Questions on Suspension Rebuild

[High School 69 Charger]

Updated:  Renamed Subject as I have been asking questions about my whole suspension rebuild.

After reviewing all the advice in the forums on a suspension rebuild I finally took the plunge and started a full suspension rebuild on my 69 Charger.  Looking to do everything fairly stock and am using Moog Parts.  
Day 1: making progress but first sticking point is the cam bolt on the Upper control arm.  1 bolt is completely lose and out but the second I have the nut off and I can spin the cam end but.... it is frozen to the bushing sleeve.  So it just spins and won't push through.  After looking at it, unless it pops free after a little more PB Blaster then I am up to cutting it out???   It appears I would have to cut off the shaft at both ends of the bushing.  A tight and careful cut but really don't see any other options.

So anyone have any other ideas.

After the cam bolt, I still have the Upper Ball joint (I was able to break free from Knuckle but not the upper control arm).  And lastly, popping out the torsion bar.

And then its off to the drivers side.

[Dino]

Give it a few whacks first, you may not need to go nuts with the cutting. Cut one end of the cam bolt off and put a punch and a big hammer against it. More time for PB Blaster to do its magic is usually a good idea as well.

I'm just about to order some steering and suspension parts and I'll be using the Moog upper control arm offset bushings, but everything else will be Proforged. Moog is not what it used to be unfortunately and Proforged is getting very nice reviews. Good prices too! Turns out that the beefier C body tie rod ends are cheaper than the stock size for our cars, and they have the solid tie rod sleeves as well. Bonus!

[hemi71x]

Flame wrench.   

[High School 69 Charger]

@Dino:  Bummer on the Moog parts as I have a very large box of Moog from Summit Racing.   Hopefully, it hasn't fallen too far off the mark as I am already vested.  On the Cam bolt, have the nut off and have it spinning so will give the Blaster more time to work and keep on hammering.  And then just give up and start cutting.
@hemi71x:  No Flame wrench in my garage so old fashioned cuttoff wheel or sawzall.....

[Dino]

They still seem to last several thousand miles, just not as much as they used to. So if you have a seasonal cruiser then the parts may last a good long time.

[hemi71x]

http://www.forabodiesonly.com/mopar/threads/upper-control-arm-adjuster-mounting-bolts-washers.378614/

I don't know what state your from, your profile doesn't say, but i don't know how some of you guys ever try and take things off 40+ year old cars, without the help of a torch.
Beg, borrow, rent one, from somebody, when a problem child removal rears it's ugly head, upon dis-assembly.
Lucky me, i live out west and am spoiled with California, Nevada, Arizona cars.

Sounds like your gonna be needing some UCA bolts.

[70 sublime]

You should try to get the upper ball joint out of the upper control arm while it is still bolted to the car to have something to pry against
They need a special big socket and they just twist out

[John_Kunkel]

Air hammer with an angled flush set.

[High School 69 Charger]

@Dino:  That makes me feel better.   Just a for fun cruiser so not very many miles.  I would really expect it Not to wear out in my time with it.  Now my kids want to inherit it but that will be their problem.
@hemi71x:   Believe it or not I lived in Minnesota before but then again the car was always garaged and never out in the salt.   So this is pure age and problems from it's first 15-20yrs of life (Nebraska and outside).   I will still have to consider the investment.  BTW, I am in Kansas City now and member of HPAC (High Performance Auto Club).  Also, I've got the new Cam Bolts and bushings in hand so ready for that.  Although might order up the offset bushings Dino mentioned as I seem them called out in many of the "alignment" posts to maximize Caster and keep the Camber negative (instead of positive for Bias Ply tires).
@70sublime:  I have the socket, a breaker bar, and a 3 foot cheater pipe.   No luck so far.   More PB blaster, maybe longer cheater?, and Heat???
@John Kunkel:  Funny, I was thinking of my air hammer and needing just a hammer head attachment instead of the standard chisel attachments.   Time to head to Menards.

[High School 69 Charger]

While I still face the cam bolt the great news is the 6 ft fence post pipe my neighbor loaned me became the magic ticket for the ball joint. He stopped by and said he has used it on his suspension work so I thought I would give it a try.  5min later the ball joint was off the car.   
PROGRESS.  Now on to the cam bolt in the Upper Control Arm but once again my day job gets in the way and I have to head out of town.  Back to the Charger later in the week.

[High School 69 Charger]

New point bit on the air hammer worked great to push out the cam bolt.   No cutting needed!!
Made Torsion bar removal tool with U bolts and Metal L channel.   Success on that removal.
Finished last parts on first side on and moved on to second side.  Everything came out.   Much faster with experience from the first side.

