control arm shaft replacement

[crm318]

are there any special tools that i would need to replace the upper control arm shaft? its on a 72 cheyenne.

[mbgmike]

I have heard tou can do it w/o tools but I take them to a frame shop that will still take in bench work. They charge us $15.00 each but it saves us time. They use a large press. Ours is too small to do it.

[Rally Nova]

I changed out the upper & lower control arm shafts on my '69 GMC. You will need a 1 3/8" socket for the end caps & a sturdy bench vise to hold it!! You might also need a breaker bar & a cheater to initially brak the old ones loose.
Hope that helps!!

[JCA1972]

I didn't have the 1 3/8" socket so I used a pipewrench and a BFH to break the caps loose, after that it comes off really easy.

[71/454]

There is a good how to thread on this somewhere, that's how I learned to do mine.

[crm318]

well, i got one endcap off and the other is stripped, so getting the endcaps off isnt a problem. what will i need a press for?

[JCA1972]

the only thing that I had to use a press for was to install the lower balljoint.

[Tynee]

As stated above, the control arm shaft is nothing but a 1-3/8" socket, breaker bar, cheater pipe. Also, be very carefull not to tighten one end too far before getting the other end started when you install the new caps. Your shaft will end up "off-center."

If you are getting into ball joints, then I DEFINITELY recommend paying somebody with a big press. The press that you rent at the local parts store isn't big enough to do them. I learned the hard way. You can do your upper ball joints if you have the time and patience to grind and drill out the rivets.