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Question and Answer / Re: Order parts for suspension rebuild - am I missing anything?
« Last post by MIPS on April 05, 2024, 07:54:18 PM »Having shot The Parts Cannon at my Eagle, here's my pointers:
-The upper control arms require two bushings per side and need to be preloaded when you torque the nuts back in. You will absolutely need a spring compression tool for this. (you can borrow mine) You can also use a ball joint press tool to get these out and in. Watch for the location of the spacer ring on both sides.
-The lower control arms only have one bushing per side as you've seen and if you can help it, do not cut the bolt if it seizes in the bushing sleeve because that's also the alignment adjuster. I do not know where to source replacements.
--When pressing the old lower bushings out, you MUST fabricate a spacer for inside the control arm or you will collapse it. That also being said, AMC never expected you to replace the lower bushing separately from the control arm which included the arm, lower ball joint and the bushing as a complete unit. Both times now I've pressed out and replaced the bushing even when pressed back in I found it would wobble or "klunk" like the process of pressing the new bushing in wasn't seating it correctly. You may have to weld the bushing back into the control arm and keep in mind if you ever need to replace that bushing again, you are not going to have a fun day cutting the welds off.
This is also a great time to replace the shocks, since you will need to remove them anyways to get the spring tool in place. KYB's are available at Lordco.
I'd also inspect the original leafs. If they are still good after a cleaning, paint and grease them and keep using them. I've heard (and this is ten year old info now) that the aftermarket leafs for Eagles aren't annealed correctly and tend to sag lower than factory.
-The drivers and passenger side springs are different
-They like to break.
When you are renewing the upper control arms clean and inspect both springs, one at a time. If they are not cracked and the car didn't sag on one side I'd paint and reuse them.
-This is also a good time to inspect the CV's. New axle shafts are still available but so are new boots if you don't mind cleaning, regreasing and rebooting the originals.
-Now is also a good time to service the wheel bearings. Bolt-in replacements are long out of production but a shop can press new bearings in. Watch out for the spacer washer when you remove the CV axle. Either for servicing the bearing or the CV, torquing the nut can be somewhat annoying.
Lastly, its only another 20 minutes to replace the rear shocks. You can get those off the shelf at Lordco as well but I've found both times I've replaced mine the upper threaded portion that goes into the body and bracket is too long. You may need to cut a quarter to half an inch of thread off or it will poke a hole through the floor.
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Lower Control Arm bushing x2
Upper Control Arm Bushing x4
-The upper control arms require two bushings per side and need to be preloaded when you torque the nuts back in. You will absolutely need a spring compression tool for this. (you can borrow mine) You can also use a ball joint press tool to get these out and in. Watch for the location of the spacer ring on both sides.
-The lower control arms only have one bushing per side as you've seen and if you can help it, do not cut the bolt if it seizes in the bushing sleeve because that's also the alignment adjuster. I do not know where to source replacements.
--When pressing the old lower bushings out, you MUST fabricate a spacer for inside the control arm or you will collapse it. That also being said, AMC never expected you to replace the lower bushing separately from the control arm which included the arm, lower ball joint and the bushing as a complete unit. Both times now I've pressed out and replaced the bushing even when pressed back in I found it would wobble or "klunk" like the process of pressing the new bushing in wasn't seating it correctly. You may have to weld the bushing back into the control arm and keep in mind if you ever need to replace that bushing again, you are not going to have a fun day cutting the welds off.
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Spring Perch Bushing x2The ones I sourced require you to destroy the old perch bushings to reuse the perch itself, then the new bushing is welded in. If these are the ones with the grease fitting, keep in mind the location of the grease nipple as it may make reassembly a lot harder.
This is also a great time to replace the shocks, since you will need to remove them anyways to get the spring tool in place. KYB's are available at Lordco.
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And I might order from them, but if I can order this from someplace else local:I renewed all the bushings on the leaf springs because I could and they were still available. YMMV regarding how long they last or how much they squeak. The front bushings on the leafs were a massive pain to get the bolt out. While you have this dismantled it's also a good time to check the area for rust as this is a known problem area.
standard duty leaf-suspension x2
rear leaf shackle kit x2
rear shackle bushing x2
I'd also inspect the original leafs. If they are still good after a cleaning, paint and grease them and keep using them. I've heard (and this is ten year old info now) that the aftermarket leafs for Eagles aren't annealed correctly and tend to sag lower than factory.
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1) I see front springs on their site, does anyone know if those are direct replacement. Im trying to stay stock but I have yet to find springs and thought they didnt make them anymore?I do not know as I opted to pull a replacement spring form a salvage car. What I do know is:
-The drivers and passenger side springs are different
-They like to break.
When you are renewing the upper control arms clean and inspect both springs, one at a time. If they are not cracked and the car didn't sag on one side I'd paint and reuse them.
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2) The car sways around when I hold the steering wheel straight so I constantly need to adjust - its not horrible but noticable. Everything felt tight though when I looked at it but I dont have a lift so didnt go to crazy and also know Im replacing a lot of stuff. I figure its looseness in the steering box or something like that.Mine is the same way. Last winter when I went to have the front end aligned for new control arms they said they could not get it perfect because the steering gear was too badly worn. Good news is both Lordco and RockAuto sells both reman and new steering gears for Eagle from multiple vendors. I've been told the reman units are ok. Before you buy however, clean the top of the steering box and locate the part number stamped into the casting. Eagles could use either variable ratio or non variable ratio steering.
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3) If you can think of anything else I might need?-In regards to the front-end, since you will pretty much be dismantling the knuckles it does not hurt to replace the pads and calipers if they are old. You can also get hardware kits with new dust boots, rattle clips and slide pins. Mine were pitted to the point it caused the brakes to bind. Beware that new discs may need to be turned right out of the box.
-This is also a good time to inspect the CV's. New axle shafts are still available but so are new boots if you don't mind cleaning, regreasing and rebooting the originals.
-Now is also a good time to service the wheel bearings. Bolt-in replacements are long out of production but a shop can press new bearings in. Watch out for the spacer washer when you remove the CV axle. Either for servicing the bearing or the CV, torquing the nut can be somewhat annoying.
Lastly, its only another 20 minutes to replace the rear shocks. You can get those off the shelf at Lordco as well but I've found both times I've replaced mine the upper threaded portion that goes into the body and bracket is too long. You may need to cut a quarter to half an inch of thread off or it will poke a hole through the floor.