So, I just disassembled one of my upper control arms. Now, I read in an old post that the bushings are tightened to 25-35 ft.-lbs. for the torque spec. Not sure if this applies to all years, but, mine's a '70 Maverick with stock suspension. However, I needed an 18" breaker bar to get these friggin' things apart... definitely, more than 25-35 ft.-lbs. was applied to loosen the bushings. My question is: Do I have the right torque spec for re-assembly? Were these things, probably, just really tight? They look to be in good shape, too. No abnormal wear or galling except for some small grooves worn into the outside of the bushing where it passes through the control arm pivot holes. They still fit tight with no play, though. Think they can be re-used? Eric
Maybe someone knows the spec.. I have always just tightened them till they stopped turning then a little umpf making sure the cup looks seated.. I also add a tack weld to mine where I can get to it with a grinder if I ever need to. Me, I would be replacing it since it is out. Hard to tell really if it is worn sometimes. The threaded part is what wears inside the cup and the shaft. Be sure it is centered also and facing the right way when you put it together. The cups screw into the A frame and the shaft at the same time.
Thanks blugene. Upon closer inspection, one of the ball joint bolts has completely torn through and destroyed its mounting hole in the stamped A-arm. Didn't realize this until I cleaned it up a little. Therefore, a complete front suspension kit is in the works. New everything. Only part I don't like is that most of the pre-assembled UCA's, now, come with the ball joints riveted in, instead of being bolted. Gonna make replacing the ball joints a PITA in the future. I don't even know if they stamp the new stuff out of the same gauge material as Ford did from the factory. Ford UCA's are stamped out of 10 GA (1/8"). Thanks, Eric
The ball joints were riveted from factory, yours have already been repl at least once... Torque for the bushings is over 100ft lbs, they'd no doubt fall out in a short while at 35ft lb...
Yep, 25 - 35 ft lbs on the bushings. Before you install the new control arms drill out the rivets and replace with grade 8 bolts. And make sure the cross shaft is centered correctly, sometimes the preassembled parts aren't centered.
Interesting... didn't know the ball joints were riveted out of the factory. That would explain why a lot of the stuff still looks to be in good shape. Maybe someone went through all the suspension before. So, not to start an argument, or anything, but what are the torque specs, actually? Krazy Comet says over 100 ft.-lbs. and bmcdaniel says 25-35. Maybe different specs for different years? I've got a 1974 Ford Car Shop Manual and, for some reason, it doesn't list the values at all. In the disassembly/assembly section it states to check the values listed, but, when you turn to the table of specs at the end of the chapter, everything is listed but the bushings. Like it was a typo and got overlooked, or, something. I've gotta go "cheap" on this build, unfortunately, so this is the kit I settled on: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Control-Arm...rd|Model:Maverick&hash=item258ad1ac6d&vxp=mtr
it all depends on which part you're talking about. The cross shafts end cap bushings would be minimal torque because the threads are very thin and fragile. Over-torqueing them causes damage similar to what you already found. The shaft to tower mounting bolts are thick and need fairly high torque values. It's been too long and I'm not sure about the 100lbs though. Seems a tad high and I'd guess more like 75-85. Just a guess based on bolt sizing though.
Since you went all new, I would do 75 to 85 on the bolts and nuts that hold the shaft to the tower.. Recheck them after some mileage if you can. Even if it's with a wrench to make sure they havn't come loose. Not sure about the brand choice but it's new.. I personally wouldn't change the rivets just for a future problem. I would wait till I had a problem. Keep everything lubed up and it'll be good for a long time. They do sell some grease zerks that are made to point out for the ends of the shafts. I would put those on first.
Also, just a tip. Try and only tighten and rubber bushing down while the vehicle is sitting on the ground or with the weight on it's wheel. This eliminates binding torque to the rubber. I personally also use Syl Glyde on my rubber contact points and long bolts. http://www.agscompany.com/lubricants/automotive/168
Yeah, I was talking about the cross-shaft bushings. I thought they would need more torque than that. Guess not. Good advice guys. I'll keep it in mind on the install this week, when the stuff comes. Eric
