Fordmods Logo

lower control arms on Ford AU Series II 

 

Page 1 of 2 [ 16 posts ] Go to page 1, 2  Next

 
 Post subject: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:03 am 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

If anyone has personally replaced theirs i.e. done the job themselves, could you be kind enough to assist me on this.

On Tuesday or Wednesday this week I am removing left and right lower control arms and replacing same (bushes replaced).

In the workshop manual it states not to tighten up the bolts until the wheels are placed, car lowered to the ground and bounced up and down about 3 or 4 times to find its level then you can tighten the bolts to torque specs.


Problem......car is on the ground, there is not enough room to swing a cat neveralone to get underneath and try to tighten bolts to torque specs.

How do you go to overcome this?

Maybe I can place car ramps under both front wheels once arms have been replaced so I can tighten bolts to torque spec as above.

Any help on this wouild be welcome.

Cheers, Peter
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 2:42 pm 
Fordmods Newbie
Offline

Age: 34

Posts: 17

Joined: 15th Dec 2010

Ride: AU Fairmont Ghia

Location: Melbourne
VIC, Australia

yep, if your using jack stands you could also just jack up the controll arm untill it just lifts the chassis is lifted off the jack stands. Lots less screwing around
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 3:31 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

tx5_brent wrote:
yep, if your using jack stands you could also just jack up the controll arm untill it just lifts the chassis is lifted off the jack stands. Lots less screwing around


Thanks for your message tx5_brent but it's not that clear to me.

Do you mean I should jack the lower control arm up until it just lifts the chassis off the car stands and then tighten up the the lower control arm bolts to torque specs and the same for the opposite side. Is this correct?

Cheers, Peter
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 4:16 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Posts: 2410

Joined: 4th Sep 2006

Location: Sydney
NSW, Australia

Im also doing mine in my EF XR6 and didnt know i had to do this........

Does your book say anything about rear trailing arms and watts links???

 

_________________

Wanted Either Capri/Cortina/XY/XW/XR/XT with tough V8 stroker engine, auto, 9inch, upgraded brakes etc[/SIZE][/size][/color]

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 9:49 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

MICKYYYY wrote:
Im also doing mine in my EF XR6 and didnt know i had to do this........

Does your book say anything about rear trailing arms and watts links???



The only thing I read in my book about upper trailing arms and watts link is straight forward, replace bushes and tighten bolts / nuts to torque specs...says nothing else unlike the fronts
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Mon Jul 25, 2011 11:11 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Posts: 2410

Joined: 4th Sep 2006

Location: Sydney
NSW, Australia

bondy99 wrote:
MICKYYYY wrote:
Im also doing mine in my EF XR6 and didnt know i had to do this........

Does your book say anything about rear trailing arms and watts links???



The only thing I read in my book about upper trailing arms and watts link is straight forward, replace bushes and tighten bolts / nuts to torque specs...says nothing else unlike the fronts


Im just replacing lower control arm bushes and watts links for the rear.

Front im doing lower control arm inner and out and the other one there which i cant remember right now...

 

_________________

Wanted Either Capri/Cortina/XY/XW/XR/XT with tough V8 stroker engine, auto, 9inch, upgraded brakes etc[/SIZE][/size][/color]

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 10:47 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

According to the other book I read you will need to lower the vehicle to ground level and tighten to torque specs...this for lower and / or upper control arm.

I'm lowering mine onto car ramps , as long as its all level then it should be fine.

Watts links is not critical...just make sure left goes in first, then the center link then install right hand side.

Aparently the left rod needs to be set to left curb???? Then when all complete lower car

Hope this helps you, still a learning curve for me.
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Tue Jul 26, 2011 11:54 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Posts: 2410

Joined: 4th Sep 2006

Location: Sydney
NSW, Australia

Cool dude, thanks for the info :D

 

_________________

Wanted Either Capri/Cortina/XY/XW/XR/XT with tough V8 stroker engine, auto, 9inch, upgraded brakes etc[/SIZE][/size][/color]

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 11:19 am 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 72

Posts: 2542

Joined: 18th Mar 2006

Ride: EF-XR8chaser

Location: wollongong
NSW, Australia

all bolts should be tightened at curb height,when you go for wheel alignment tell the guy,he will loosen and re tighten them on the rack,easy for him as the cars level.

