hey all..
ok so i got some front lower control arms off a parts car a buddy of mine had, cleaned them up and painted 'em. they're going into a guy i know's shop tomorrow to get the old bushings taken out, and my new energy suspension bushings oiled up and put in. i also bought new ball joints and sway bar link kits while i was at it (balljoints are both shot), and figure i could save a few bucks by doing it myself. i'll just have to pay for an alignment when i'm done.
anyway the balljoints didnt come with instructions, which is normal i guess. they're Mevotech Supreme MK5273's. i'm looking through my Haynes manual for the torque specifications, found everything i need except for the 3 bolts that join the balljoint to the control arm. what do you guys usually torque those 3 bolts to? (i looked on autozone's tutorial as well, and they just say "torque the bolts to the specifications on the instructions sheet") grr.
also, when torqing a bolt.. say it goes through something and has a nut at the other end, what do you do? use the torque wrench on one end and lock the socket on the other end?
yeah i'm new at this lol.. but i am confident i can get this done. i took the arms off of a 15yr old car which i wouldnt have thought i could do, but once i saw how everything fits together its a piece of cake... just gotta find how much to torque those 3 bolts!
also what is a good grease to grease my new balljoints with?
sorry for all the questions. i'm learning alot as i go i swear! Thanks so much!!!
My "Z-Wannabe"
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/682845/
You should never (if possible) turn a bolt. You should always turn the nut. But yeah, you should hold the bolt head with a breaker bar and tighten the nut.
Anyways, there is no factory spec for it. The factory manual tells you to use the torque spec included with the ball joint. I've always just made them "tight"
there is no factory spec for the 3 bolts, as from the factory, the 3 bolts arent there. from factory, the balljoints are rivited in place. when you replace the balljoints, you have to grind the rivits off and you get new bolts with the balljoint.
id just do them up tight. there is no spec. i think a bolt that size should be around 40-50ft/lb, but no need to torque them, just tight is fine.
cool, thanks guys..
yeah i guess there are 3 bolts on each arm because the previous owner got new balljoints therefore i dont have to deal with the rivets
good info, thanks!
on a similar topic, which would be good grease to grease the new balljoints with when i put them on? just ordinary automotive grease in a tube, or is there a specific type that works better for the balljoints?
My "Z-Wannabe"
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/682845/