Question 1:  I did not pull the center steering link yet.  I have a replacement idler but not a replacement Pittman arm.   So I want to make sure I don't damage the pittman arm.   Instead of the fork should I use an actual remover tool (like a pulley puller).   Local auto store has one for free rental so was thinking this would be the best way.  Just confirming as I don't want to damage the steering arm.

Question 2: (mostly @dino) Should I get the offset bushings for the Upper control arm.   I have read through the postings on alignment.  It looks like without it you are just maxing the Castor and then adjusting Camber to negative .5 to 1 (depending on thread you read).  Does adding the offset bushings give you more control so they are not maxed.  Any downside to using the offsets.

Thanks to all for the continued advice.

[bakerhillpins]

The UCA bolts have a lock washer on them too so that might be making it a bit harder.  Can you get a breaker bar or big impact on the bolt? You should also note the orientation on the nuts if you plan to attempt to run it again without going through a full alignment.

FWIW I just finished rebuilding my front suspension on my 69 last weekend.    

NOTE: If you don't have the Mopar specific upper ball joint socket you should get it because getting the old out and new in (requires 125 ft-lb torque) comes with a lot less swearing. For a variety of reasons I ended buying a replacement set of UCAs from Pirate Jack. The crappy Chinese ball joints that came on it can't be replaced with the Moog parts. The Moogs have a .010 bigger diameter.  I've kept my old ones and plan to rebuild them with the Moog parts (assuming they can support the required ball joint torque).

[bakerhillpins]

Give it a few whacks first, you may not need to go nuts with the cutting. Cut one end of the cam bolt off and put a punch and a big hammer against it. More time for PB Blaster to do its magic is usually a good idea as well.

I'm just about to order some steering and suspension parts and I'll be using the Moog upper control arm offset bushings, but everything else will be Proforged. Moog is not what it used to be unfortunately and Proforged is getting very nice reviews. Good prices too! Turns out that the beefier C body tie rod ends are cheaper than the stock size for our cars, and they have the solid tie rod sleeves as well. Bonus!

I just put an entire box of Moog parts (still say made in USA on box) on my car. Seemed like good quality to me. Guess I'll find out.

[Dino]

Give it a few whacks first, you may not need to go nuts with the cutting. Cut one end of the cam bolt off and put a punch and a big hammer against it. More time for PB Blaster to do its magic is usually a good idea as well.

I'm just about to order some steering and suspension parts and I'll be using the Moog upper control arm offset bushings, but everything else will be Proforged. Moog is not what it used to be unfortunately and Proforged is getting very nice reviews. Good prices too! Turns out that the beefier C body tie rod ends are cheaper than the stock size for our cars, and they have the solid tie rod sleeves as well. Bonus!

I just put an entire box of Moog parts (still say made in USA on box) on my car. Seemed like good quality to me. Guess I'll find out.

I wonder if you got old stock? Aka the good stuff! I have a few Moog parts on mine but after hearing about how quality has been slipping I figured I might as well try out another brand. The beefy Moog sway bar links are real nice though! I love that they have a long bolt that goes in from the bottom and a long nut on top. It makes install a breeze.

[bakerhillpins]

I wonder if you got old stock? Aka the good stuff! I have a few Moog parts on mine but after hearing about how quality has been slipping I figured I might as well try out another brand. The beefy Moog sway bar links are real nice though! I love that they have a long bolt that goes in from the bottom and a long nut on top. It makes install a breeze.

Not sure how... all ordered from Rockauto over the past month and a half.  Would have thought they have stuff that's falling fresh out of the factory, where ever it is. 

Yours looks a lot more pretty than mine... but I stuck with stock.

[High School 69 Charger]

Good news!  Everything's off the car.  As mentioned earlier I did get the nuts and washers off the cam bolts but the bolts were stuck in the bushing sleeves.  But after a few days of a PB Blaster and my air hammer I got it out. 
O Reilly has a Ball Joint press tool that actually worked great on removing the UCA bushings.
Yes I did buy the ball joint tool and it took a lot more force than 125lbs to get them off.  But they are both off thanks to a very larger breaker bar.
I did end up pulling the center link, idler arm, and pitman arm.  All came off fine.
Now cleaning up all the parts, to be ready for a clean install.  Got the Harbor Freight Parts washer and Sand Blast cabinet so things are really shaping up
Am planning to use the offset bushings for more adjustment for future alignment.
Am taking the LCA to a local shop to change out the bushings.  I don't have a press to even attempt it.
So back to cleaning parts.
Drop a note with any assembly advice.

