I just bought new control arms lol

 

It is the control arm in the front of the car, but it is the rear bushing on the front control arm.

 

Pictured is a malibu replacement bushing without voids in the bushing. its cheaper than an FE5 insert.

the steering knuckle can be helped to release the ball joint by removing the cross bolt and inserting a large chisel in the slot provided and giving a good wack with a FBH.

TC arms generally release easily.

the torque specs for the cross bolt for the ball joint is 37 ft lbs, reverse 1/2 turn, 37 ft lbs again + 25 degrees.

the 21mm head trailing bolt is 75 ft lbs + 180 degrees, you can use 145 ft lbs that will work as well.

the 15 mm head leading bolts are, if memory serves me correctly , 41 ft lbs...

 

Thanks for the torque specs!!! Hope this is still helpful everyone

 

How much for the bushings? They look like high quality units

 

I tried to get my control arm off today without success

I couldn't get that damn 21mm bolt out! My electric impact gun couldn't do it, and I bent my breaker bar trying to get it off

Going to my uncles tomorrow to use his air powered impact gun and see if I have better luck!

Was able to get swaybar end links and the control arm bushings for $114 from Napa.

-Jamie M.

 

Only thing I would add to that is....

After you get the old bushings out, clean the debris out of the hole .. makes puttin the new CAB in soooo much easier..

Speaking from experience... lol

 

Taking the control arm out was quite simple for me. The ball joint came out with a simple love tap with the palm of my hand. However, putting the bushing side of the control arm back into where it belongs was a massive pain in the ass. Especially on stands. Took a lot of tapping with a crowbar and hammer to line it up to get that 21mm bolt to line up and thread properly. I suggest using a screw driver to help line the bushing and threaded hole. Pretty tough to describe in words but I'm sure you all can figure it out when you look at it.

 

Might just do this when I do stage 1 axles.

Thanks a bunches!!!

 

Well, total freakin fail today!

The passenger side 21mm bolt was totally seized! It was seized both in the threads into the body, as well as the shaft of the bolt was seized to the middle bushing of the CAB!!!

My uncles impact gun did absolutely nothing, even when we cranked up the pressure way above max!

After finding a HEAVY 6ft pipe and a massive breaker bar (I purchased a new shallow 21mm impact socket for the job), we were able to get the bolt to spin. It fought us the whole way, we had to use the breaker bar the entire time! After a while we could hear the bolt "skipping" meaning it had been unthreaded from the threads in the body, but it still wouldn't budge! That's when we noticed the bushing was seized onto the bolt and spinning with it. We were able to pry up the control arm (the rubber was totally destroyed) and use vice grips on the center bushing. Then we put some massive pressure on the 6ft breaker bar and SNAP! I thought for sure we snapped the socket or broke the bolt, but NOPE, just broke the bolt free of the bushing!! Used the impact gun and was finally able to get it out! Insane

Threads are in pretty rough shape, lots of corrosion. I will probably order a new bolt before reassembling the car. I will use LOTS of anti-seize compound on the new bolt (in fact, every single bolt during reassembly!).

So, finally got the passenger side control arm off, the rest of the bolts/ball joint went really well. On to the drivers side!

I was able to take out the 21mm bolt WITH JUST A RATCHET! wtf?!? When I got the bolt out it was in perfect, like new condition, COVERED IN GREASE! Was someone sleeping on the GM assembly line and forgot to grease my passenger side CAB bolt?! The drivers side control arm came off easy

I figured I would change the sway bar end links while I had everything apart still, OMG wtf. Do they just expect you to torch off the end links? The nuts and studs were so damn rusted the upper mount nut wouldn't come off, just spun the shaft inside the end link!!! There was no way to grab the shaft and stop it from spinning so I had to use a saws all to cut the end link studs!

But, that didn't really solve the problem

I tried to cut the stud as close to the mount plate as possible, bad idea. I left about 1/4" of the shaft, which has a "shoulder" or raised part that sits against the mount, which means even after I cut it, it still wouldn't come out! And, there wasn't enough of the nub left to grab with vice grips so I could try and get the nut off with the impact gun! That's how it sits right now, the lower end link mount I cut close to the end link instead of close to the mount plate, and was able to grab the shaft with vice grips and air gun the nut off, but that makes no difference because I can't install the new end links with the stud/nut still stuck in the top hole!

