upper control arm bump stops

[harmony]

I just wanted to post this in case there is someone about to replace the upper control arm bump stops as I have just done. This could be what you might expect to happen.  The most important tool that you'll need is PATIENCE & PERSISTANCE.  Generally speaking the underside of my 48 Chrysler is in amazing shape.  I recently replaced the brake lines and all the 3/8" bolts holding the positioning clamps all came out without much hesitation, just like any other part that I've tried to loosen so I think the car was mostly garage kept. So having said that, the pin that holds the bump stop in place, as well as the upper shock stud, wasn't about to come out easily.  I've determined that it was a Chrysler design flaw.

The pin slides through the upper control arm, which is sort of shaped like a piece of channel iron where the pin goes through the holes.  I'm thinking the steel is 1/8" - 3/16" thick.  At first, after taking the nuts off both ends and removing the shock, and then trying to turn the pin with vise grips, it became obvious that the pin was not budging.  When I looked up under the control arm, I thought I was looking at the pin so I sprayed it with penetrating fluid.  Along with both ends.  

In the end I used about half a bottle of Map gas,  (I don't have oxy/acetylene) and I had the vise grips clamped hard on the part of the pin, beside the shock that is an inch or so in dia.  Then I put a 2 foot tube extension on the vise grip.  Then I put the shock side nut back on the pin and tightened it, and put a socket with a breaker bar on it and worked both of them at the same time.  Finally it budged ever so slightly.

Here comes the part where I think Chrysler went wrong.  After the pin came out, I realized that what I was looking at from the bottom side of the control arm, wasn't the pin but it was a sleeve.  But the sleeve has a longitudinal cut in it similar to a roll pin.  This allowed moisture and rust to get in there over the years.  The real issue now was that there was no way to access that corrosion.  So it was a matter of working that pin up and down, a couple hundred times, while giving the pin a tap on the end each time with a light hammer.  I found if I hit it too hard, the pin wouldn't turn at all, so I had to tap it back and start over.  The tap of the hammer didn't even show any visual progress.  It was that light of a tap.   This went on for about an hour.  Not kidding.  So the steel around the holes of the control arm were basically blazing a trail and removing the corrosion as I worked it up and down.  Even once the one end went through the hole in the control arm and it was being held by only one side, it didn't get any easier.  

[harmony]

In this shot you can see the vise grip wounds.  Even though they were almost new vise grips with sharp teeth and I had them set so it took all I could do to close them with both hands, they still kept slipping while I tried to rotate the pin.  On the right end of the pin you can see the shinny portion where the upper control arm surface was touching the pin.

[harmony]

In this shot you can see the sleeve inside the control arm.  Sorry but the picture got rotated when it loaded

[harmony]

I put a spare nut on the end of the pin instead of the stock pin incase it got damaged from hitting it.  But I soon learned I could only tap it.

[harmony]

Alls well that ends well.  Sorry, another rotation when the picture loaded

[Bryan]

Dang, looks like you had about the same day I did today.  I'll be doing that one of these days.  

[Sniper]

Well Bo, you and your cousin Luke need to keep all four wheel on the ground and you won't be tearing up your bump stops, lol.

 

 

 

[harmony]

6 hours ago, Bryan said:

Dang, looks like you had about the same day I did today.  I'll be doing that one of these days.  

Get yourself a nice padded stool to sit on.   But if you have oxy/acetylene, I'm sure it would go a lot faster. 

[Bryan]

6 hours ago, harmony said:

Get yourself a nice padded stool to sit on.   But if you have oxy/acetylene, I'm sure it would go a lot faster. 

I'm recently learning that some of these battery powered impact wrenches with 700 ft/lbs torque really helps. I struggled with the large crankshaft hub nuts for days, using a Map gas torch, oil, 36" breaker bar with a pipe, etc. Twisted a 1/2" drive.  Trying to brace the motor from rotating. The impact wrench removed it in less than a minute. No bracing.  DEWALT 20V Max XR Impact Wrench Kit, Brushless, High Torque, Detent Pin Anvil, 1/2-Inch, Cordless (DCF899M1).  Watch out though, Dewalt has one that looks like it exactly, except lower torque.  Was expensive and made me grimace, but worth every penny.