ready to go on the car? I am price?
Pete ***RIP John Lingenfelter***
2002 Flame Yellow Sunfire GT B+M shifted 5 Spd
Just looking for mods and prey
I was thinking just as they come off the donor car. I still haven't gotten a chance to look for a welder to fill the old holes. I dunno how much thats gonna run.
So would you guys want it with the old bushings left on? Removed? Pro-thane installed? Would you want to get it welded and re-drilled or would you prefer that was already done? I am still not really offering just curious how much work this would be. I am currently trying to polish mine up nicely. That's a LOT of work so I wouldn't offer that. Unless I found a shop that would do it for a reasonable price.
Just a feeler
Ethan wrote:So would you guys want it with the old bushings left on? Removed? Pro-thane installed? Would you want to get it welded and re-drilled or would you prefer that was already done? I am still not really offering just curious how much work this would be. I am currently trying to polish mine up nicely. That's a LOT of work so I wouldn't offer that. Unless I found a shop that would do it for a reasonable price.
Just a feeler
cleaned up nice, maybe wire wheel brushed
with the prothanes and ball joints ready to go! I know I would pay for the service, saves time...
Pete ***RIP John Lingenfelter***
2002 Flame Yellow Sunfire GT B+M shifted 5 Spd
Just looking for mods and prey
i would buy arms welded in and drilled, i would prefer no balls joints or bushings. But I woudl DEFINETLY buy them.
Hrm. It seems there is definitely some interest, but a few different requests. I'll have to get off my butt and start doing some research. If I could get some people interested I bet I could get a discount on the work I want to have done on mine so win-win.
At a minimum everyone would want
the old bushings removed
holes welded and re-drilled and the end cut to match
wire brushed
So 3 people interested so far?
I think the first two are the most critical. someone can grab their own wire brush if they want
I'm interested as well.
I am interested!
much easier to wire wheel them when not assembled
Pete ***RIP John Lingenfelter***
2002 Flame Yellow Sunfire GT B+M shifted 5 Spd
Just looking for mods and prey
I have a wire wheel at work, I can nstall poly bushings and ball joints at work, and I get discounts on parts through work... its not worth me paying extra to have more done when I can get the parts cheaper and the labor free. Hell I don't even car if the old bushings are still in. Me personally, I just want welded and redrilled, anytign beyond that doesn't interest me but its only gonna come a certain way I still want in on this. Why not make a seperate thread for a GP interest? You would get ALOT more people viewing it then asking in here.
Ok then, Once I see what services are available here I will start a new thread. It seems like just from the response here it'd be something worth doing.
I'm up for a completely stock set right off the car.....
SPD RCR Z -
'02 Z24 420whp
SLO GOAT -
'04 GTO 305whp
W41 BOI -
'78 Buick Opel Isuzu W41 Swap
If you buy the arms completely stock and remove the ball joints, most shops will weld in the holes for about 15-20 bucks apiece.
That would cost you about 30-60 bucks for the set to have welded. That's what it cost me, 30 bucks to have both welded.
The arms cost me 33 bucks from the junkyard and I pulled the part.
Once that's done, the rest of the work is easy.
A grinder, drill, some measuring, and you're done.
Good luck with it Ethan.
Misnblu.com
Newbie member since 1999
Thank you Dave and JBO!
Can someone condense all this information. That way everyone doesn't need to read 100's of posts.
That would be awesome not just for me.
^ what he said.... any write up yet?
^been done...look on page 6 of this thread. Reading 100's of post is never a bad idea and can keep you from costly mistakes.
Misnblu wrote:Last update on these control arms.
The bushings have been in and decided to get busy and finish the project.
I'll be installing the aluminum control arms in mid January along with the rest of the suspension goodies.
First, the Prothane bushings have a two piece bushing for the longer tube on the control arm. This makes it easy to install these and there's not much to show you there. It should be pretty explanatory.
Second, if you get the RKSport bushings or Energy Suspension bushings, I'd recommend not to.
They have one piece bushings for both the small tubular hole and for the flat hole. The flat is no problem to install but the long tubular hole with the one piece bushing is a real bitch.
I've given up for now on doing it because of the time consumption and will finish it later on the stock control arms I'm also doing.
Believe me, the Prothanes are the much better made units and easiest to install.
Get out your vice, an L bracket or anything that will help hold the bushing in place while you press these on.
Remember to grease the inside of the hole, the outside of the bushing and the ramp part to help it slide onto the arm.
Here you see the L bracket holding the bushing while I press the bushing onto the arm.
Remember to have the radiused part to the top of the control arm and not reversed. The instructions will help you with how to make sure.
Now as you press the bushing onto the arm, this is going to happen. I tried it several times to see if the bushing would stay straight and it didn't.
Now it's time to break out a set of channel locks once you've gotten this far and don't lose hope right about here. It's quite easy to finish.
Here you see me using the vice grip to literally help squeeze the bushing into the arm. With the pressure of the vice and you squeezing with the channel locks, should come together nicely. You may have to do this in a couple of places that are trying to be stubborn but it's quite easy to do.
Here's the bushing almost completely on and with the help of the channel locks on the top of that spot that isn't in, basically popped in with little struggle.
There you can see the bushing finally seated.
Again, it really took no strenuous effort to do this with a little manipulation of the channel locks.
The finished product and was actually the easiest to do in this whole project.
Now it's time to install this onto the car and will make my final report on how it handles.
Misnblu
I saw a little conflicting info in this thread. One says that the J-Body bushings fit just fine in the Alero aluminum arms, another one said something to the effect of need to get the Alero bushings before install. You DID use the J-body Prothane bushings, with no fitment issues yes? Also, did you use Alero balljoints, or j-body? Thanks.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edited Sunday, August 12, 2007 10:50 PM
id be willing to pay for the above said.....name the price
Thanks 'lilcav, one more thing, aftermarket balljoints come with grease fittings correct? Do the balljoints stick far enough out from the end of the ca for the fitting to poke out? Assuming they do since the arms have that little curved cut in the toward the center bolt hole, just making sure though.
I'm stickin with stock brakes for now. Junkyards here suck, and I doubt I could source all the parts for the NFW brake upgrade. I'll probably end up doing the SSBC 12" upgrade.
what do u got to do to the end of the control arm where the balljoint bolts to
i wanna swap my stamped steel one for the aluminum ones hope some one can help ty