Just installed new QA1 upper control arms

[440beep]

Just spent today installing new QA1 upper control arms after my driver side upper bolt joint blew out on Sunday and left me stranded. Went pretty easy. The broken side of course was the tough side as this procedure was new to me. Getting the new arms in was a PIA and they just wouldn't go in. I had to get a 2x4 piece of wood and stick it where the control arms mount and had to pry the mounting plates open further to get the new arms in. Also got new eccentric cam bolts for the arms, Proforged Cam Bolts for a '69 Coronet.

Went to put the cam bolts in, and WTF?!?!, cam bolts would not go in the arms. Messed around and messed around to no avail. Tested the OEM bolts on the arms and they fit! Got the calipers out, and the Proforged bolts too big (couple thousands) compared to the OEM bolts. Off to the machine shop I went for some machining. The machine shop manager started measuring them and he started laughing, he's like "they're not even round! But don't you worry, I'll hook you up and get these bolts useable." Little over an hour later and the 4 bolts were now useable in the new arms. The machine shop work cost me almost as much as the cam bolts!

Back home I went and everything went together pretty smoothly. The Mancini Racing front suspension tools helped get the upper ball joints out. First arm probably took me roughly 4 hours to do, the second arm done in 2 hours. Boy the stock arms were a mess, the rubber bushings were all busted up and in pieces. Car drives SO MUCH BETTER with the new upper arms. Off for an alignment tomorrow to double check my camber and caster settings.

So if deciding to use aftermarket cam bolts like I did, double check the measurement of them compared to the OEM bolts incase machining is needed.

The busted upper arm where the ball joint popped out.


New QA1 arm installed

 

[5.7 hemi]

Damn! You went thru a lot of hassle, but why not just use the factory bolts?

 

[kiwigtx]

Nice work and thanks for the write-up and pics. Well done on the heads-up for others to benefit from.

 

[440beep]

Because I'm ****, and I figured new arms deserve new bolts.

Damn! You went thru a lot of hassle, but why not just use the factory bolts?

- - - Updated - - -

Just be sure to double check the size of new bolts if its decided to use new bolts. At the machine shop/speed shop, they had new cam bolts and I had my calipers with me to be safe, and the those bolts measured the same as the OEM ones. So there are aftermarket bolts out there that are the OEM size. I think the size is 0.593, and my new bolts that needed machining were like 0.598.

Nice work and thanks for the write-up and pics. Well done on the heads-up for others to benefit from.

 

[daredevil]

looks good

 

[benno440]

sweet man, looks good

 

[kb67mopar]

I just rebuild my A arms and installed them. If you slide the side toward the back of the car in just above where it sits then use a rubber mallet on either side of the ball joint end everything slides in ok. But with new bushings you can't just slide them in, you have to put some meat behind it.

I agree, I re-used my old bolts since they looked great, just sand blasted and painted them first.