I have been hearing a clunk in my front end the past few weeks while pulling into my driveway. I figured it would be my control arm bushings. And while I had them out, I'd slap in some new ball joints.

I found a shop that can press them in, and they wanted 93.75 for the labor

This would make my bill on this almost 200 for just OEM replacement parts, not performance ones. Is this the going rate? How is everyone else doing this?

Am I looking at the right place for a possible noise on a car with 200k? My next guess would be upper strut mounts. Can they be rebuilt rather then buying brand new ones from spohn?

I'm basically looking for any alternatives like tubular control arms, new bushings in upper strut mounts, etc.

 

call another shop in your area and ask what the rate is. sounds sort of high but not real high. not sure what flat rate is but i'd guess less than 90 minutes.

 

I heard it was a pain to DIY and I didnt wanna bother with shoppin around as I dont trust anyone around my area. Went to NAPA, I paid $100 for all four control arms and ball joints. $15 per bushing and $20 per ball joint. Don't know how that compares.
-Good luck, Efrain.

 

ebe, problem is I called a few other shops, they said they didnt have equipment.

frains, I was looking at 10 a bushing, 20 a ball joint, plus the labor to have them installed.

 

It is alot easier to have someone do the control arm bushings for you but it is more than possible to do the swap yourself. There's a ton of posts on that subject. Just a BIG benchtop clamp and a couple peices of small tubing to persuade them in. Hard part was getting the old ones out.

I had a shop do my ball joints for me cause they are a hassle plus I couldn't find a ball joint tool anywhere. It cost me 50 bucks to get them both pressed.

 

You know an otc ball joint press costs about $100. Most small shops i know of just use that to press ball joints in. You'd probably be better off just getting one for yourself. Comes in handy too, you can press u-joints, control arm bushings, all that stuff too.

 

You could always use an Autozone loaned ball joint press to do the ball joints and have a shop do the bushings. Autozone's free tool loaner's is a great thing, I used a Ball joint press from them and it is easy. They charge your credit card for the full price of the tool then remove the charges once you return it.

As for prices on a shop pressing bushings in and out I paid $15 per a-arm to be pressed out, then $15 per to press new ones in. So thats $60. I didn't have them do it at the same time cause I sandblasted and painted my a-arms before I got the new bushings pressed in. I went with Global West Del-A-Lums for bushings.

Here is a link to see my frontend with the new bushings.

Check the yellow pages under Automobile Machine Shop Service.

 

So the price I was quoted was average to still reasonably high.

I think I am going to inspect my front end a bit more because of the cost of this. I'm still not 100% sure its the bushings. It usually only clunks when the system is quickly expanded.

How big is one of the presses? I would much rather spend a 100 bux on a tool, then hand it to someone else "for nothing" Space is a hard thing to find in my garage.

How about upper strut mounts, can them be rebuilt?

 

I pressed in my ball joints (and removed the old ones) using Autozone's "loaner" ball joint press. It wasn't very difficult. You can't beat it for free. Removing the old control arm bushings was a lot worse than the balljoints, but it can be accomplished at home too. The press looks like really big C-clamp. As far as I know the stock upper strut mounts can't be rebuilt.

 

I had mine done, new ball joints and bushings and hot tanked, for $50.00 bucks. I was too lazy to go to my dads house and use his 20 ton shop press. I could have done them all by myself. The price does sound kind of high.

 

You cannot rebuild the stock upper strut mounts. You must purchases OEM replacements or pay big $$$ to get aftermarket ones that are rebuildable. Then all you would have to do is replace the teflon bearing and never have to change your mounts again. You can find both types of mounts at spohn. They carry Moog stock replacements and their own cool billet aftermarket pieces.
Stock replacements: http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1375
Billet aftermarket: http://www.spohn.net/product.cfm?productid=1452
Good luck, Efrain.

 

how are your sway links? the reason i ask, is that almost every car i see that complains of a clunk over bumps has worn or broken sway links. a lot cheaper and easier than ball joints or control arm bushings

 

thanks for info frans, I already knew about the sphon ones. Trying to find GM's number on them to see if they are still made, and any cheaper.

guy87, thanks for tip. They are about 1yo ES full endlink setup. New washer, bolts, nuts, bushings. I will check them this weekend to see if the nut has backed off.


Also debating on seperating the strut from the rest of the suspension and shake/wiggle it to see if I get any noise from up top. Could help isolate the noise from up top, or down low.

 

Ball joints are easy to do yourself with the loaner autozone tool...But the Bushings aree usually a PITFA... Usually yo8u have to end up taking an air chisel and DENTING in the lip on the outer edge to get it to slide out easliy... Local shop wanted $20 replace the bushings... It was worth it...Plus might as well go urethane while replaceing them..Just so you dont ever have to do it again..

 

Thanks for all the tips.

I took front suspension apart this weekend, and found the upper strut mounts where ripped.

Found two used mounts on a saturday (very lucky). Installed.

Found out that their are two different strut mounts. Not sure if its by age, or a chevy/pontiac thing, but the mounts I got were off two diff cars, one mid 80's pontiac, other was a 90-92 Camaro.