So, to fix that I'm going to replace the strut (that's where the top part of the end link mounts to, which has the stuck stud/nut in it), and it's leaking oil and needed to be replaced anyway. For the passenger side I'll just cut the bottom end bar link stud and remove the link with the strut.

I plan on having a shop press in my new bushings tomorrow (I don't even want to attempt it using my vice after all the problems I had today). After I reinstall the control arms I'll attempt to replace my struts, their bolts look to be in much better condition than all the rest I removed today, hopefully won't cause me any issues

Car is barely 4 years old! Can't believe there is so much corrosion, how about we use stainless steel bolts for the common maintenance items eh GM?!

-Jamie M.

 

Got my new bushings pressed in this morning ($40). Went to reinstall the control arms on the car, OMFG! No freaking way could I get the top of that 21mm bolt anywhere near where it needed to be It was at like a 35 degree angle! I think it was due to a couple of reasons like not having any sway bar end links installed, having the steering wheel turned all the way to one side (and I couldn't fix it cause my GF lost the car keys, yay), etc. When I try and jack up the steering knuckle so that the angle is somewhat close to OK, the control arm "jumps" away from the hole making the bolt angle terrible. I tried a crow bar to press on the control arm to get it to line up, but no luck.

The only thing left to try I think is to take apart the entire thing. Remove the strut, etc., so I can manually move the control arm into the position it needs to be for that bolt to go in.

I'll be renting a spring compressor some time in the next few days and give er a try. If that fails I'll be calling a flatbed to tow it to the shop

-Jamie M.

 

try this" it is more difficult with the knuckle turned, go find your keys.

Insert the trailing portion of the arm in the cradle, then insert the ball joint pin in the knuckle. slide the cross pin bolt through once the bj pin is home and the recess is visible through the knuckle ( should be ez you got the wheel turned.

then lift the leading portion of the arm into its socket in the cradle,
then use a small screw driver to move the trailing bushing into position and wind in the large bolt. start the threads, then go put the leading bushing bolts in place

145 ft lbs on the 21mm head bolt. 41 ft lbs in the 15 mm head bolts
37 ft lns + 30 degrees for the 15/16 mm head cross pin bolt and nut.

good luck. use never seize when assembling.
find your keys lol

now

 

I'll try that trick. GF found the keys, she mistakingly took both sets when she was drunk last night. Good thing the car was on blocks

-Jamie M.

 

That is exactly what I was trying to say. John to the rescue!

 

Worked sweeeet! Thanks! Finally got (almost) everything installed, front control arm bushings, front sway bar end links, front struts, front rotors, rear shocks.

Only thing left to do is rear rotors and pads! The pads were right down to the metal, and I couldn't get the damn pistons to go back in! The shop that's going to certify it tomorrow said they have the tool to compress the pistons so I'll let them do that

Sexy new front rotor pic



I wonder why they say they void the warranty on the rotors if you use ceramic pads??

-Jamie M.

 

rear pistons rotate in dont compress in: its a simple tool u buy from an autoparts store, engages in the two dimples in the piston. Rotate, turns the piston in. Then install pads. Lubricate the sliders etc. use never seize on the hub and inside rotor hat clean up the rust before you do. good luck. Oh PS blue loctite on the caliper bolts and slider bolt threads, torque 81 ft lbs on the big caliper bolts, 25 ft lbs on the little slider bolts

 

I had the tool, the cube shaped thing, but the piston just kept turning and turning and wouldn't go back in. The shop said if the pads were worn right down and the piston was far out, turning it WITHOUT pressure won't make it go back in, which was the case.

I'm getting them to do it today so we'll see how they do it

-Jamie M.

 

I just started getting some knocking when going over bumps on my 05 SS S/C. Is there a simple way that I can check my CABs with out taking the control arm off completely?

 

I would just get new bushings pressed in and new Moog sway bar end links and be done with it

*NOTE: A LOT of my clunk turned out to be the upper strut mounts!! The rubber was completely destroyed and the top of the shock was just floating around!!!

-Jamie M.

 

Anyone have advice on what bushings to purchase? I can't use sphericals due to my scca class.

 

if you cant use the spherical's then i would probably say the moog ones. they dont have gaps in the rubber like oem does.

 

The Moog ones claim there only for FE1 only. I found Mevotech has some that don't have voids and claim to be for FE5 only

 

I'm using Moogs

 

Do you happen to know the part number for them?

 

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