How TO: Replace/Install Superpro LCA bushings!! some PICS

[enohand]

ok well i finally finished!! & i took a few KEY photo's others i left out, & quite frankly if you need a picture on how to remove your wheel & brake assembly, YOU SHOULD NOT DO THIS!!!

ok well here the NEW control arm (new because i spent about 2 hrs last night sanding them down to get rid of 90% of the surface rust, then i primed them & then shot them with some engine enamel, only to have them nicked & scratched up when i took them to the machine shop to have the old one pressed off , & it has new bushings & new ball joint)


& a better shot of the new ball joint


OK here we GO!!

1) remove wheel

2) remove axle (36 or 37 mm i forget) nut & all the good stuff with it (cotter pin, metal spiky thing, rubber piece, axle nut, then the washer)

3) remove brake assembly (caliper-(14mm), bracket-(19mm) & rotor) make sure to support the caliper, you dont wanna let it just hang there

4)unbolt strut assembly (upper link(19mm), & the lower bolt(19mm) that holds the strut in.

5) unblot the front sway bar endlink (not necessary in removal of the LCA, but it makes it a hell of alot easier to install it)


6) loosen the sway bar bushing enough to give you play in the bar


7)un bolt the 3 bolts (22mm)that are on the arm/mount for the front bushing, i got the right one off no problem, the driver side tho, i broke 4 socket wrenches (1 craftsman, 2 stanley's, & a no namer), then i finally got my hands on a impact gun

8)remove the 2 bolts (22mm) that hold on the rear bushing plate, & set aside. Mine was filled with crud, so clean it up & the whole that the bushing sits in)

9)remove the 2 bolts (10mm) that hold the ABS line onto the strut holder (i dont know what its actually called), the only reason to do this is so you have enough play to maneuver the suspension to get the axel out

10) remove axle from spindle, its kinda tricky ESPECIALLY by yourself, i wish i had someone around to help me hold the suspension member & twist it as i pulled out the axle

11)now that the axle is outa the way you can take the ball joint nut (22mm or 19 i cant remember ill update once i find out) off

12) i hit the SHIT outta the ball joint bolt, to get it outta the spindle , obviously if you were going to reuse them, you WOULD NOT DO THIS , i think they make a tool that will push it out, but i had my own tool , a 26oz Eswing hammer , & you should have what i have pictured below, VVVVVVVV,


13)ok so now the control arms are free, & your hurting, but your not done yet. go to a machine shop/someone with a press & have the old ones pressed off ( i had mine pressed off & the new ones on, ball joints included for $120 for both arms. BUT i later found out that the superpro's dont necessarily need to be PRESSED on. they were installed the wrong way & i used a socket to punch the metal sleeve threw, & i removed the bushing so i could grease them & put them the right way. there are 4 that come in the pack. 2 fronts & 2 rears, the rears are skinner & have REAR stamped on them. i had one that was right & the other had the rear in the front, but non the less i still had to grease them. ANYTHING that touches the urethane bushings that is metal MUST HAVE GREASE ON that part of the bushing (pretty much coat the shit outa the bushings)

14) ok now for the rear bushings, they are huge. i greased them up really good, & also the plate for them & also the hole they sit in

15) ok so now you ready to install them, what i did was connect the ball joint to the spindle FIRST!!! use something to kinda level the control arm out with the spindle. & tighten the nut, its kinda tricky, since the whole thing wants to turn, but keep it still & u should be fine (also you could probably some what put the other pieces back on (the arm/mount to hold it still) & then remove them


16) this is the pain in the ass part, now twist the suspension pieces so that you can slide the rear bushing over the sway bar (this is why we loosened it)

17)take the arm/mount & install it threw the bushing, & finger tighten it just so it stay on. then tighten down the arm to the frame

18)tighten the bolt that u finger tightened, this will pull/push the rear bushing into it proper place ( notice the grease)


19) push the rear bushing up as high as it will go & put the plate on (i used a scissor jack to get it were i needed so that i could hold the plate & get the bolts in properly. BE CAREFUL NOT TO CROSS THREAD THEM!!!!!. then tighten them up

20) start reassembling all the pieces that you took off (sway bar stuff, strut stuff, ABS etc) & your left with this, everything is back together


ok now your DONE!!!!! go have your self a beer, & clean up all your wounds ( i have alot from the damn dust shield. i had to cut the lip off it before so i could fit my p11 brake setup on, & there some really jagged edges!!!!!!

