjust cam bolts. I am up to 4 tacoma frames and 2 tundra frames myself.
 
Wow! I didn't know anyone changed frames on vehicles.

I picked up the car and it rides great! I had a $15 coupon, so the charge was only $105. I am grateful just to have it done without an advance appointment. They gave me a computer printout of the before and after readings. This was cool. They set everything dead center of the spec ranges.

Thanks again FABO members for the great advice!
 
Does anyone know the specs for radial tires? Even if Goodyear used the wrong specs, I'm still happy with the ride and steering control.

Thanks again!
 
I asked at the local dealer and the price was the same for older as well as late model - 80 couple of bucks. The alignment tech has been there for years and is well familiar with older cars
 
You want as much positive caster as you can get with radials. That's why it is best to set the front cam all the way out and the rear all the way in (after setting ride height) and then moving the rear cam out until you have about half-degree negative camber. That is the most positive caster that you will be able to get from the parts on the car. Then set 1/16-1/8" toe-in.
 
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