Front Wishbone Refurb Advice
Discussion
I'm struggling to get the lower wishbones ready for blasting/coating.
How do I split the ball joints?
Once they're split I need to remove the ball joints, but most of the cap-head bolts have rounded. If I drill the heads off will the rest come out without a struggle?
I don't need to save the ball joints, although the lowers are still stiff I think they can go. The uppers are definitely past their best.
Do I definitely need to remove the old bushes before blasting/coating? If I do won't that mean I have to remove the coating before fitting the new bushes? Or will the coater cover the areas affected?
How do I split the ball joints?
Once they're split I need to remove the ball joints, but most of the cap-head bolts have rounded. If I drill the heads off will the rest come out without a struggle?
I don't need to save the ball joints, although the lowers are still stiff I think they can go. The uppers are definitely past their best.
Do I definitely need to remove the old bushes before blasting/coating? If I do won't that mean I have to remove the coating before fitting the new bushes? Or will the coater cover the areas affected?
my advice would be to : -
1. remove the caliper
2. remove the disc
3. remove the caliper spacer(if fitted)
4. loosen all of the cap heads you can get at that are not rounded off. I would be using heat to help the process, an impact gun (air or electric) and a good quality set of allen head sockets. You will also need a good quality set of allen keys with the ball type ends.
5. remove the drop link and bolts
6. Loosen the drag link bolt
7. Loosen and remove all of the chassis side bolts that hold the upper and lower wish bone and drag link.
8. remove the assembly from the car
9. remove the remaining bolt holding the top wishbone to the top ball joint
10. remove the rubber dust seal from the top ball joint and as much grease as possible
11. using a cutting disc, cut through the top ball joint. This will give you great access to the cap head bolts. Depending on how bad the condition of inside of the caps is you can either A - hammer in a torx head tool into the cap head, heat the aluminium part of the hub and remove the cap head or B - clean up the top of the cap head and weld a nut onto the top of the cap head on a high heat setting (this usually helps to free the bolt)
12. assuming step 11 works, remove the nut from the underside of the ball joint plate, heat the plate and whack out the remaining thread of the ball joint.
13. repeat steps 10-12 for the lower ball joint.
An impact gun is the best tool to use IMHO for the larger cap heads and for removing the ball joint nuts. Make sure you spray plenty of release spray around all of the bolts and leave for a while to soak in. as if you break the cap head off, you will have to go to a machine shop for sure to get the remaining oart of the bolts drilled or spark eroded out.
Hope this helps
1. remove the caliper
2. remove the disc
3. remove the caliper spacer(if fitted)
4. loosen all of the cap heads you can get at that are not rounded off. I would be using heat to help the process, an impact gun (air or electric) and a good quality set of allen head sockets. You will also need a good quality set of allen keys with the ball type ends.
5. remove the drop link and bolts
6. Loosen the drag link bolt
7. Loosen and remove all of the chassis side bolts that hold the upper and lower wish bone and drag link.
8. remove the assembly from the car
9. remove the remaining bolt holding the top wishbone to the top ball joint
10. remove the rubber dust seal from the top ball joint and as much grease as possible
11. using a cutting disc, cut through the top ball joint. This will give you great access to the cap head bolts. Depending on how bad the condition of inside of the caps is you can either A - hammer in a torx head tool into the cap head, heat the aluminium part of the hub and remove the cap head or B - clean up the top of the cap head and weld a nut onto the top of the cap head on a high heat setting (this usually helps to free the bolt)
12. assuming step 11 works, remove the nut from the underside of the ball joint plate, heat the plate and whack out the remaining thread of the ball joint.
13. repeat steps 10-12 for the lower ball joint.
An impact gun is the best tool to use IMHO for the larger cap heads and for removing the ball joint nuts. Make sure you spray plenty of release spray around all of the bolts and leave for a while to soak in. as if you break the cap head off, you will have to go to a machine shop for sure to get the remaining oart of the bolts drilled or spark eroded out.
Hope this helps
ukkid35 said:
I'm struggling to get the lower wishbones ready for blasting/coating.
How do I split the ball joints?
Once they're split I need to remove the ball joints, but most of the cap-head bolts have rounded. If I drill the heads off will the rest come out without a struggle?
I don't need to save the ball joints, although the lowers are still stiff I think they can go. The uppers are definitely past their best.
Do I definitely need to remove the old bushes before blasting/coating? If I do won't that mean I have to remove the coating before fitting the new bushes? Or will the coater cover the areas affected?
Welding in an allen key or bolt will either get them out or shear the heads. probably the former as the heat helps a lot. With an air impact wrench they will most likely come out OK anyway. They are very strong high tensile bolts and don't break easily.How do I split the ball joints?
Once they're split I need to remove the ball joints, but most of the cap-head bolts have rounded. If I drill the heads off will the rest come out without a struggle?
I don't need to save the ball joints, although the lowers are still stiff I think they can go. The uppers are definitely past their best.
Do I definitely need to remove the old bushes before blasting/coating? If I do won't that mean I have to remove the coating before fitting the new bushes? Or will the coater cover the areas affected?
Just bung a cork in the hole while basting and powder coating, or a long nut and bolt with 2 big washers to cover the hole. The coater should but don't rely on it, some are real rough arses. I sent in a cam housing once and the pillock coated the bores the followers run in.
Thanks both, glad to report total success on the lower wishbones.
Club hammer to separate.
Heat to free the bolts.
My toolbox is rather lighter than yours, so I used my gf's blowtorch in conjunction with Wurth Rost Off Ice, and then as a Hail Mary my Craftsman Molegrips. In fairness I'm not sure that the Wurth helped, but it may have done and I only used half a can on the four seized bolts. I spent perhaps ten minutes heating each bolt, worth every second when it started to move.
Next job Upper Wishbones.
Club hammer to separate.
Heat to free the bolts.
My toolbox is rather lighter than yours, so I used my gf's blowtorch in conjunction with Wurth Rost Off Ice, and then as a Hail Mary my Craftsman Molegrips. In fairness I'm not sure that the Wurth helped, but it may have done and I only used half a can on the four seized bolts. I spent perhaps ten minutes heating each bolt, worth every second when it started to move.
Next job Upper Wishbones.
Hi Just done mine, you definitely need to remove the old bushes first, just in case you do any damage when removing them.A few of mine needed 8 ton of pressure on a press to get them out be careful not to twist them, a bit of heat always helps. One of mine twisted, so needed a new wishbone.I didnt remove the paint when reinstaling them.Dont lose the spacer that was under the nut on the lower ball joint :-)
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