[Lennard]

I would add the l.c.a. braces.

[High School 69 Charger]

Not sure what you are advising.  If you mean did I remove the Lower Control Arms the answer is yes.  I already have them off and am going to drop them off at my local shop to change out the bushings.   
If there is more "braces" please explain.  I've tried to do my research but may be missing something. Sure do appreciate any help.
here are a couple pics of my progress.  The greasy muddy ones and some freshly cleaned.

[Lennard]

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Nwes-SP8u4w

[bakerhillpins]

Yes I did buy the ball joint tool and it took a lot more force than 125lbs to get them off.  But they are both off thanks to a very larger breaker bar.

Note, per FSM - If you can't seat the new upper ball joint at 125ft lbs then the UCA is junk and will need to be replaced.

WARNING - if you order a pre-populated UCA from, lets sayyyy, Pirate Jack. The UCA comes with a sh*t (IMHO) upper ball joint. But you can't replace it with your Moog one because it's .010 smaller than the Moog OEM fitment part.    I found this out with not enough time left to deal with the problem and just put the UCAs on. I'll attempt to rebuild my old UCAs later.  

Am taking the LCA to a local shop to change out the bushings.  I don't have a press to even attempt it.

You can use the same press to start to remove the LCA bushings. It's a 3 step process.

• You press out the shaft and the center bushing. Typically the center bushing sticks to the shaft and you have to cut it off very carefully with a cutoff wheel. I had one shaft basically fall out.
• Remove the center rubber. DON'T combine this with the next step!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remove the rubber first.
• Using an air chisel and a cutting bit carefully cut out the outer bushing (it can't be pressed out). The outer bushing is made of a softer material. You need to use a normal chisel to cut the outer lip off first. Then carefully use the cutting bit to cut down the side of the outer bushing and peel it out. It takes a bit of time for the first one but the 2nd goes much smoother/faster.

I honed out the hole to remove any scratches/oh-shits I made and smoothed out the face too. This allowed the bushing to be smoothly pushed back in.

[High School 69 Charger]

@leonard:  Thanks for video link.  Saw the extra bracing on the bottom you are referring to.  Also saw the inspection of the "slop" at the end.  Fortunately mine is fairly snug.  No real slop.

[Lennard]

@leonard:  Thanks for video link.  Saw the extra bracing on the bottom you are referring to.  Also saw the inspection of the "slop" at the end.  Fortunately mine is fairly snug.  No real slop.

If you want to buy the braces, forum member Chris (cbrestorations) has them for sale.

[High School 69 Charger]

Progress Report:  Hard to know just how much cleaning to do in a restoration.  I certainly wanted to capitalize on the great access to the wheel well and K member so I gave myself one weekend.   Here are the pics on what I accomplished before continuing with the suspension rebuild.  So here was my process:
Degreaser and lots of elbow grease and a brush.  Actually found body color under all that dirt.  Also some interesting views into the undercoating overlay (and some previous front end repairs).
Then prep with a water wash followed by a solvent wipe to prep for painting.  And of course some masking paper and tape.
Rustoleum self etching primer for the K member that was cleaned down to bare metal
Rustoleum rust reformer primer for the wheel well.  There was rust around the Upper Control Arm bracket.
Rustoleum Engine Semi Gloss Black on the K member and Body Color on the wheel well.  Note I only painted the area primarily inside the undercoating (and down to the frame rail (kind of a bell shape). 

[High School 69 Charger]

Took advice from Bakerhillpins and gave the LCA bushings a try.  They are successfully removed and have one pressed in already.  I used the O Reilly's Ball Joint Press which is a giant C with adapters and large screw shaft.   I had called my local shop and realized they were just going to beat out the bushing and probably be in a hurry.  Figured I could take my time and be do as good of job.   Definitely took some sweat equity but I got them out.  As suggested I cleaned off the burs and then pressed in a new one.  Since everyone says you need a very big press I was surprised I could just push it in with the same tool.  I'm sure I could have saved some effort using my air gun but I felt more comfortable using a breaker bar and socket.  I felt I could go slow and make sure it was going in smoothly with it getting more pressure as I put it in.  1st one went just as expected.  About the point I hit bottom (lip seated) was about the point I was putting a fair torque on the breaker bar.   Thanks to the advice and encouragement I gave it a shot and saved a bit of money.  Getting closer to assembly time.

[Dino]

You're making good progress there. 

I'll get cracking on mine this Saturday.   

