ok first time poster 1982 conquista 305 engine 350 turbo.ok looking to rebuild suspension in the near future. need some thoughts on whether to go with the rubber bushings or urethane or poly urethane bushings. would like to stick with original control arms. cost is an issue limited on time to do things and money.will be in car build do you guys have a place that i can get a kit? found a site energy suspension they offer graphite injected poly urethane bushing kit for $212 free shipping. will i need any special tools to take old bushings out and to put new ones in? ok thank you for any wisdom passed down to me. :???:

That's about as cheap as you will find, plus or minus a couple of bucks. Cheaper than Moog OEM type bushings. Getting the front control arm bushings out is a b!tch, especially without a hydraulic press. If you are doing the rear too, there is a tool that makes the removal/installation of the bushings on the rear end housing a breeze: http://www.hrpartsandstuff.com/ (Bushing Tool (Part #0599). There is some who say that poly squeaks, but nowadays they are greaseable.

I got my front control arm bushings (poly) from Speedway for $62 and change, shipped! X47 on the bitch to get them out!!!!! Took a guy with 18 yrs experience at a local shop here 7.5 hrs to change all 8 bushings and lower ball joints. Mine were original 83s, and they liked it in there!
Smear the ends of them with anti-seize before you put them back in and they won't squeak.
You will LOVE the improvement!!

:poke:

hey cool now how hard is it to get the control arms out of the truck.. i haven't ever had a chance to remove upper control arms. taken lower arms out of other vehicles. yes i will be replacing the rear bushings. i think my brother in law has a press.:smileyb::smileyb::smileyb::smileyb::smileyb :

Uppers come out easier than lowers. Here's a hint: loosen the bolts holding the shims in, keep all the shims together , and marked!, for each bolt/stud. Clean them and paint them, but keep them together for each stud/bolt. Then put them back where they came from when you reinstall. Your alignment will either be right on, or VERY close. Did my whole front end, and was only off -1/8 on the toe when I got done.

:nanawrench:

It's pretty easy, but you need a spring compressor to do it safely. Compress the spring, unbolt the lower ball joint nut and swing the lower arm down. The spring will come out. The upper fronts unbolt at the cross shaft (the shaft comes out with the control arm). Be sure to retain and seperately bag the shims from each location and reinstall them from where they came from. To remove the rear end, pull the driveshaft (it will leak trans fluid all over the place so be prepared), and place the frame high on jackstands. Put a floor jack under the rear and raise it enough to just compress the springs, remove the shocks and let the jack down. The springs will come out when the rear is hanging all the way down. Unbolt the rear from the arms, then you can unbolt the front control arm bolts. When you put the rear back together you have to torque the bolts to 75 ft. lbs. UNDER LOAD, NOT WHILE THE REAR IS HANGING. You will have to disconnect the rear brake flexible line and possibly the e brake cable. It would be a good time to clean and paint the rear while it's out.

Also a great time to replace that flex line for the rear brakes. But if you don't take it loose before you lower the rear, you'll learn that the hard way when it pulls in 2.

:dontknow:

replace the front flex lines to the calipers too!

:poke:

sounds like a summer time project i'm only home for 7 days at a time during any month. that sounds like a two to three day project. where can i drop it off for you to do this. lolol . what type of paint would i use for the rear end and control arms does the rear need high temp paint? i hate to shut the camino down cause when i get home i park the ranger. ok thanks again:beer:

Rear is not a "high wear" area, but it does get a lot of abuse on the paint from weather, and just being where it is. Use the engine paint I mentioned above and you'll be glad you did.

:nanawrench:

My rear end, front and rear control arms, springs, swaybars, and braces are all powdercoated red. No more rust and easy cleanup. I agree to change the front brake hoses, you'll have to bleed the brakes anyway.

Since mine is gonna be a daily driver, winter, etc, I painted my parts, frame etc, with Rustoleum semi-gloss black, for easy touch up later on.