front lower control arm rebuild

[jcommin]

After 32 years, I'm replacing ball joints and bushings on my 1983 944. The U joint on the steering rack is wearing out too.

My question:

I got a shopping list of parts I need. Do I buy new stamped arms and pre-assemble everything, remove the old assembly and replace with new? Stamped arms are $29 here.

I'm thinking of time and labor savings, remove the old, cleaning and repainting the existing arms. Is there any benefit? Are the A rm replacements as good as the originals?

Second question: how difficult is it to R/R the u joint on the steering column?

Thanks.

[Bradical]

Removing the steering rack intermediate shaft is really frustrating in my experience.

[alfadoc]

Just did a control are rebuild yesterday on an 84. Dropping the arms off the car is cake. May as well drop the sway bar and do those bushings as well. You'll need a tie rod end puller, the kind that screws down, so you don't destroy the boots on the tie rod ends, and a pickle fork for the ball joints.

I took a hacksaw blade and cut the front bushings by passing the blade through the center hole and cutting toward the outside. That allowed those bushings to come out easily. Pressed the new OE front bushings in with a vise. As for the rear bushings, it took heat to get the sleeves off the arms. I cut all the rubber off first, heated up the remaining steel sleeve with the oxy acetylene torch, then used an impact hammer to drive them off. Installed urethane bushings in this position

If the ball joints have never been replaced, you'll be drilling out the rivets. Easy with a drill press.

As for the intermediate shaft, it's all but impossible with the rack bolted in place. If you loosen up the rack enough so you can drop it down, even an inch, it makes the process a whole lot easier.

Good luck!