[green69rt]

If you install the offset bushings in the UCAs you might want to look at my problem.  Look about a quarter of the way down on page two of the following thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,114959.new.html#new

[Dino]

If you install the offset bushings in the UCAs you might want to look at my problem.  Look about a quarter of the way down on page two of the following thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,114959.new.html#new

I installed my UCAs with offset bushings last weekend. I had a hell of a time getting the passenger side in because the UCA got spread a bit. It's snug in there but I can move it up and down so should be good. I did not have any issues moving the rear cam bolt all the way in but I'm going to double check tonight to make sure it's not hitting the frame like it did on yours.

I have to say that with these offset bushings in place the upper ball joint seems to have moved toward the rear of the car by quite a bit!

To narrow the UCA I wanted to stick a long threaded rod through both bushings so I could put some nuts and washers on there to make a vise, but the bushings are off so much that a straight rod simply does not fit. Good thing I had a small torque strap that did the job.

[green69rt]

If you install the offset bushings in the UCAs you might want to look at my problem.  Look about a quarter of the way down on page two of the following thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,114959.new.html#new

I installed my UCAs with offset bushings last weekend. I had a hell of a time getting the passenger side in because the UCA got spread a bit. It's snug in there but I can move it up and down so should be good. I did not have any issues moving the rear cam bolt all the way in but I'm going to double check tonight to make sure it's not hitting the frame like it did on yours.

I have to say that with these offset bushings in place the upper ball joint seems to have moved toward the rear of the car by quite a bit!

To narrow the UCA I wanted to stick a long threaded rod through both bushings so I could put some nuts and washers on there to make a vise, but the bushings are off so much that a straight rod simply does not fit. Good thing I had a small torque strap that did the job.

On the REAR cam bolt only, when you have the UCA in place, make sure you can move the cam bolt over its total adjustment range.  Then with the cam bolt turned so the UCA is moved all the way towards the engine, move the UCA up and down to make sure it moves freely.  

And yes, with the bushings installed and adjusted to its max point, the UCA ball joint moved so far to the rear that the UCA was just barely on the upper bumper.

[Dino]

If you install the offset bushings in the UCAs you might want to look at my problem.  Look about a quarter of the way down on page two of the following thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,114959.new.html#new

I installed my UCAs with offset bushings last weekend. I had a hell of a time getting the passenger side in because the UCA got spread a bit. It's snug in there but I can move it up and down so should be good. I did not have any issues moving the rear cam bolt all the way in but I'm going to double check tonight to make sure it's not hitting the frame like it did on yours.

I have to say that with these offset bushings in place the upper ball joint seems to have moved toward the rear of the car by quite a bit!

To narrow the UCA I wanted to stick a long threaded rod through both bushings so I could put some nuts and washers on there to make a vise, but the bushings are off so much that a straight rod simply does not fit. Good thing I had a small torque strap that did the job.

On the REAR cam bolt only, when you have the UCA in place, make sure you can move the cam bolt over its total adjustment range.  Then with the cam bolt turned so the UCA is moved all the way towards the engine, move the UCA up and down to make sure it moves freely.  

And yes, with the bushings installed and adjusted to its max point, the UCA ball joint moved so far to the rear that the UCA was just barely on the upper bumper.

The rear cam bolt does move over the entire range. It's bottomed out toward the engine but I haven't checked if the UCA is digging in the undercoating or not. I will shortly.

Yeah the arm rests on half the tip of the bumper. That's probably gonna kill that bumper... If it does I'll move the bracket and the bumper.

[green69rt]

If you install the offset bushings in the UCAs you might want to look at my problem.  Look about a quarter of the way down on page two of the following thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,114959.new.html#new

I installed my UCAs with offset bushings last weekend. I had a hell of a time getting the passenger side in because the UCA got spread a bit. It's snug in there but I can move it up and down so should be good. I did not have any issues moving the rear cam bolt all the way in but I'm going to double check tonight to make sure it's not hitting the frame like it did on yours.

I have to say that with these offset bushings in place the upper ball joint seems to have moved toward the rear of the car by quite a bit!

To narrow the UCA I wanted to stick a long threaded rod through both bushings so I could put some nuts and washers on there to make a vise, but the bushings are off so much that a straight rod simply does not fit. Good thing I had a small torque strap that did the job.

On the REAR cam bolt only, when you have the UCA in place, make sure you can move the cam bolt over its total adjustment range.  Then with the cam bolt turned so the UCA is moved all the way towards the engine, move the UCA up and down to make sure it moves freely.  

And yes, with the bushings installed and adjusted to its max point, the UCA ball joint moved so far to the rear that the UCA was just barely on the upper bumper.

