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Control Arm Bushing


Joe Flanagan

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Yesterday I was greasing the Plymouth when I noticed that one of the upper control arm bushings is further out than it ought to be. I don't know if I installed it like this (it was about 13 years ago) or if it worked its way out. It's the bushing on the left as you look at the first photo. Can I just screw it back in or will that alter the dimensions of the control arm? I recall during the assembly that that was a particularly sensitive thing. I know that they are assembled off the car so that you can get all the measurements right and then installed as a piece. But since everything is bolted down now, could I just screw that one bushing back to where it's supposed to be?

 

 

Here you can see how the bushing on the right is screwed all the way in but the one on the left is out:

 

Control%20Arm%20010_zpseqd8xde9.jpg

 

Closeup of the bushing in question:

 

Control%20Arm%20008_zpsma57un96.jpg

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yes Joe I realized  you stated that it may have been an oversight in your build...but a good front end tech on alignment would have caught that in a skinny...and to that end you could ask if he had seen it while aligning or had it actually worked loose on the trip..to this end I was suggesting you try to establish a time frame for the error...could be he saw it and supposed it was like that for a specific reason..I would hate to think that it was unnoticed during the inspection and alignment procedure..

 

now that you have returned from what one would call an extensive shake down..look for what else may have shook lose...

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Joe. I alsonoticed in the picture that it loos as if you might have some fraying on your lower radiator hose you can see it just above the control arm top. It is not your fan belt but the rad hose or it is the metal tube that might have some scratches.

 

Joe I do have the miller tool to hold the frame of the control arm so you do not collapse the arm you might be able to use it so that when  screwing in the bushing you do not pinch the arm.

 

Rich Hartung

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Tim, I went over everything yesterday and found a couple of things that were loose, namely the rear engine mounts and the nuts on the u-bolts for the leaf springs. Everything else was secure.

Rich, thanks for the offer of the special tool. I think I will try to improvise something that will do the same thing. It shouldn't be too hard. What you see on the radiator hose is the remnant of some packing tape that was stuck to it at one time.

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Joe..........good thing the loose things weren't critical.......lol.......rear engine mounts & rear axle.........lol..........sorry mate but couldn't help myself........lol............regarding the undone bush......as the pin/shaft is bolted to the frame & the front bush appears well & truly tight(check it tho') I'd think that doing it up again is not going to result in a realignment so long as it has not come off the pin/shaft threads........I'd do it up, make sure its nice and tight and make a point of checking it a few times.............of course if its undone because the thread on it or (worst case scenario) the threaded hole in the arm is stripped then that's a different thing.......anyway if it was me I'd check everything and if all appears o/k, do it up..............and go buy a lotto ticket for myself and Moose.........regards,...andyd   

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