Control Arms, Ball Joints, Tied Rods, and Bearings…OH MY!
Who needs these things??? I sure did. Apparently all of these suspension parts are very critical to the safety of the car when driving. And mine were in less than ideal shape. Tie Rods were loose, and it was just an overall good idea to replace it all new.
And, we also replaced the rotors. Here I thought brakes were done…
This was a VERY HARD job. It took many weekends between my cousin and I just to get the old ones off. These suspension parts were bolted on tight, for good reason. Add rust, and it was a project alright. My cousin had to drill some old ball joints out. I slammed on a lot of things. My cousin even had one of the those fork things to lift the ball joints out. No dice!
This was one of those projects that definitely makes you feel weak. But in the end it looks AWESOME! Be sure to remember how many rotations your tie rods had connecting the inner and outer…this helps to make sure alignment is close before having it professionally adjusted. Learn something new every day!
After getting it all together, I spray painted the inner fender using truck bed paint. That black with the new slotted silver rotors, and new brake lines/hoses, makes it all look very sharp under there, if I do say so myself.
Also, my cousin worked on the master cylinder to help round out the brake project. My brother and I disconnected the gas lines from the tank as well.
I’m happy the way it all turned it out, but glad it’s over and hope I don’t have to repeat it for many many years.