The rear cam bolt does move over the entire range. It's bottomed out toward the engine but I haven't checked if the UCA is digging in the undercoating or not. I will shortly.

Yeah the arm rests on half the tip of the bumper. That's probably gonna kill that bumper... If it does I'll move the bracket and the bumper.

If you have the front cam turned completely out and the rear completely in, then this is the most extreme position that you will ever be in.  After alignment it probably won't be that bad.

[Dino]

If you install the offset bushings in the UCAs you might want to look at my problem.  Look about a quarter of the way down on page two of the following thread.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,114959.new.html#new

I installed my UCAs with offset bushings last weekend. I had a hell of a time getting the passenger side in because the UCA got spread a bit. It's snug in there but I can move it up and down so should be good. I did not have any issues moving the rear cam bolt all the way in but I'm going to double check tonight to make sure it's not hitting the frame like it did on yours.

I have to say that with these offset bushings in place the upper ball joint seems to have moved toward the rear of the car by quite a bit!

To narrow the UCA I wanted to stick a long threaded rod through both bushings so I could put some nuts and washers on there to make a vise, but the bushings are off so much that a straight rod simply does not fit. Good thing I had a small torque strap that did the job.

On the REAR cam bolt only, when you have the UCA in place, make sure you can move the cam bolt over its total adjustment range.  Then with the cam bolt turned so the UCA is moved all the way towards the engine, move the UCA up and down to make sure it moves freely.  

And yes, with the bushings installed and adjusted to its max point, the UCA ball joint moved so far to the rear that the UCA was just barely on the upper bumper.

The rear cam bolt does move over the entire range. It's bottomed out toward the engine but I haven't checked if the UCA is digging in the undercoating or not. I will shortly.

Yeah the arm rests on half the tip of the bumper. That's probably gonna kill that bumper... If it does I'll move the bracket and the bumper.

If you have the front cam turned completely out and the rear completely in, then this is the most extreme position that you will ever be in.  After alignment it probably won't be that bad.

Good point! Yes that's how it sits now.

[High School 69 Charger]

Wow what a great amount of information.   I looked at your thread and really good info.  Something for me to check on as I reassemble.  Dino is farther than me so will be curious if he is able to get his to full adjustment.
Interesting my drivers side already had the offset bushings but I don't know what their orientation was.  So I don't know if they were put in to compensate for some previous issue or not.  I've had the car since 78 so this was done without my knowledge but that doesn't mean it wasn't done without my knowledge.  I really wish I had noticed the orientation before I pushed them out.
Anyway wanted to say the pics on your car are awesome green69rt.

As I get ready for install I do have a couple questions:
1.  Which points do you lubricate (and with what) during install.  
    UCA cam bolts in sleaves
    LCA pin in sleeve in bushing
    LCA pin in k member bracket
    Strut rod both ends
    I think all the other joints are solid but do you put a little grease in just to make assembly easier.
2.  Did you torque the Upper Ball Joint to the UCA at the vise or after you assembled back to the car with new bushings and adjusting bolts in place?   Most of what I read says do it on the car.
3.  I caught in Dino's thread to not tighten the UCA bolts, the LCA nut on the Pin, the strut rod (at the bushing end), and I think even the sway bar until after you set it back down with weight down and height is adjusted.
Will probably have more questions once I start.
Thanks for advice.

[Dino]

Suspension is only a small part of the upgrades I'm tackling so the alignment is far far away.

I torqued the upper ball joints with the UCAs on the car. No problems torquing it to 150 so I knew the UCAs were good.

[Dino]

The UCAs are not making any contact with the body, even in their most extreme caster position. And I noticed now that the cam bolts are snug, the arms move with about the same resistance so I guess all's well!

[green69rt]

The UCAs are not making any contact with the body, even in their most extreme caster position. And I noticed now that the cam bolts are snug, the arms move with about the same resistance so I guess all's well!

Good to hear.  It's always better to do a few checks now than suffer later.

[green69rt]

Wow what a great amount of information.   I looked at your thread and really good info.  Something for me to check on as I reassemble.  Dino is farther than me so will be curious if he is able to get his to full adjustment.
Interesting my drivers side already had the offset bushings but I don't know what their orientation was.  So I don't know if they were put in to compensate for some previous issue or not.  I've had the car since 78 so this was done without my knowledge but that doesn't mean it wasn't done without my knowledge.  I really wish I had noticed the orientation before I pushed them out.
Anyway wanted to say the pics on your car are awesome green69rt.

