Need to replace LCAs.. Ball joints still okay?

[x_orange90_x]

So I've had clunking and shaking while braking for several months now and thought it was warped rotors. I just started looking into control arm bushings and found that those are usually the cause of this. I got down there with a pry bar today and started prying the rear of the control arm and can see the metal moves up and down while the bushing stays perfectly still. I can see how this would produce the symptoms im having, especially because I don't feel it in the steering wheel, but rather through the whole car. 

 

Last summer I replaced the ball joints and sway bar end links, but I neglected to do the control arms because I thought they would be okay. So now I HAVE to replace them. My question is, can I replace just the control arms? Or will I have to replace the ball joints again? I really, really don't want to do that job again because the press kit does not fit in the cavity of the knuckle.. So last time I borrowed the kit from the store I ground the crap out of it so it would fit. The store didn't say a word about the modification either, but I don't want to go through that again. 

 

Long term though, are the ball joints going to be okay if I separate them from the control arms and just leave them alone? 

[5rebel9]

The ball joints should be fine as long as the taper stud fit breaks loose without much trouble from the control arm. A sharp blow to the control arm near the ball stud with downward pressure{some kind of pry bar}on the control arm once the nut is sufficiently loosened should be all that's needed. 

[x_orange90_x]

42 minutes ago, 5rebel9 said:

The ball joints should be fine as long as the taper stud fit breaks loose without much trouble from the control arm. A sharp blow to the control arm near the ball stud with downward pressure{some kind of pry bar}on the control arm once the nut is sufficiently loosened should be all that's needed. 

Thanks for the reply! Also, I seen in a video they disconnected the end links to move the sway bar out of the way to get the control arm out. When I did the ball joints iirc there was plenty of clearance to NOT have to do that. In your experience did you have to move the sway bar?

[x_orange90_x]

Finished the job yesterday. It was a pain 😮‍💨 The Bolts in the rear hockey puck end were seized to the inside sleeves of the bushings. It took about 4 feet of leverage on the bolt to break them free, and the right side took an additional 1/2 hour of effort to get it out because it stayed tight the whole length of the bolt. I don't know who's idea it was to use 4 inch threaded bolts for this when all that's needed is 1 inch of threads on the end.. the extra threads just sit inside the sleeve and build up rust and debris. 

 

I did have to unbolt the end links to and move the sway bar, and also had to jack up the transmission to get the front horizonal bolt out of the driver's side control arm. 

 

In the end it rides much better, handles better, is quieter, and I feel a little bit more torque in the drivetrain.. Pretty sure I was losing some of that power in the rear bushings causing a delayed torque response. 

Edited Monday at 03:43 PM by x_orange90_x