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How The Hell Do I Get The Top Arm Out?

suspension

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#1 Matmoo

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 02:39 PM

Hey everyone - I know similar threads have covered most of this (I think I've read them all). I've been fitting my hilos and the back went in fine with only a few rude words and very little blood.

The fronts are a totally different thing. Tower bolt out, compressor in to find it is just spinning with no bite. Got a light in to find the captive nut is no longer captive in the cone - I can see it just lying there! Read as much as I could on the subject and attacked the top arm as people say it lets you get the cone out. Nuts, spring washers, retaining plate all come off fine but there is no movement to be had in the thrust collar. I'm guessing this needs to be prized away from the outer face of the subframe? Will this give me the room needed to move the arm out of the subframe? Have people had to knock them out with an old chisel?

I've split the top balljoint but can't move anything as I can't compress the cone. I've also managed to get the bump stop out so the bottom arm is touching the cranked bar and was wondering about drilling out the alloy trumpet as I won't be reusing it.

Any advice people have would be so much appreciated! Failing that I'm back in the garage with a big mug of tea hoping inspiration strikes!

#2 unburntfuelinthemorning

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 04:16 PM

Bit of a problem that.  As you don't need the trumpet if you can break it up successfully then you'll be able to get the cone out.



#3 wile e coyote

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 04:39 PM

It's one of the worst jobs anyway - all but impossible if you can't compress the cone - the arm is fully loaded by the cone / spring at the moment so wholly unsurprising that the arm wont budge - in my view your only option  is to break the trumpet - I've never had to destroy one in situ - so anecdotally - pick your spot just above where the joint / trumpet join runs out - drill holes in the trumpet and then with the longest cold chisel you can lay your hands on (an SDS Chisel / Drill  apparently ideal) get purcussive.....BEWARE - there is one hell of a lot of energy in the spring and it'll unload instantaneously and possibly unpredictably - be VERY careful ....otherwise bloody injury possible....

 

Once the tension out with luck the top arm will come out easily - (or you find out it's a mass of rusty  & shedding needle rollers and it's a bit reluctant.....but that's just me being a pessimist!!!. )

 

Best of luck with it!



#4 Gilles1000

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 05:39 PM

Maybe it can help.

On my original subframe I did remove the cones together with the allow trumpets without removing the top arm, as one of them was seized (needles gone, rust and all you hope not to find, that was a hell of a job to remove, so bad that the hole at the rear side on the subframe is no longer circular). But the subframe was out of the car. This helped for sure as you have clearance all around.

 

On the second I dismantled, I removed first the top arms, and as the cones were old, they were also sagged and did not really push the arm. Again subframe off the donor car.

 

On both subframes I removed the hubs completely before undoing the arms, maybe this helps to have a little more room? 

 

Hope this helps.

Gilles



#5 Magneto

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 05:43 PM

Take a sawzall to the middle of the trumpet as you'll be replacing it with the HiLo, then it will all come out in chunks.



#6 Spider

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 07:12 PM

Bit of a problem that.  As you don't need the trumpet if you can break it up successfully then you'll be able to get the cone out.

 

This is what I've done in the past. Put some googles on, get a long cold chisel and a lump hammer and bash away. They don't usually break as easy as you might think and with the upper end being supported in rubber, the blows from hammering aren't terribly effective.



#7 mini-mad-mark

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Posted 05 June 2020 - 08:24 PM

Just checking - you took the rebound buffer out first to let as much of the load off the arm as possible?



#8 GraemeC

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Posted 06 June 2020 - 06:45 AM

I’m curious as to how you can see the nut of the cone ‘just lying there’ as it should be on the bottom side, not the top.

the only way it could be just lying there would be if it had pulled through which you’d know about as it would take some force on the puller. And it would still be threaded onto the puller.
Are you sure this isn’t a rogue nut you can see?

Have you tried both thread forms of puller?


Edited by GraemeC, 08 June 2020 - 07:32 PM.






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