As I get ready for install I do have a couple questions:
1.  Which points do you lubricate (and with what) during install.  
    UCA cam bolts in sleaves
    LCA pin in sleeve in bushing
    LCA pin in k member bracket
    Strut rod both ends
    I think all the other joints are solid but do you put a little grease in just to make assembly easier.
2.  Did you torque the Upper Ball Joint to the UCA at the vise or after you assembled back to the car with new bushings and adjusting bolts in place?   Most of what I read says do it on the car.
3.  I caught in Dino's thread to not tighten the UCA bolts, the LCA nut on the Pin, the strut rod (at the bushing end), and I think even the sway bar until after you set it back down with weight down and height is adjusted.
Will probably have more questions once I start.
Thanks for advice.

I didn't lube anything except for assembly.  My personal opinion is that oils/grease tend to make the bushing degrade faster.  I use some dish soap with water to make things go together easier.  I haven't gotten to the strut rod stage yet.

Check those bushings carefully.  The old install was to fix a different problem than we go after now.  30 years mean a lot of changes.  If the offset bushings were put in more that 10 years ago I would be really suspect on their orientation.

[High School 69 Charger]

Looking for correct color for the sway bar.  Mine is original but not sure if it was painted black along the way or started that way.  From what I saw the brackets are definitely black but not sure if the bar should be black or steel grey.  
On the new Moog parts that are cast do you recommend painting them.  I would need to use solvent to get off the oil coating and be careful of the boot but was thinking a paint coat would help protect it.
I'm pretty sure the Replacement moog tie rod sleeves should be black.   They are kind of black with a heavy coating of oil.  Pretty sure I will wipe them down and paint them.

To Mitch:  I saw you comments on the cosmoline.   I am curious you mentioned just going black next time.  Would you have considered just using a gold cad spray???  Leaning toward black but have the option for gold cad.   Not doing the cosmoline.


Update:  I just found a post from a rebuild in 2006 by shakey.   Here was his color comments:
I used Eastwood's products.
The LCA's got self etching primer and then two coats of Gold Cad.
The sway bar, centre link, strut rods, spindles, lower ball joints all got self etching primer and then two coats of Spray Gray.
The upper arms and the torsion bars got Extreme Chassis Black.

Here is the link to his post.   The pics and comments are about halfway on the second page.
http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php?PHPSESSID=nutlhf8736ua19cvruokcrlnc3&topic=15396.25

It looks like he did do grey on the sway bar, did repaint the new parts, and used the Gold Cad on the LCA.
Any comments???

[green69rt]

Yeah, if I had to do it again I would do paint and not cosmoline.  I think the sway bar was a natural metal grey so if you want to paint it, use something like Eastwood's natural metal color paints.

Anything not exposed to harsh conditions I would use RPM.  Easy to use and easy to touch up.

[bee1971]

Took advice from Bakerhillpins and gave the LCA bushings a try.  They are successfully removed and have one pressed in already.  I used the O Reilly's Ball Joint Press which is a giant C with adapters and large screw shaft.   I had called my local shop and realized they were just going to beat out the bushing and probably be in a hurry.  Figured I could take my time and be do as good of job.   Definitely took some sweat equity but I got them out.  As suggested I cleaned off the burs and then pressed in a new one.  Since everyone says you need a very big press I was surprised I could just push it in with the same tool.  I'm sure I could have saved some effort using my air gun but I felt more comfortable using a breaker bar and socket.  I felt I could go slow and make sure it was going in smoothly with it getting more pressure as I put it in.  1st one went just as expected.  About the point I hit bottom (lip seated) was about the point I was putting a fair torque on the breaker bar.   Thanks to the advice and encouragement I gave it a shot and saved a bit of money.  Getting closer to assembly time.

Lots of fun isn't it

Doing the same thing on my 71 Bee while the Numbers Matching 383 is turning into a 432 Stroker

I even took the K Member out and sandblasted it , welded on a 71 B Body reproduction skid plate

On The Lower Control Arms , looking at your picture of bushings installed

I pressed the lower pins into the bushings first , then used a proper size pipe to fit over the pins and press on the metal bushing lip into the lower control arms as a unit

[bee1971]

Yes I did buy the ball joint tool and it took a lot more force than 125lbs to get them off.  But they are both off thanks to a very larger breaker bar.

Note, per FSM - If you can't seat the new upper ball joint at 125ft lbs then the UCA is junk and will need to be replaced.

WARNING - if you order a pre-populated UCA from, lets sayyyy, Pirate Jack. The UCA comes with a sh*t (IMHO) upper ball joint. But you can't replace it with your Moog one because it's .010 smaller than the Moog OEM fitment part.    I found this out with not enough time left to deal with the problem and just put the UCAs on. I'll attempt to rebuild my old UCAs later.  

