Ye ole Caprice with only 225,000 original mile needs some suspension work so it doesn't wander around so much around the highway. I was hoping some folks here who appreciate these older smooth rides that old farts like me like can help. I've got a new steering gear in it, new idler arm and a new centerlink. Most of the drift comes when the road crown changes or when a bump in the road unloads the suspension.
A mechanic friend advises that new upper control arm bushings will make a big difference with this problem. The lower control arm is dented slightly from hitting a curb, so I was thinking of swapping that. I was thinking about replacing all the bushings in the front end, along with all four ball joints. If I can manage this work myself, I should be able to get another 50,000 comfortable miles out of this paid off car.
To remove the lower control arm, can this be done by raising the car and then slowly lowering the lower control arm on a jack, or must a spring compressor be used? There's not much space inside the spring well to get a spring compressor into.
If this approach will work, how high must the car be raised to provide enough travel in the lower A arm so the spring will fall out?
I studied the upper ball joint, and it looks pretty straightforward to swap out... just cut out the four rivits and replace with a new one using bolts. The lower one is not so obvious looking through the years of grease. How is the lower ball joint installed in the A arm? Is it pressed in?
Are there any other pointers that will make this job easier? I've looked around the net, but there are not many entheusiasts for these old boats, so they don't seem to post projects.
Spanky