balljoints and front shocks: tips and tricks from an experience

[deniss]

This weekend, I finally did the front suspension work: replaced 4 balljoints and 2 front shock absorbers. I would like to share my experience and also some tips and tricks I wished I knew about before I got handy with the balljoint replacement.

Parts:
I bought 4 balljoints from a parts seller called FCP Groton based in Connecticut - they were selling Scantech balljoints for $14 each, bolt kit included. They were high quality cast units - not the cheap stamped units. I also bought Bilstein Heavy-Duty front shocks from Swedish Dynamics for about $80 each (they ship them complete with all the bushings and the hardware). Since I was doing balljoints, I decided to do front shocks along the way - I was complaining about mine for a very long time (very harsh, bouncy ride).

Balljoints:
I loosened the front wheel lug nuts, secured the rear wheels with wheel chocks, and jacked the car up using the standard jacking points under the doors close to the front wheel wells. For the jack stands, I chose the rear mounts for the lower A-arms, as suggested by a few people on this site.

I didn't invest into the Saab suspension spacer tool like Bentley suggests, so when I jacked up the lower A-arm, I just used some 5 to 7 large washers taped together and stuck them between the upper A-arm and the body to relieve spring tension.

For this repair, get the 16-oz ball pein hammer that ProfZ recommended - that is really the only hammer you want to use in addition to the rubber mallet.

When undoing the 19-mm locknuts that attach the balljoint to the steering swivel member, you want to put the jack under the lower A-arm and jack it up so that the upper A-arm is no longer pressing against its spacers. This puts the pressure on the ball inside the balljoint to keep it from rotating when you undo that locknut. When I put the wrench on the locknut, I whacked the wrench end with the ball pein hammer several times to let the impact get things started. That worked well. Note: on lower balljoints, there is not much clearance for a ring spanner (unlike the upper balljoints where there is plenty of access). You need to grind your ring spanner to make it thin (worked for me on one lower balljoint but not on the other!), and in some cases you might *also* need to saw/grind off the protruding part of the threaded rod on which the nut is sitting to get even the thin ring spanner on the nut! In my case, I was feeling lucky, so I put the open-ended wrench on the nut and whacked it a few times with the ball pein hammer, and the nut gave way. You have to hit it very fast and hard, though: the timescale of the impact must be much less than the time it takes for the nut to shear, or you'll have a new problem on your hands. Matthew's approach of cutting off the protruding part of the threaded stud is safer albeit more time-consuming.

Now that the 19-mm locknut is mostly undone (maybe 1/2 or 2/3 of the way undone - whatever the clearance allows), the balljoint is ready to be knocked loose from the steering swivel. Relieve any pressure from the jack and just let the suspension rest on the spacers. Here's the trick that will make this process fast, and you do not need the pickle fork at all! I took my 16-oz ball pein hammer and started whacking it hard and fast at the side of the "neck" (on the steering swivel member) in which the balljoint rod is lodged. The hammer has to deliver fast, powerful hits, and the vibrations caused by these hits will, for absolute certain knock the balljoints loose from the swivel member. The same trick can be applied to the outer tie rod ends. I started with the pickle fork initially, but it only helped me on one balljoint. When I got to the lower balljoints, it was rather useless there. The neck of the swivel member that receives the balljoint rod is always well enough exposed that you can deliver direct hits to its side with the hammer. On the lower balljoints, it helps if you turn the steering to full lock on either side for more exposure of the work area. Using this method, I was able to get all my balljoints to loosen in 5 to 10 hits of the hammer (15 hits for really stubborn ones).

Now that the balljoint is loose, I used the locking pliers to keep the threaded rod from turning while I finished undoing the locknut.

When undoing the 17-mm locknuts/bolts that attach the balljoints to the A-arms, I hit the rachet driver handle with the ball pein hammer several times to get things moving. I found the impact useful to successful removal of the bolts/nuts.

A rubber mallet is useful to persuade the old balljoint to come out of the A-arm or to persuade the new balljoint to slide into the A-arm.

Front Shocks:

This was not a pleasant job. The driver side was the worst nightmare in my case. The locknuts under the bonnet were rusted onto the shock rod and frozen solid. So I cut the plastic dust cover on the shock and tried to grip the rod with some locking pliers - to no avail. Next, I cut the shock rod. Except I did not understand at first where to cut the shock rod and made the cut too low. So then I had to cut it again... Oops. Working from the wheel well, the right place to cut the shock is between the top of the shock's dust cover and the body - where a thick rubber bushing resides. You want to cut away that rubber bushing using whatever means at hand and then cut the portion of the rod that you've just exposed.

