School me on installing control arms -

I have new upper and lower control arms for my XJ and I'm wondering what all I need to do to replace them. I'm not replacing anything else and want to do the absolute minimum. Do I have to remove my springs? Shocks? How long should this take?

Thanks in advance - c

it's a pretty simple job...just remove two bolts, take off old arm, install new arm, torque bolts. You do not need to remove springs or shocks or anything else. i recommend you do one arm at a time...it's safer and helps keep the axle in position, especially if you are not familiar with doing this (not trying to put any fear in here, it's really an easy job), and it doesn't matter where you start. you should have a floor jack handy in case you need to twist the axle some to line up the holes for the bolts...i find i always have to place the jack under the coil spring perch on the forward side of the axle then lift a little to line things up.

also, do this with the jeep on the ground "weight-on-wheels".. i.e. do not put it on a lift or jack stands b/c you want the bolts to be tightened/torqued with the bushings at a "relaxed" state, as in where they would be while driving level.

should take an hour or so if you have no problems with frozen bolts/nuts...

I'll echo only doing one at a time, but I'm thinking more than an hour apiece. I replaced all four of mine as part of a suspension tune up (stock parts) that included a 2" BB, then the 31's went on, of course they rubbed. I got some offset (bent) control arms to elimnate that problem and went about replacing them. Took probably an hour and a half, and the bolts had been undone several months before and never-sieze had been used on the reassembly. For the uppers, buy replacement bolts and cut the old ones with a wafer wheel. And finally, if you're replacing the front bushings on the upper control arms (the ones on the top of the axle) it may take a good bit of time. I had to beat mine out with a hammer, and that was with full access (the axle was out of the jeep at the time).

Mark

Just replacing the control arms? Same size or different size?

Like has been said, park the rig with the trans in park or e-brake set. Remove the bolts on one arm at a time and remove the control arm. Install the new arm, put the bolt in one end, then push on the tire with your foot to roll it a little to line up the hole for the second bolt, tighten the nuts. Then do the other side. Shouldn't take too long to do both sides.

try to get the bolts off first before cutting them. I have done the lifts on both my xjs and all the control arms were rather easy compared to the leafs.

slcpunk74 said:

try to get the bolts off first before cutting them. I have done the lifts on both my xjs and all the control arms were rather easy compared to the leafs.

Click to expand...

Cutting what?

If you're doing the axle bushings for the uppers use a ball joint press. We did two rigs last weekend & the uppers took about 90 minutes a rig. After using the ball joint tool I'll never use the hammer method again, that was 2 hrs just to do the axle & that was with it out of the rig. Use a 1 1/4" socket to push on the non flanged end of the bushing, it was a better fit than any of the adapters in the kit.

Waaaaay back when I still had UCA bushings, I made a bushing tool that worked really well. I could change an UCA bushing in about 20 minutes. I took a section of 2.5" exhaust tubing long enough for the bushing to go into and on one end welded on a big 2.5" OD washer. Then I used a long piece of all thread rod, and couple of nuts, and an assortment of washers to make it all work. Stick the all thread rod through the tool and through the hole in the bushing, tighten the nut and pull the bushing out of the housing and into the tool. Turn the tool around to the other side, stick the rod through the new bushing, tighten the nut again and suck the bushing into the housing. Simple, and works well. The ball joint press also works.

Goatman said:

Cutting what?

Click to expand...

MFAscuba suggesting cutting the uca bolts.

...

I assume your uca bushing tool won't work on lca bushings?

I haven't looked at the uca, but I can't see how that would work on the lca...

Robert

I had found a website that had new hardware for the UCA's, including the flag head bolts, it was just as easy to cut them away as it was to fight the rust, etc. A good shot of PBlast a couple days ahead of time should ease the pain. As far as the lowers, replacement control arms with new bushings already pressed in are available, I think a set from Crown runs about $75 for the pair if you shop around.

On the uppers I tried the home-made press with all thread, they didn't budge, then tried the harbor freight press, it was awkward at best, then I drilled the rubber part out and took a BFH to the sleeve, out they came. Just my experience with it, this vehicle seemed to have spent some time in the northeast so the corrosion may have been on the bad side.

Mark

Thanks for all the replies. So is the consensus that the vehicle needs to be on the ground to do this? Not on jack stands?

I'm replacing stock arms with JKS arms. FYI

Thanks!!

condoor said:

Thanks for all the replies. So is the consensus that the vehicle needs to be on the ground to do this? Not on jack stands?

I'm replacing stock arms with JKS arms. FYI

Thanks!!

Click to expand...

YES, on the ground. One arm at a time. Roll the tire to line up the holes on the second bolt. Simple.

Goatman said:

YES, on the ground. One arm at a time. Roll the tire to line up the holes on the second bolt. Simple.

Click to expand...

THANKS! Will give it a go this weekend.

not that you should run into the problem of the axle rotating if you do it 1 arm at a time, but SHOULD you need to twist the axle, a large plummers pipe wrench and a jack underneith it works wonders.