Lower Control Arm Crack

[tricky lugnuts]

OK, call me captain obvious, but . . .

My LCA bushings were absolutely toasted so I finally got around to doing something about it this weekend. Everything came apart as easy as could be -- except for the bushing itself (which really sucks removing with a screwdriver and hammer.)

But upon farther inspection, I noticed a small, hairline crack -- less than 1/2" long -- in the lip of the LCA above the pivot point where the torsion bar slides into it. It is small and I barely noticed it.

I am assuming I want to have this welded up before I reinstall it? Or is this a terminal thing? I realize a pic would be helpful, and can post one eventually if necessary.

To further the age old debate -- nothing but plain old rubber bushings under my ride . . . But all I want to know, is my LCA toast or can it be saved? The crack can't be that much more dangerous than the POS bushings I was rolling around on, can it?

[Nacho-RT74]

That's a very tipical fail down here in Venezuela on all non isolated K member Mopars ( pre 72 B bodies and all A bodies ) because the bad conditions streets. They end of course being welded.

Another tipical fail is the twisted Frame rails what makes imposible to align at a certain moment without modify UCA or repair Frame rails. Dodges are not good appreciated down here for that reason.

If you are able to find a perfect conditions LCA would be better, but weld is a good solution. GOOD welding job!!!

[Mike DC]

You could probably weld it up, but it wouldn't be any more work to just replace it.  I'd swap it out. 


Take a good long look at the LCA's mounting points on the K-frame itself. 
That's a much more common cracking/tearing point than what you're talking about. 

   

[chargerman68]

could u go to local junkyard and found a late model and grab it for your car

[tricky lugnuts]

Well I sanded away all the crud on the LCA and saw the crack was a little larger than I'd suspected. I dropped it off at the local machine shop and they told me they could weld it up and press in the new bushing.

Looks like they did a good job, for $26, and they got a good weld along all of the crack. I'm hoping it works. I got it all painted up and put back together yesterday and everything's holding up so far. Course, today my buddy emails me a link to Ebay with a LCA for sale, all painted up and nice looking for $20!!!

I might buy it just in case. Thanks for the feedback guys. Hey Nacho -- sounds like the roads down there are pretty rough. My car is from Arizona -- the guy who owned it before me lived on a 26-mile dirt road out in the middle of the desert. So who knews what its really been through over the years out there. We've got some crappy dirt and gravel roads out here in SE Ohio, too. I also inspected the K-frame and couldn't find any evidence of damage there, so that's good news.

Now for the other side --

[Nacho-RT74]

Hey Nacho -- sounds like the roads down there are pretty rough.

yeah and is a shame because suposelly Venezuelan asphalt is teh best of the world... but idiots are using it and "giving mantenience" ( yeah right  ) to the streets