Never as easy as it should be.. Front suspension

[Bain64]

No help needed (yet), I just wanted to share. I've been getting a little clankity clank going on in the front, and I knew the driver's lower ball joint was well past it's prime so I decided to change it out. I found the upper control arm ball joint was looser than this gal I knew a lifetime ago, the strut is rusted through, and two of the brake dust-shield bolts snapped off inside the knuckle... I'm waiting on the 2nd vehicle to come back home so I can go get an extractor kit and get it put back together.

Anyways, at least I've got some great help!

 

[justKen]

Two (2) jacks - one with a 4x4 between it's saddle and the truck - and your child lying beside the truck.

Please tell me the jack stands are present, but not visible in these photos...

/K

 

[1955moose]

Good looking boy! Good to get him interested in cars/trucks early on. I had to learn on my own unfortunately, would have been great working on the 53 Pontiac wagon, or my Dad's 57 Dodge pickup.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

 

[Bain64]

Two (2) jacks - one with a 4x4 between it's saddle and the truck - and your child lying beside the truck.

Please tell me the jack stands are present, but not visible in these photos...

/K

Good looking out!
Yes, 2 jack stands in place and supporting the load, plus the main jack and then the small one with the 4x4 I used to position the control arm up enough to get the ball joint press on.

Edit: And i should note at no point was the boy under the truck, even with jackstands in place.

 

[Bain64]

Good looking boy! Good to get him interested in cars/trucks early on. I had to learn on my own unfortunately, would have been great working on the 53 Pontiac wagon, or my Dad's 57 Dodge pickup.

Sent from my N9131 using Tapatalk

Thanks Moose. It’s in this little guys blood! If I’m working on something he wants to be right there with a wrench in his hand too. If we see construction equipment or anything of the sort he’s asking questions.

 

[justKen]

Good looking out!
Yes, 2 jack stands in place and supporting the load, plus the main jack and then the small one with the 4x4 I used to position the control arm up enough to get the ball joint press on.

Right on / I know how easy it is to get sidetracked into a project that "will only take a minute" - then these projects tend to grown exponentially and the most basic of safety measures have gotten overlooked.

Kudos for teaching your son working on your own vehicle can be both enjoyable, as well as rewarding in a completed job!

/K

 

[Bain64]

Well the rabbit hole gets deeper... Notice anything missing?

Left side:


Right side:


Probable source for some of the clank noises, notice the fresh scraping:


Disc brake kit on order from Advance Auto, will arrive in the morning...
https://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/wearever-disc-brake-axle-kit-h5756q/10201916-P

 

[Bain64]

Well, she's back on the road. Ended up with a new caliper too




How long do you think this strut will hold up?

 

[Hamfisted]

That strut is trashed .... the anti-rattle spring on the caliper is installed incorrectly. If they were both like that it creates interference between the rim and caliper, and the spring being the weak link will get knocked off by the rim. You must've been hearing that noise for a while ? Are you the original owner ? You can freeze frame this video to get a look at how the anti-rattle springs are supposed to be installed. Also, stick-on wheel balancing weights generally don't work well with Expy rims. There's very little clearance between the brake caliper and the rim. I would recommend using the standard smash-on weights, not the stick-on type.

 

[Trainmaster]

AS long as you're ordering Chinese "Wearever" parts from Advance Auto, you'll be redoing this work every six months.