Am taking the LCA to a local shop to change out the bushings.  I don't have a press to even attempt it.

You can use the same press to start to remove the LCA bushings. It's a 3 step process.

• You press out the shaft and the center bushing. Typically the center bushing sticks to the shaft and you have to cut it off very carefully with a cutoff wheel. I had one shaft basically fall out.
• Remove the center rubber. DON'T combine this with the next step!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remove the rubber first.
• Using an air chisel and a cutting bit carefully cut out the outer bushing (it can't be pressed out). The outer bushing is made of a softer material. You need to use a normal chisel to cut the outer lip off first. Then carefully use the cutting bit to cut down the side of the outer bushing and peel it out. It takes a bit of time for the first one but the 2nd goes much smoother/faster.

I honed out the hole to remove any scratches/oh-shits I made and smoothed out the face too. This allowed the bushing to be smoothly pushed back in.

Yes I did buy the ball joint tool and it took a lot more force than 125lbs to get them off.  But they are both off thanks to a very larger breaker bar.

Note, per FSM - If you can't seat the new upper ball joint at 125ft lbs then the UCA is junk and will need to be replaced.

WARNING - if you order a pre-populated UCA from, lets sayyyy, Pirate Jack. The UCA comes with a sh*t (IMHO) upper ball joint. But you can't replace it with your Moog one because it's .010 smaller than the Moog OEM fitment part.    I found this out with not enough time left to deal with the problem and just put the UCAs on. I'll attempt to rebuild my old UCAs later.  

Am taking the LCA to a local shop to change out the bushings.  I don't have a press to even attempt it.

You can use the same press to start to remove the LCA bushings. It's a 3 step process.

• You press out the shaft and the center bushing. Typically the center bushing sticks to the shaft and you have to cut it off very carefully with a cutoff wheel. I had one shaft basically fall out.
• Remove the center rubber. DON'T combine this with the next step!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Remove the rubber first.
• Using an air chisel and a cutting bit carefully cut out the outer bushing (it can't be pressed out). The outer bushing is made of a softer material. You need to use a normal chisel to cut the outer lip off first. Then carefully use the cutting bit to cut down the side of the outer bushing and peel it out. It takes a bit of time for the first one but the 2nd goes much smoother/faster.

I honed out the hole to remove any scratches/oh-shits I made and smoothed out the face too. This allowed the bushing to be smoothly pushed back in.

Those same upper control arms are sold on eBay , amongst other jobbers or suppliers much cheaper

Anyways I have the same units pictured on Pirate Jacks thru EBay

I went to torque those upper ball joints down with the proper socket and one of the ball joints stripped , couldn't bring it up to even 60 ft lbs

So I pulled the upper ball joint out , went and bought the moog replacement , installed it with red loctite on the threads and torqued it down to 125 ft lbs no issues

In that time frame , seller on eBay sent me a new upper control arm to replace the bad one , great customer service

Anyways the larger moog upper ball joint was just the ticket for biting on the Chinese upper control arm Half ass threads

And who knows how the factory upper control arms will look after pulling out the upper ball joints

Maybe I will rebuild the factory upper control arms this winter when I am bored after I get my motor installed hopefully sooner then later

[High School 69 Charger]

After a marathon day of painted the parts are finally prepped.  I ended up with the following:
Rustoleum Self Etching Primer on everything
Eastwood Detail Grey (metal/steel look):  strut rods and sway bar
Eastwood Spray Grey (cast iron slightly darker than Detail Gray):  Knuckle and brake back plate, lower ball joint assy, tie rod ends, steering link, drums (notice one aftermarket one original)
Rustoleum Engine Gloss Black (oil and fuel resistant):  UCA, Torsion Bars, sway bar brackets (I even masked the rubber)
Engine Gold:  LCA (with ball joint joint Spray Grey)
Probably not perfect for a show points car but a million times better than what it started as.  Hopefully no major errors here.
Time for assembly (finally.......)

[Mike DC]

     
This thread might end up being a good one for sticky-ing.