I think thats it. if i missed anything im pretty sure someone will chime in ....they always do!!!


::IMPORTANT:: now on the superpro packing, it says to RE-tighten ALL LCA components while the car is back on the wheels & the car is sitting with all the weight on it. This is 99% impossible for me cuz my car is so damn low, so im going to do it/have NTB do it when i get it aligned tomorrow. Im not sure what issues this will cause BUT ive heard/read about it from many different sources!!



ps. heres a pic of my garage after i was done painting the LCA's....(most of its just sitting there ontop of dust/dirt/grease, & it came up pretty easy)

[Dane]

Nice write up, but when I replaced my LCA's I didn't remove the axles from the spindles. You can save a good amount of time by using a large pickle fork. This is not the best way to do it like you said, if you want to reuse the ball joints.

NAPA sells the ball joint seperator, for like $40 for those that need to reuse the ball joints.

[enohand]

only reason i removed it, was because i didnt have a box end wrench to fit the nut, & even if i did i think it would hit the axle, but i guess u could loosen it, separate it a lil, & loosen the rest

[enohand]

think we can sticky this, so it doesnt get lost in the mess? i wouldve done it in the HOW TO forum but, my sponsorship is up.......sooooo yeah Jon get on that!

[nut180sx]

very good write up but may i ask why you decided to paint the LCA blue? again good write up.

[enohand]

well the superpro's are blue, asoints, & my rad hoses are blue, & my spark wires are blue,,,,, & blue was the only color spray paint i had

[Jerimiah]

So how do you like it?

[enohand]

well i took off my LCA brace, cuz it was bent as hell, but so far so good, it feels really responsive then before....overall i love it,,,,,,now im comptiplating on getting the upper links....but some people are saying the lock nuts & bolts slip out & change the camber

[enohand]

well almost 2 months now.....still good, but i get alot of road feedback in the wheel.......somtimes it scares me, it feels like somthing is loose, but ive triple & quadruopled checked, & nothing is.....would bad wheel bearnings give a sloppy/wobble feeling in the steering wheel doing 70+mph?

[Ironraven]

Could be separated tire tread, bent rim (sucks but it's happened to me before) too...

[enohand]

all tires are newish & mounted & balanced, there are no obvious signs of a bent rim......ive looked them over a few times

[Ironraven]

Originally Posted by enohand

all tires are newish & mounted & balanced, there are no obvious signs of a bent rim......ive looked them over a few times

Do you get noise? Usually a wheel bearing going makes a grinding sound if you jack the car up and spin the wheel. Separated tread will make a low-pitched wuh-wuh-wuh sound that changes pitch w/ speed. A bent rim will be more or less silent. I couldn't tell my rim was bent either, but took it to a tire shop I trust and had it checked out... sure enough it was fuxored . I ended up just putting it on the rear where it wouldn't be as much of a problem.

[aag20t]

do you think these would press into a lower control arm for a p11? has anyone tried this?

[Moldvarp]

Originally Posted by aag20t

do you think these would press into a lower control arm for a p11? has anyone tried this?

We used a P10 Ball Joint in P11-144 LCA. Perfect fit, but the
rear bushing wasn't the same as the set.

[aag20t]

dam that would of been nice if they would have fit in my lca. i got everything apart ryte now and it would b nice to stiffen up my front end like that

[enohand]

bumping this...somone was looking for it

[Greenless]

^^^ This should help me so ill bump it up, gotta change a LCA ball joint to pass inspection.

[justin91g20]

why blue?

[slimlou]

Originally Posted by justin91g20

why blue?

Post #6.

[p11silverdub]

lovin the jackstands bro dats how we do in the ghetto cinder blocks ftw