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Bent lower control arm

WesleyK

WesleyK

Well-Known Member
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5:47 PM
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Collins Ms
Well this is a bummer, got it stripped pressed the new bushing and installed the spindle. Hung it on the k member and noticed it’s bent! Have any of you guys straightened these, or should I just find a replacement? It’s out about 1/8” where the ballpoint attaches.

59CD3981-98BD-468D-AC89-B3A386B4834E.jpeg
 
Gotta replace it, I’ll never weld or straighten suspension or steering components.
 
With a sway bar tab ???
You will surely have better luck getting a standard one and welding the sway bar tab onto the replacement.
Also, by that picture, it looks to be bent worse than 1/8".
 
I like kern's idea of cutting/welding the sway bar tab onto a different lower control arm.
 
I recall someone saying that you can buy replacement tabs from Hotchkis suspension.
 
Yeah I can cut the tab off, I don’t know how I haven’t noticed it till today.
 
And I've welded and modified lots of suspension parts! Lots of people say not to but if you're a novice, don't do it lol. Get someone that knows welding to move the tabs to a good LCA. I'll check to see if I have an extra LCA but most of the stuff I have came off of E bodies.....
 
Hell, I'd put that in a press and bend it back, it's forged steel.
I'll gamble with my life but not my money.
Mike
 
493 Mike said:
Hell, I'd put that in a press and bend it back, it's forged steel.
I'll gamble with my life but not my money.
Mike
Click to expand...
The pic makes it look pretty bad but yeah, I've done the same thing before myself and things worked fine. The arm itself is mild steel but the part where the ball joint fits is forged.....and the two parts could have been welded but it was cheaper for the factory to rivet them together.
 
I had it in my press and was about to try it but backed out. I’m afraid of a hairline crack or weak spot forming or have already formed and my wheel deciding to do its own thing at 70mph haha.
 
WesleyK said:
I had it in my press and was about to try it but backed out. I’m afraid of a hairline crack or weak spot forming or have already formed and my wheel deciding to do its own thing at 70mph haha.
Click to expand...
Gopher it! It takes a lot to crack mild steel.....really! You can always weld up a crack on mild steel anyways.
 
WesleyK said:
I had it in my press and was about to try it but backed out. I’m afraid of a hairline crack or weak spot forming or have already formed and my wheel deciding to do its own thing at 70mph haha.
Click to expand...
Heat it up to cherry red before bending and directly after and let it air cool. I had my boss weld two different pitman arms together to get the larger spline I needed for my 66 Belvedere SW and drove it for years with no problem. I trusted the weld.
Mike
 
I've cut and welded steering and suspension items before for custom set-ups, but for something as readily available as a stock control arm, is it really worth it ??
 
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