'70 Charger upper control arm suggestions

[Coelacanth]

So I bought the Moog K7103 offset bushings to get more caster when my car is ready for an alignment. I will also need to remove my UCA's to install new UCA bump stops as mine look like squashed grapes. I was able to remove the old bumpers, but jacking up from the control arms, they don't lift up enough to install the new ones.

I've been doing some reading and found a lot of horror stories discussing installation issues with upper ball joints...control arms stripping out, new ones not threading in, needing to be welded in, etc. I want to keep my original UCA's if possible, as it seems the repops all have fitment issues.

What are your recommendations for safely replacing the upper ball joints? Any part numbers to suggest? I would prefer greaseable ones. I am pretty sure my Charger had the UCA BJ's replaced at least once before, many decades ago. They might actually still be okay, but how best to check the condition? Thanks guys.

 

[Don Frelier]

First off they might be fine. (maybe just install new dust boots)
The uppers don't do alot of work they just hold the wheel straight.
As far as the bumpers if you're removing the uppers you can install them while they are off the car.
But you'll need to unload the torsion bars by backing off the ride height adjustment underneath right in the center of the lower control arm.
How are the lower control arm bushings? These are the common failure and the toughest to replace.

 

[Coelacanth]

The lowers look good. Just check for play? The uppers don't look bad either, I definitely scraped out a lot of old grease, which is a better sign than if they looked dry and crusty. The boots don't look great. One could hope they're still in decent condition but my experience this summer has been to expect the unexpected and I've had to replace more parts than I expected to. I'm sure we've all been there...

 

[Don Frelier]

If you pop the lower control arm off I would suggest going further and remove the lower control arm.
Then you can take a good look at the bushing and the centering of the shaft in there.
Check everything especially the strut rod bushings as they are pretty easy to replace and can certainly affect the handling characteristics.

 

[PurpleBeeper]

My old school way of testing front suspension. Jack the car up.
1. Grab tire and wiggle hard left/right. That tests tie rod ends for play
2. Grab top of tire and wiggle hard in/out. That test for upper ball joint play
3. Get a 3ft-4ft bar. Place bar under tire with end about 4 inches behind rubber. Use bar as a lever and lift up on tire. This tests for lower ball joint play

 

[Coelacanth]

Thanks PB, I knew about the first two but it's great to know that third test.

 

[RemCharger]

Best to do those tests while the lower control arm is being supported. Ie jacked up.

 

[Kern Dog]

With the upper ball joints, I don't know that I've ever had one get loose and wobbly. I've had them get stiff and hard to swivel. They may have not been worn out but it felt to me like the lube had hardened up and dried out. I may have been okay just replacing the grease boots and shooting new lube in but for most of my life, I've paid for alignments and wanted to be sure that any and all parts that were bad were replaced before spending the money and arranging the time to go to the alignment shop. Now that I'm doing my own alignments, that may change.
I made the mistake of trying to remove the ball joints with the UCAs in a vice. This was stupid because the act of UNscrewing them requires a lot of leverage. It is best to leave them IN the car and let the mass of the car body hold the UCAs in place while you use a long cheater bar on a 1/2" drive ratchet. Then you can remove the UCA to replace the bushings.

 

[WileERobby]

Unless you're SURE the UCA ball joints are bad, leave 'em. The load on these suspensions is on the LCA. The UCA is just a follower. For cosmetic purposes you can clean/paint the UCA, replace the boot & lube. Be more concerned with the LCA bushing.

 

[Coelacanth]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

 

[Coelacanth]

This weekend if it's not too cold in the garage, I'll remove my UCA's and replace the bushings with the offset Moog bushings. Let me know if I have the basic removal procedure correct:

-Car already jacked up with stands under the frame, suspension hanging
-Loosen torsion bar to make upper ball joint separation easier
-Support lower control arm with jack just at the point when it starts to hang
-Pop off upper ball joint
-Unscrew both ends of the UCA and remove UCA

If I'm missing anything important, let me know. Thanks.