Replacing Lower Control Arms
02-12-2013 | 12:27 AM
#21
Thread Starter
Platinum Member
Joined: 04-09-2006
Posts: 7,039
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
Nope won't wiggle in. I even tried several times running bolt up without the arm in place. Just won't go for some reason. Thought that having only one side may have twisted the frame just enough to get the holes off, but jacked up other side too, so that wasn't it either. I'm at a loss for words. Bad thing is I can't get it back together with this problem to take it to someone even if I wanted to (which I don't), and can't even tow because front of car is facing garage door.
The bolt looks totally normal in your pictures. Me, I'd take a soft faced hammer and try pounding it upward. The odd angles on the tip of the bolt are there to try and center it into the captivated nut. The threads are pretty course so should take a fair amount of abuse.
If pounding it into position with the hammer didn't get it so that it can be threaded back together, I'd put a bottle jack below the bolt and try using the jack to get it into position and tighten with an open end wrench to get it started.
If it would not reassemble without the arm in place, I'd suspect some frame damage or such.
Last edited by whopper; 04-21-2013 at 01:15 AM. Reason: fixing typo
04-21-2013 | 01:33 PM
#23
Senior Member
Joined: 01-13-2008
Posts: 4,708
From: Washington State, where it rains
Run a tap thru it...bolt end looks worn off...sounds like an alignment problem with the mount...the bolt end is whats catching the threads, not the bolt threaded part, thats why it pops right back out. Question..is the nut portion a floater or is it mounted solid to the frame? If its a floater then maybe it dropped down and not allowing the bolt threads to start...run a screwdriver thru the mount and see it it helps to align the nut....wiggle it around and then try to find center, then try bolt...
04-21-2013 | 02:41 PM
#24
Moderator
Joined: 01-23-2009
Posts: 25,345
From: Fredericksburg,VA
Run a tap thru it...bolt end looks worn off...sounds like an alignment problem with the mount...the bolt end is whats catching the threads, not the bolt threaded part, thats why it pops right back out. Question..is the nut portion a floater or is it mounted solid to the frame? If its a floater then maybe it dropped down and not allowing the bolt threads to start...run a screwdriver thru the mount and see it it helps to align the nut....wiggle it around and then try to find center, then try bolt...
, he implied that he had fixed it and was offering help to the 2 month old thread on threads
.
09-24-2013 | 05:51 PM
#27
Senior Member
Joined: 12-24-2008
Posts: 717
From: N/A
Once again, thank Whopper!
I was out of town on a trip with access to minimal tools and this thread sure put me at ease to do the job without too much tool scrounging from parent’s neighbors. Plus it is a simple job anytime.
I was out of town on a trip with access to minimal tools and this thread sure put me at ease to do the job without too much tool scrounging from parent’s neighbors. Plus it is a simple job anytime.
02-25-2014 | 10:52 PM
#28
Joined: 02-15-2014
Posts: 6
From: Washington
NO they are not all the same. There is a FE-1 and a FE-3 suspension and they take different lower control arms. Call your Chevy dealer and give them the VIN number and that is the only way I know for sure which you have. Actually, the FE-1 suspension takes a steel fabricated arm and the FE-3 is an aluminum arm.
02-26-2014 | 03:05 AM
#29
Thread Starter
Platinum Member
Joined: 04-09-2006
Posts: 7,039
From: Vancouver, BC, Canada
NO they are not all the same. There is a FE-1 and a FE-3 suspension and they take different lower control arms. Call your Chevy dealer and give them the VIN number and that is the only way I know for sure which you have. Actually, the FE-1 suspension takes a steel fabricated arm and the FE-3 is an aluminum arm.