[High School 69 Charger]

Finally parts on the car!!   So here is my update followed by my Questions for my next steps.
Got all the bushings installed on both the LCA and UCA.  With all the comments on these issues I was slow and careful.  Also, on the LCA, I took a couple pics of how I installed with the OReilly tool since I don't have a press.   First pic is getting the bushing started.  The tool does not have much reach so I had to do this with no adapters and then once started added the adapter (1 1/4 socket) to make sure it pressed only on the outer ring and also setup vertically so I could get more torque.
The pins were able to be pushed (actually tapped in) using a deep socket to hold the center sleeve so it didn't try to push out.  Pins actually went in pretty easy.  So now the LCA is done.
I used the offset bushings for the UCA and with all the discussion was very careful on this. 
For Mitch:  The Moog press washers were the same as you saw.  1 very large (which they say to put on the outside) and 1 smaller for the inside.  I considered putting both small on the rear side to avoid the problem you ran into but in my trial fitting I found the large one did not extend past the back of the UCA so I put them on as the instructions
So moment of truth it was time to put them on the car and check for clearances.   Both installed nice and snug on the bushing washers (no trouble that Dino had) and then with the eccentric turned to max (castor) I checked for clearance and both were good.  Took a pic of the installed UCA and also the clearance.  (this is the passenger side)
Now for questions for my next steps.
1.  LCA pivot:  Where is the actual pivot point.  Does the pin lock in to the k member and the LCA actually pivot on the sleeve in the bushing or the actual rubber flexing.  I'm pretty sure the pin is actually locked solid to the k member but just wanted to understand.
2.  In my checks of my bolts and nuts I found both nuts on the pin thread on just fine until the very top of the nut.  It happens on both nuts and on both pins.  Its like the last thread on the nut is pinched.  Is this by design to help lock it on.   The pins have been wire brushed and the nuts were sand blasted.  The both start real easy until that last thread.  I could get a tap and clean them out but wanted to make sure this is not by design.  Looking for some info on this.
3. Torsion Bar installation:  There was a ton of grease in the back frame member and the seal was in good condition.  After clean out what grease and how much to I put back in. 
Thanks for advice as I keep progressing with my rebuild.
and here's the pics. 

[bakerhillpins]

Took advice from Bakerhillpins and gave the LCA bushings a try.  They are successfully removed and have one pressed in already.  I used the O Reilly's Ball Joint Press which is a giant C with adapters and large screw shaft.   I had called my local shop and realized they were just going to beat out the bushing and probably be in a hurry.  Figured I could take my time and be do as good of job.

Glad to see you were able to get them out.

Finally parts on the car!!   So here is my update followed by my Questions for my next steps.
Got all the bushings installed on both the LCA and UCA.  With all the comments on these issues I was slow and careful.  Also, on the LCA, I took a couple pics of how I installed with the OReilly tool since I don't have a press.

The FSM wants you to push the LCA shaft into the bushing first and then the bushing/shaft combination into the LCA in that order. Since you have already pushed the bushing into the LCA you will have to use a shim to be sure that you don't push the sleeve out of the back side of the bushing when you push the shaft into the LCA bushing.

[High School 69 Charger]

Yep, I backed up the sleeve with a deep socket to prevent any problems as you describe.  All set on that one.

[High School 69 Charger]

Progress on assembly today.  Both sides assembled with LCA, torsion, strut, knuckle/spindle, and shock.
still to go steering link, sway bar, and brake assembly.
Took me a while to get the boot on the lower ball joint.  Finally a piece of pvc pipe helped pop it on.
so far so good.

[Lennard]

Looks good

[High School 69 Charger]

Fully assembled and down on the ground.
Started the Height adjustments.   At the specs from the FSM, 1 7/8 variance ball joint bottom to torsion adjustment lever bottom (at pivot), it rides pretty high.  From a side view you can see clearance between fender rim and top of tire.  Know idea what is was originally at since its been soooooo long since it was truly aligned.
Still fine tuning height as it settles (about 1/8 to 1/4 high right now).  Then I need to tighten up all the final points (LCA pin, UPCA cams, strut, and sway bar link).   Then off to alignment.  I think a few trips around the block to let everything settle in and fine tune the height and torque checks.
Also did a quick set on toe in and direction with steering at center.   That looks good for pre alignment.
At present with all of this preset and the UCA offset bushings and cams set to max castor (UCA position Back toward engine and front away from engine) a simple level shows the camber at about positive 1/2 on drivers and negative 1/2 on passenger.   Since nothing is way out of wack it looks like the alignment should pull those where I need them and simply maximize castor with a balance between the sides.
good news is the car is on the ground and I can move it around.  Was kind of a shame to put the wheels on and hide all that restoration work.
Might be a little delay on getting it aligned as work and a vacation are in the way the next few weeks.
will post the results when I get it done.

[alfaitalia]

Nice work....I too want the very top pf my tyres just hidden by the wings (OK fenders!!). Looks good IMO as long as you don't go silly low and look like a Mexican low rider!!