So, I'm working on my car this weekend and I had planned to take the a-arm out and put new bushings and ball joints in it. But I simply cannot get the ball joint castle nut off on the passenger side. I fought it for 4 hours last night, broke the cotter pin off, tried drilling out the cotter pin, think I screwed up the threads on it now lol. But I can't even get it to break lose, much less try to thread it past the threads I may have messed up.

So I'm wondering how much of an effect these pieces will have on my handling if I just go ahead and do my other suspension stuff and leave this the bushings and ball joints as they are for a few weeks until I get the money to pay a mechanic to deal with this thing.

 

If you have it this far apart, might as well keep going. Since you are replacing parts, you can try using a nut splitter on the castle nut. They are cheap, auto parts stors will have them. They clamp to the nut, you tighten the bolt on thbe other end and a cutting edge cuts and breaks the nut. Then you should be home free.

To answer you question though, if you leave them alone and only change one side, you will most likely.not.even notice anything.

 

And it depends on what you're doing with the car. If you're just cruising around it almost certainly doesn't matter. If you're at the limits cornering (on a track?) then it almost certainly does. But, as said, just finish it instead of taking it all apart again. A lesson in patience we all have to learn working on older cars. My turn in a few weeks.

 

Even better...

Since you have to have the control arm out ANYWAY, just go visit yer local buzzard and pick up another. THey're CHEEEEEEEEEP and COMMON, evidently they fit something else REALLY plentiful (S trucks? A bodies? not sure), so ... just destroy the fornicated BJthe rest of the way so you can get it off your spindle, throw the remains in the trash, and start over.

 

Well really it's an issue of time. I have this weekend to get this finished up and back together.

I unfortunately do not have a shop I can work in regularly can only use it on the weekend so I have to have everything together and ready to roll out by Monday.

I don't have the tools to do the ball joint and bushings myself was going to take them to a local machine shop and have them done today, but it's to late for that now. So I'm going to have to take it all back apart again later anyway (or pay a mechanic to do it). I'm not confident enough to try pressing these things in myself even if I could get them off. The only person I know with experience in these things (that has their own press and everything) can't help me with it this weekend unfortunately.

 

I just replaced the front lca's in my car today.. had to use a wizzer wheel at my friend's shop (where we put in weld-in sfc, rr lca's, panhard rod, wonder bar, idler, etc. etc. etc.... Same thing happened to me with the nut on the ball joint (driver's side). Just gave up and cut that sucker off.. fought it for 20 minutes (waste of time). Tell you what, every single area where a bolt when through a bushing (front lca, rr lca, panhard rod) at least DAMN bolt was seized in the bushing sleeve.. didn't fail to happen a least once in every area today.

Good luck! if i wasn't at the shop i would've lit my car on fire and watched it BURN lol