Help Please!!! Lower control arm

[Robbyb]

ANY HELP WELCOME!!!

Hi all

I’ve taken the front lower control arm off.

I’ve gone to put the new front lower control arm on but the shock is to far down. I can’t push the shock up enough to get it to fit on the control arm.

How do I get it in and the ball joint back in the hub?????

Many thanks guys


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[Charlie Farley]

A small bottle jack or similar is all you need, just place under the arm where its most secure and pump it until its all lined up, simples.

 

[Charlie Farley]

You'll find easier still if you undo the drop link top bolt as it tends to prevent the control arm from dropping down as its connected to the arb.
Undo that and you find you can pull the lower arm down enough to fit the shock mount bolt , then refit the drop link bolt which you'll need that jack to push it up a bit.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Hope that makes sense

 

[Robbyb]

You'll find easier still if you undo the drop link top bolt as it tends to prevent the control arm from dropping down as its connected to the arb.
Undo that and you find you can pull the lower arm down enough to fit the shock mount bolt , then refit the drop link bolt which you'll need that jack to push it up a bit.

The slightly confused. So you mean undo the two control arms at the top? I’ve undone the bolt for the anti roll bar and the (front) rear control arm. When I lifted the front control arm with a jack it pushed the shock U clamp along the control arm to the ball joint.

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[Robbyb]

You'll find easier still if you undo the drop link top bolt as it tends to prevent the control arm from dropping down as its connected to the arb.
Undo that and you find you can pull the lower arm down enough to fit the shock mount bolt , then refit the drop link bolt which you'll need that jack to push it up a bit.

When tried a different way I couldn’t get the arm low enough to get the u clamp on the shock on. The clamp was lower than the arm.


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[Charlie Farley]

If you have the shock still fitted, and the lower arm fitted at the chassis mount, all that you really need to do is be able to get the arm as low as possible, you will really struggle to get the shock compressed so by removing the lower drop link completely the arm can be pulled down a fair bit, once you've got the ball joint in you can fit the shock aswell, it should be just a reversal of disassembly but its never that easy.

 

[Charlie Farley]

you can also jack the strut up aswell to make it easier to get the ball joint in .

 

[Robbyb]

If you have the shock still fitted, and the lower arm fitted at the chassis mount, all that you really need to do is be able to get the arm as low as possible, you will really struggle to get the shock compressed so by removing the lower drop link completely the arm can be pulled down a fair bit, once you've got the ball joint in you can fit the shock aswell, it should be just a reversal of disassembly but its never that easy.

What do you mean by lower drop link?


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[Charlie Farley]

 

[Charlie Farley]

once this link is bolted to the lower arm you wont get much downward movement as its bolted to the ARB, if you remove it all together you'll have more downward movement , just refit it afterwards.

 

[Charlie Farley]

Just think of it this way, there only 3 items fixed to the lower control arm that control its vertical movement.
The struts itself as it mounted on the end ball joint, the damper lower mount and drop link.
if all three are unbolted the control has free movement up and down, so, as you dont have the first two connected yet the only part that left is the drop link so disconnect that and it should give you that extra drop to get things refitted.
since the damper is not connected the the hub assembly should also be able to move downwards to help getting the ball joint in.

 

[Charlie Farley]

I've just realised chap, you didnt fit the ball joint end in first, which is the way to do it,
ball joint end in first, then the chassis end and you can get the damper mount fitted as you push the chassis end in, hence the jack.
sorry , i though you had done the ball joint end allready.