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just do it!
Posted: Tue Sep 08, 2009 5:34 pm
by blatzer
after 5 years of clunk, wobble, sway- the front end is tight!- to do list included drag link replaced, center pivot pin/bushings replaced, passenger tie rod replaced, BAll joints replaced, front end aligned, it's worth it!
Re: just do it!
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:05 am
by Amskeptic
blatzer wrote:after 5 years of clunk, wobble, sway- the front end is tight!- to do list included drag link replaced, center pivot pin/bushings replaced, passenger tie rod replaced, BAll joints replaced, front end aligned, it's worth it!
Congratulations. where did you get your ball joints, and does the car return to center after a corner?
Colin
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:14 am
by blatzer
i bought the ball joints from the 'community' one pair of nakata and a pair from vw/mexico and a local machine shop did the work on the extracted torsion arms- it does return to center after the turn!
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 10:40 am
by chitwnvw
Did you replace the steering damper? It helped a lot with my highway speed stability.
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 6:44 pm
by blatzer
not yet, but i will!
Posted: Wed Sep 09, 2009 8:28 pm
by chitwnvw
blatzer wrote:not yet, but i will!
The one I took off was very pliable, the new one was like a shock absorber, took some muscle to compress. 20 bucks and two bolts to replace...if only they all were that easy.
I am going to do the drag link and the tie rods next. How hard were the ball joints to replace?
Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2009 9:40 pm
by blatzer
with the bus on stands, wheels off, i used a floor jack to move the u & l torsion arms to relieve the tension and remove them from the steering knuckle, pay close attention to which way the sway bar clips are oriented, and using a friend to tweak and/or tap the upper arm back into its home were the key items; once out the machine shop got them, they were back in my hands in less than a day- props to precision engine in atx