 

_________________

R.I.P HANS HARTMAN

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 7:01 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Posts: 2410

Joined: 4th Sep 2006

Location: Sydney
NSW, Australia

hans hartman wrote:
all bolts should be tightened at curb height,when you go for wheel alignment tell the guy,he will loosen and re tighten them on the rack,easy for him as the cars level.


What do u mean he will tighten them on the rack???

 

_________________

Wanted Either Capri/Cortina/XY/XW/XR/XT with tough V8 stroker engine, auto, 9inch, upgraded brakes etc[/SIZE][/size][/color]

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 8:11 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 72

Posts: 2542

Joined: 18th Mar 2006

Ride: EF-XR8chaser

Location: wollongong
NSW, Australia

MICKYYYY wrote:
hans hartman wrote:
all bolts should be tightened at curb height,when you go for wheel alignment tell the guy,he will loosen and re tighten them on the rack,easy for him as the cars level.


What do u mean he will tighten them on the rack???

his raised rack or ramp,some are almost 1 mtr high and he has all the tools,mine does.i rebushed the k frame and swaped them,tightened the bolts and drove 2 ks to the wheel alignment place,told him the k frame and castor kits in,he loosened all the nuts,settled the car to road height and tightened the nuts up,then wheel alignment.other wise the bushes are under tension.

 

_________________

R.I.P HANS HARTMAN

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Wed Jul 27, 2011 10:35 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

Yep, I thought that would be the case.

I need some additional advice on removing the lower control arms.

I noticed the bolts are long and unfortunately the steering rack is in the way and also one of the metal coolant lines at the front.

Question.

Do I need to completely remove the steering rack to allow the pivot bolt to removed freely? If so, how is this so as the steering rack seems stuck fast to the aluminium cross member.

The other pivot bolt is near the radiator so will need to lower steel cross member to remove front bolt and remove lower control arm...is this correct?

Cheers, Peter
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:10 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

I take it no one has done this or know one knows
Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 9:29 pm 
Fordmods Junkie
Offline
User avatar

Posts: 2839

Joined: 6th Nov 2004

Gallery: 50 images

Ride: MYSTERY EL's & Maverick LWB

Power: 198 rwkw

Location: parramatta
NSW, Australia

ok , now - to take lower control arms out , rear bolts can be removed with the rack in , you steer the rack to 1 side and slide out that control arm bolt and repeat on other side .
the front bolts are tricky , once you got the nuts off you need to use a long/deep 18mm socket and remove the 4 nuts ( 2 per side ) ,
once you done that use a crowbar / lever bar and try and slide the front member down far enough to slide the control arm out then repeat for other side .
this is how i did mine when upgraded my series 1 AU to BA/BF front end .

 

_________________

Chance Favors The Prepared Mind !
For Sale : EL Fairmont 4L 5spd offers, AU Fairlane Ghia 4L vct Stock no mods $3.5k ono
Image

Top
 Profile  
 
 
 Post subject: Re: lower control arms on Ford AU Series II
Posted: Thu Jul 28, 2011 10:49 pm 
Getting Side Ways
Offline

Age: 65

Posts: 1128

Joined: 13th Sep 2010

Ride: Ford Falcon AU 2000 Series II

Location: Crestmead
QLD, Australia

MRE-50L wrote:
ok , now - to take lower control arms out , rear bolts can be removed with the rack in , you steer the rack to 1 side and slide out that control arm bolt and repeat on other side .
the front bolts are tricky , once you got the nuts off you need to use a long/deep 18mm socket and remove the 4 nuts ( 2 per side ) ,
once you done that use a crowbar / lever bar and try and slide the front member down far enough to slide the control arm out then repeat for other side .
this is how i did mine when upgraded my series 1 AU to BA/BF front end .



Thanks, I wish I had this information earlier. I had the car jacked up and had taken discs, brakes, hubs off the car and was stuck as how to remove the rear bolts on the lower control arm. I had spares ready to replace as they were rebushed so I decided to do the discs, hubs and brakes instead.

I have upper and lower control arms, shockies and coil springs to do also at the same time.

I'll tackle this again next week.

Thanks again for your assistance.

Cheers
Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:
Sort by  
 Page 1 of 2  [ 16 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2  Next

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 40 guests


You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

 

 

It is currently Fri Mar 29, 2024 6:22 pm All times are UTC + 11 hours

 

 

(c)2014 Total Web Solutions Australia - Australian Web Hosting and Domain Names