total front end rebuild

[tpodwdog]

hello once again fellow MOPAR guru's. Once the weather breaks here in Pittsburgh, i will undertake the task of totally rebuilding the front end of my purple beauty (1970 road runner ). ALL bushings , tie rod ends, ball joints, and whatever will be replaced. My question to you guys is this.

1. is there any particular order i should do this?
2. how difficult is this going to be?
3. yes...i have all the specialty tools (upper ball joint tool, and torsion bar removing tool, ball joint separator)

I am very mechanically inclined, but i have never done this before. What should i watch out for and what is going to give me the most grief ? My reason for doing this is,,,i have an EXTREEEEEMELY annoying rattle in the front end (and i cant find it ). i plan on keeping this car 'til im dead and will only have to do this once.

anxiously awaiting for your "insight" and thanx in advance!:VB toast:

 

[Budnicks]

1st thing is get a Plymouth Factory Service Manual for you specific year, follow it's instructions, it's no real big deal, if you already have the tools... Note/mark were the U-C-Arms eccentric on the alignment bolts are, mark your torsion bars position & sides, mark/note & measure your tie rod over all length, after you get the torsion bars out & bushing cups pressed out & new bushing pressed back in, use a liberal amount of grease on the install of the torsion bars & seals.... I would also suggest you get a master kit, poly or rubber, so you have all the proper parts at 1 time & cheaper in the long run, ball joints, seals, bushings, bearings, tie rod ends, sway bar bushings etc., you should probably do a wheel bearing swap & brake job also while you got it apart, put some good brake hoses on it... Take it to a alignment shop after your done...

 

[PoppaSmurf]

You May have a bit of a problem with the Lower control arm bushings...other than that it's pretty straight ahead... I just did mine last year...complete rebuild, if it moved , wiggled or looked weird it got replaced...also if your going to do something with the ride height...NOWS the time to do it...B4 you align it..!!!!!!

 

[eagleone1983]

If you're using stock strut rods and you are planning on using poly bushing you may have a problem getting the caster right without adjustable rods. Also speaking about the strut rods don't forget the washers that go on the rods. It sucks to forget them after getting the whole front end back on, only to have to tear it apart again

 

[tpodwdog]

ok guys.....appreciate the insight...and i DO have a service manual on CD. as soon as it gets warm i will tackle this job and let ya know how it went. thanx a million everyone!

PS i do have all of the parts except the torsion bar boots...theyre all in the trunk waiting for me.

thanx again!

 

[tpodwdog]

If you're using stock strut rods and you are planning on using poly bushing you may have a problem getting the caster right without adjustable rods. Also speaking about the strut rods don't forget the washers that go on the rods. It sucks to forget them after getting the whole front end back on, only to have to tear it apart again

when you say " strut rods"....do you mean the thicker rod that comes from the lower control arm to the frame in the front at an angle ??? ....or the sway bar strut rods with all the little rubber bushings?...i have heard both of these things being called "strut rods"

 

[RunnerJoe]

Yes....you are correct on the "strut rod". I just went through the same rebuild you are doing on my 72 SSP and it was a straight forward job. I agree with all advice above. The only thing I would add is to remove the threaded upper ball joints while the control arm is still in the car. They can be a real bear. Also....use anti seize during assembly in case you ever have to do some future work down the road. Here are a few things you may want to consider while doing this job if you have the funds. Some may effect originality if you want stock appearance.
Tubular upper control arms for more caster. You could also use moog offset bushings.
Box in lower control arms (mancini has kit)
Larger diameter HD torsion bars.
Now is the time to swap in disc brakes if you don't already have.
Add anti sway bars if you don't already have or increase to larger diameter.
Larger diameter tie rod sleeve (solid).
POLY bushings.
Frame connectors.

I did all of these to my car and it handles amazing but any of the above will help that Mope stay on the road. Take your time and good luck!!!!

Joe

 

[Propwash]

All great advice on here!