On the passenger side, things went smoother. Using the Lisle Shock Absorber Tool #20400, I was able to hold the top of the rod stationary while I loosened the locknuts one by one and removed the shock intact. This was not possible for me on the driver's side because the top of the shock rod was too rusted to fit the slot in the Lisle tool and access was very difficult.

Tip: it would have been very helpful for me to have a racheting 17-mm ring spanner. You can do without it, as I have done, but let's just say it requires a bit of patience...

It also helps to have some flexible long extensions for your drivers here. Luckily, Bilsteins make their shocks with an inset hex pattern at the top of the threaded rod. I was really grateful for that while working in such tight quarters.

When putting the new shocks on, I cleaned all the old mounts out and put a little lube on the control arm shock mount. I used the rubber mallet to gently persuade the shock to slide on its stud and then put on the mounting nut. After that, I raised the lower A-arm some to put a little pressure on the shock and then worked from under the bonnet to secure the top mount connection.

Available Shocks:

I own an SPG, and I was wondering about the different shock choices. The shocks I've removed were the original Boge/Sachs shocks and were light blue in color. They were extremely worn. I believe they are sold now as Boge/Sachs Turbo Gas Shocks. This is what SaabSite sells for $110 and other places for around $90-100 per shock. Bilsteins Heavy Duty are a very good choice, and I went with these instead of the Saab originals. I believe Bilsteins may have been originals on some SPGs. I am extremely pleased with the ride improvement from Bilsteins. They are awesome!

[nutcase]

Nice write up, although I think both you and I must have been lucky with the bolts holding the balljoints in place. I've done 8 balljoints and also removed another 4 without any problems

However, Saab ones are nothing compared to Austin Metro ones. AAARGHHH!!! Even with a breaker bar and 5feet of scaffold tube, it still took a LOT of effort to get the things off the hub carrier

[SpecialTool]

Help! I'm reinstalling a front shockie, after renewing the bushing. The Bentley manual (8v, p. 731-2) says "Tightening torque - front shock absorber to control arm....90 to 100Nm (66 to 74 ft-lb)." The last time I applied that much torque to that mount (on my '83) the bolt snapped off and I had to buy a new lower control arm, so naturally I'm a little nervous about doing the same again. 90 to 100 Nm does seem to me like a heck of a lot of torque for that job -- should I just trust the manual and lean on it?

[KR900]

Thanks for your nice write-up.

I replaced the rear shocks on my '92 last week, and had a bear of a time due to all the bolts being rusted.

I have the replacement fronts in the garage, waiting for me to have some free time. Looks like I may need to budget more time for the job than I had anticipated.

I am replacing my original blue shocks with Koni Red adjustable shocks. The difference in ride with the new shocks in the rear is astonishing. I never had realized how crucial shock absorbers are to the ride.

[SteveTheFolkie]

Originally Posted by SpecialTool

Help! I'm reinstalling a front shockie, after renewing the bushing. The Bentley manual (8v, p. 731-2) says "Tightening torque - front shock absorber to control arm....90 to 100Nm (66 to 74 ft-lb)." The last time I applied that much torque to that mount (on my '83) the bolt snapped off and I had to buy a new lower control arm, so naturally I'm a little nervous about doing the same again. 90 to 100 Nm does seem to me like a heck of a lot of torque for that job -- should I just trust the manual and lean on it?

is that torque measurement specified for wet or dry fasteners?
If wet it seems really high - if dry it sounds OK (when the threads are lubed up the force is higher to give a torque setting 'cause there is less friction between the threaded fittings).

[SpecialTool]

is that torque measurement specified for wet or dry fasteners?

It doesn't say -- the manual has nothing more on the subject than what I quoted.

I don't want to leave the mount "loose", but equally there's no way I'm going to keep tightening after what happened last time. Might have to give the local indy a ring.

[TumbleWeed]

Thanks for the great write-up/tip!! I'm considering this job soon. Btw, recommendations for brand of b-joints, t-rods ? What I mean, is would you use a diff. brand? Are this the better quality?

[Jim Mesthene]

Originally Posted by SpecialTool

It doesn't say -- the manual has nothing more on the subject than what I quoted.

I don't want to leave the mount "loose", but equally there's no way I'm going to keep tightening after what happened last time. Might have to give the local indy a ring.

Oil the hardware, tighten until the rubber bushing is compressed and you feel the nut stop against the shoulder on the stud/mount. After that, 40 lb/ft should be enough.

[SpecialTool]

Oil the hardware, tighten until the rubber bushing is compressed and you feel the nut stop against the shoulder on the stud/mount. After that, 40 lb/ft should be enough.

Metrically speaking, that's about 55 Nm, which sounds much better than 90-100. Thanks Jim.