<VV> Disassembling the front suspension (Help)

[Frank DuVal]

I assume this is a late suspension from the camber adjusting ellyptical 
washer on the lower control arm.

Jason Morris wrote:

>I'm currently working on prepping my front suspension for paint and new
>bushings.  I'm having trouble with a few things.  Forgive the quality of the
>pictures, they were taken with my camera phone.
>
>1.  http://alamocitycorvair.org/Temp/bolt.jpg  I'm having trouble removing
>the bolts holding the lower control arm in.  I've removed the nuts but the
>bolt seems to be rusted in there.  I briefly tried pressing them out but
>started to bend the mount (scratch that idea).  Is a torch my next option?
>  
>

Not yet! First soak the bolt with your favorite penetrant, say Kroil, 
Seafoam, etc. Turn the bolt a full 360 degrees many many times, this 
will help free up the rust. Put the nut back on withsome free space for 
the bolt to move and then whack it while turning the bolt. If you break 
out the torch, it will be a smoky time as the rubber bushing will burn!

>2. http://alamocitycorvair.org/Temp/Idle.jpg  I've beat the crap out of this
>idler arms with a pickle fork but can't get them to budge.  I have a puller
>but the hooks don't have anything to grip to on the other side.  Do I just
>keep hammering?
>  
>

When the taper seated sperical joints are so nicely out of the car it is 
much simpler to use the two hammer metod than the pickle fork method. 
Get two heavy hammers, or one heavy hammer and an anvil... Say 32 oz or 
better. An 8 lb sledge with the handle cut short can also be used as the 
backup hammer. The idea is to strike the taper joint with both hammers 
at the same time like (sad to say it this way, but the analogy is good) 
popping a zit. This is in the Corvair shop manual BTW.

>3.  Upper control arm bushings and shaft.  I have access to a press but I'm
>not sure if I want to do it myself and chance bending the arms.  Is it best
>to have these professionally done?
>  
>

It is difficult to press them out/in with out some distortion without 
using jigs, so maybe the answer is yes, especially with corrosion issues.

>4.  The front brake drums are not coming off.  Is there a special tool I can
>use to remove these or do I keep prying with screw driver and a BFH.
>  
>

You removed the cotter pin and stub axle retaining nut and uit still 
won't come off? Oh, being a late model the drum should just come off 
without removing the pin/nut/hub assembly, so...  Back off on the brake 
adjuster in case the shoes are holding the drum on. Be careful about the 
tempatation of using  a BFH on drums. Sometimes you can hit correctly, 
most times you get broken cast iron pieces! Soak around where the axle 
stub fits the drum (hub on front axles), and use heat on drum (always 
heat part you want to expand, not the inner part). Sometimes rust along 
here will capture drum. Sometimes BFH and screwdriver (narrow cold 
chisel) through the small holes in drum face is the last resort. If you 
bend the drum face lightly you can hammer and dolly it flat, maybe. If 
badly distorted, you needed another drum anyway at that point.


Frank DuVal


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