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Thread: About to do thrust arms, control arms, and shocks

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
    Posts
    31

    Default About to do thrust arms, control arms, and shocks

    I've got my parts from BMA, and I've been studying the archives. From what I've read, it looks like I can spare myself some grief by getting a good ball joint puller.

    1) Does anyone have any suggestions on a decent puller that won't cost me an arm and a leg?

    2) Any final words of wisdom. I've done brakes, rotors, valve cover gaskets, and regular maintenance but this will be my first foray into suspension and I'm a bit nervous about it.

    Thanks!

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    Long Beach, CA
    Posts
    2,563

    Default

    Many have done it themselves on this board, but I had this work done by my trusted shop. That's just me though.

    Ralph Mendoza Jr. - Long Beach, CA

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Behind the wheel of My Car
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    1,097

    Default

    are thrust arms and control arms the same thing?
    -Mike

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Philadelphia, PA
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    31

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by Sam-Son
    are thrust arms and control arms the same thing?
    When I say thrust arms I mean the upper control arms. I'm replacing both the upper and lower control arms.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
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    Behind the wheel of My Car
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    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by 530iBall
    When I say thrust arms I mean the upper control arms. I'm replacing both the upper and lower control arms.
    that's what I thought I want ones with polyurethane bushings I hope they last longer than the crap ones I just had installed
    -Mike

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    New Forest, ,UK,
    Posts
    794

    Default

    Beg or borrow a snap-on battery gun,end of potential problems!

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    New Jersey
    Posts
    529

    Default

    Just did Lemforder (from BMA) upper control arms up front and dogbones on rear, indy charged $140 for labor. I didn't want to mess with it for that kind of $...

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Liverpool UK
    Posts
    1,536

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    I've just replaced the lower control arms and track rod assemblies with a SCISSOR TYPE BALL JOINT SEPERATOR. I bought it from Halfords for around £15, and its one of the best purchases I ever made. It makes short work of the ball joints. I'm about to do the thrust arms too, going to get the arms with 750i bushings pressed in.

    Good luck and let us know how it goes!
    1995 XJR: 4.0L S/charged straight 6 Auto

    What... It's not broken??? I can still fix it

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2006
    Location
    Reading, UK
    Posts
    1,853

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by e34.535i.sport
    I've just replaced the lower control arms and track rod assemblies with a SCISSOR TYPE BALL JOINT SEPERATOR. I bought it from Halfords for around £15, and its one of the best purchases I ever made.
    I've just discovered a neat trick with the screw type ball join separator working on the wifes Audi...

    The drop links on this thing have pretty much zero access due to their diminutive size and they dont have flat spots on the stud to get a wrench in behind... they just have an internal hex drive in the end of the stud. Which of course you've got no hope in hell of getting a hex drive into due to the space constriction.

    I'd managed to get the last lower bolt 90% of the way off when it seized completely. Using a hex and spanner I just couldnt get this bastard off. Toys went out of the pram and I was ready to pitch spanners at the shiny paintwork...

    I ended up setting up a ball joint separator up on the balljoint BACKWARDS, so that it was actually compressing the whole balljoint into its socket. The amount of force these things can produce is staggering and it locked up the whole balljoint - and let me get the correct breaker bar in there to put a metric ****ton of force on the balljoint nut which finally gave up and span free

    The drop links were /not/ resuable after this little stunt as the sheer force put on the back of the balljoint causes the whole unit to seize up.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jul 2004
    Location
    England (home) Germany (work)
    Posts
    256

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by e34.535i.sport
    with a SCISSOR TYPE BALL JOINT SEPERATOR. I bought it from Halfords for around £15, and its one of the best purchases I ever made. It makes short work of the ball joints.
    Dito, spent £17 on a Draper ball joint splitter from the local hardware/car parts shop. couldn't of done it with out, well worth the money.

    Just finished replacing just about every thing under the car after 200,000 miles, what a deference! long week, at least the weather was nice! quite a lot of hardwork though and thats before you encounter the stubborn stuff! a few cuts and bruises later and its like a new car! plus i know its done right, and just think of the amount of labor i saved.... more than enough to justify the splurge on the M5 Coil overs!!!

    All OEM Parts sourced in Germany at a fraction of the $teller's prices:

    Upper and lower Control/trust arms.
    steering tie rods inc center
    Roll bar links
    Power flex polyurethane bushes full set
    M5 FK Automotive (German) fully adjustable coil overs (rear is still a bit to stiff!)
    Wheel bearings
    Discs
    Predator fast road Pads F+R
    5mm spacers on the front, cos the tires were rubing the adjusters
    Handbrake shoes
    Full Service
    Mobile 1 X something!
    plus everything received a throw coat of POR15

    earlier in the year the ass end had some attention, in the form off Power flex bushes inc. subframe, dog bones, pitman arms, etc.

    Also added a couple of other new bits whilst i had the chance:
    Electric Rear sun blind
    Rear side window blinds
    M5 sill plates
    Replaced the sumpgard
    Snooper laser diffuser

    Should keep me quite until the new year!!
    Last edited by 525SEI BRIT; 09-19-2007 at 05:12 PM.

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