Couple things I can tell you from past experience's..
I've spent hours trying to get out upper control arm bushings and a ton of time trying to remove the lower control arm bushings...Heat, hammer, specialty tools, penetrating oil..so on and so forth. I would save yourself some swearing, busted knuckles and wasted time and drop off your LCA's and UCA's to an alignment/machine shop to swap out..IMO

Pittman arms can be a pain to get off from time to time. Last one I did on the roadrunner turned my two arm pittman arm puller into a paperweight. Get a Decent puller and a few good smacks at and on the top of the arm usually helps it come along.

Upper ball joints can be a bear. Soak'em for a few days in decent penetrating oil, Like Zep45. Whistle the liquid wrench in the garbage can, pretty much that's all it's good for. Heat always helps motivate them to come out. You'll need the specialty square socket...Mine says 1 59/64" on it. Be aware half the time they do not want to come out at all and you may end up striping the very shallow threads in the UCA's.
I would recommend removing them after the UCA's are out of the car and in a vise, especially if it comes down to using a cheater bar. It's been a while but I breifly remember someone on here "customizing" their fender wheel opening on a 69' Charger, due to the cheater bar/socket slipping.

Be careful with the poly bushings. There's been plenty of horror stories on here as well as all around the internet with them. From creating slop in the LCA's to annoying squeaking anytime the car is rolling. In fact, several of the big suspension MFG's have dropped the poly line with LCA's and UCA's due to the problems they can create...Do your research. Myself, a good set of MOOG rubber is the way to go.

On to the strut rods...those can be a treat. Problem is that the nut in the front of them (K-Frame side) can get to be pretty rusted/corroded up. You go to take the nut off, it doesn't turn or crossthreads and the stut rod just sits and spins. Real easy to mangle the rod trying to clamp it solid while trying spin off the nut. Soak'em good a few days beforehand and use heat and some love taps from the BFHammer if need be.

The torsion bars I would remove once the UCA and LCA are diconnected from the ball joints/tie rod ends...I would anticipate your boots, clips being shot.

Last note.....Buy decent parts! Those $220 dollar "kits" tend to be low end parts. My opinion and what i've done in the past, piece together good quality MOOG parts.

Best of luck on your project. I'm sure you'll be pleasantly suprised how much better the car rides and handles once you're done.

 

[Pistol Pete]

All good advice here. My contribution is this:

When you replace the torsion bars, don't get too crazy with the grease on the lower control arm end. If too much gets packed in there you won't be able to seat the bar.

The UCA cam bolts can be a riot as well. :angryfire:

 

[Budnicks]

"Propwash has a great point" if your going to poly bushings especially the lower control arm you should get a pin that is made to use the poly bushing on the lower control arm Mancini Racing sells them... Pm me with contact with your E-Mail & contact information , If your interested I have a bunch of new poly bushings, LC arm poly pin, O/S strut rods, torsion bar seals & suspension parts for a 66-70 B-Body, I went to tubular stuff on 2 cars & have new stuff that I can't return & will sell reasonably cheap...

 

[tpodwdog]

ok,,,,,first off.....PROP,,,,youre a riot !..im laffin my *** off here reading your post...funny stuff...i like BFHammer the best. i agree with taking the arms to have bushings r&r'd. pitman arm was replaced along with power steering box from previous owner. i have bought ALL NEW MOOG BUSHINGS AND FRONT END PARTS. i dont like the poly for 2 reasons......1...you feel every small bump and crack in the road....2....they squeak and extraneous noises drive me up a wall....so i bought all rubber. I will anticipate this job and hose it down with RAT PISS a week prior. great stuff that rat piss. thanx guys,,,im all ears here listening !thanx

 

[moparmarks]

I can't count how many Mopar front ends I've rebuilt over the years. Lots of good advice has been said.
I loosen the T-bars and then the upper ball joints then rip it all apart. For the LCA bushing use a press. Stay away from the 220.00 kits if you plan on keeping and driving the car. Moog has worked well for me for 35 years. Now is the time for upgrades. I have no problems with the poly stuff except for LCA bushings. Stresses the metal to much there. Lots of lube keeps the poly quiet.