Can you Re & Re a CAB ?

[jeffnhiscars]

I've been working slowly to get the 318i back on the road after last months total loss. This weekend I removed the damaged strut housing & bent control arm and to my delight & dismay I see that when my son tore out thren rebuilt the front end last year he had Lemfoerder M3 offset CAB's installed.

Obviously, I only need one but they seem to only be sold in pairs so is it actually possible to remove one of these without destroying it then reinstalling it ?

I'm wondering if I buy the pair what the chances are that someone would actually buy the other one or even better, does anyone have just one laying around for a wounded car ?

[jlevie]

A press would get those off w/o damaging them.

[devon.818]

A press would get those off w/o damaging them.

up until recently i didn't know you could buy cab's already pressed and on a control arm, so the last 6 times i did it, i had to use a press and it has always boggled me how people do this at home without one( low and behold they dont lol).

anyway, often when i've pressed bushings OUT they tend to get a bit fucked up, or a lot fucked up.

also trying to get the CAB bushing off the control arm, i've only dont it one of two ways, one is with an air chissel, the other is with fire and an air chissel...

IMHO(not trying to get into a debate with jlevie, i know i'll loose) you are better off replacing the entire bushing. i paid i think 35-40 shipped for mine from fcp, use their promo code maxrossi20 to save 20%/free shipping.


but for an extra 5 bucks(again just found this out), they will press them into a loli pop so install is easy with a clamp or a press on hand.



just my .02

[jeffnhiscars]

Im glad we all agree and my lollipop is fine...thanks for asking:)

From what I've read, once the bushing is installed the car should be on the ground quickly so they dont get preloaded. Myth or fact ?

If thats true that lets out a pre-install w shipping (assuming I could get the exact bushing I need & the CA at the same place). I also read that they tend to stay put once they "set". To press one off I presume you would support the inner metal collar and the inner rubber as best you can and hope it does sheer off as you press the arm out ?

Who would have thought that I could have the nose of my car ripped off and that a small rubber disk would be a bigger PITA than going to the chiropractor 3x\week.

[devon.818]

my thinking is by pressing the bushing out you are causing a lot of stress that may decrease its lifespan, so one side would be weaker than the other, theoretically.

do you need to replace the whole control arm? you can get the bushing and lolli pop off the control arm without damaging it really. drill out the rubber, pull lolli pop off and press rest of bushing out or use a chissel to get it out, then use a sawzaw or cut off wheel to get the rest off the control arm...

if you email either steve or guys at fcp or any other wholesale type guy, im sure they could hook you up with a single offset CAB.

as far as preload, i have no idea. i know when i tighten everything down i like it all to have a load on it, especially the ball joints, usualy just go over everything with a impact at the end before driving.

GL? lol

[jlevie]

To press the lollipop & bushing off the control arm w/o damaging the bushing you have to support the bushing properly. At the least you need to use two flat steel bars butted up to the control arm. The better way is to use two steel bars that are notched to fit around the arm.

[jeffnhiscars]

The prospect of stressing the bushing is a valid concern especially if I need an atypical jig to remove it. Even if I have to buy a pair of CAB's (and help the next guy out w a single one FS) and if I get access to a press I might just buy new ball joints and press them in to the worn out OEM CA that a compassionate soul gave me.

That might be the best of all worlds and for what I save on a replacement CA I could actually buy a CL press...hmmm !!

PS..yes the CA that came off the car is twisted

[devon.818]

oh dear, good luck pressing the ball joints in man.....
seriously good luck.


seriously, for under 150 you could do both sides, or for under 90 do just the side thats fucked.

idk, sometimes its better to pay a little to save a headache.

[jeffnhiscars]

oh dear, good luck pressing the ball joints in man.....
seriously good luck.


seriously, for under 150 you could do both sides, or for under 90 do just the side thats fucked.

idk, sometimes its better to pay a little to save a headache.

There's merit to that view, but remember, Ive got a year old OEM suspension w maybe 5k on it so I need to match whats there rather than spend even more to swap it all out and wind up with an orphan CA thats almost new. The best price on the CA Ive seen is $90 & $50 for a pair of eccentrics (yeah ok, not horrible & Ill sell the spare someday).

Are the ball joints that much of a b#*^h to press in ?

[devon.818]

http://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/325i/Control-Arms/?e=177&m=20&year=1990

pick two control arms, lets say two costs 140, minus the 20%, so you're at 110-ish

http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-bushing-offset-e36-31129064875

boom 27$, more like 21$ for you with discount.

and total? 160-165 shipped. you can press the bushings into the lollipops with a c-clamp and some flat metal or wood.

getting it onto the control arm, a impact socket and a pipe clamp(c-clamp big brother) will do it.


or you can email FCP, ask them for half the order for just the side you need, and it will be about 80 bucks shipped, add another 10-15 if you want them to throw in an eccentric and put it together.


good luck again lol

edit:

http://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/325i/Ball-Joints/?e=177&m=20&year=1990

looks do-able, a lot of silcon spray and soap and some time will do it for sure. all up to you, how much fun you want to have

[jeffnhiscars]

http://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/325...m=20&year=1990

pick two control arms, lets say two costs 140, minus the 20%, so you're at 110-ish

http://www.fcpeuro.com/products/bmw-control-arm-bushing-offset-e36-31129064875

boom 27$, more like 21$ for you with discount.

and total? 160-165 shipped. you can press the bushings into the lollipops with a c-clamp and some flat metal or wood.

getting it onto the control arm, a impact socket and a pipe clamp(c-clamp big brother) will do it.


or you can email FCP, ask them for half the order for just the side you need, and it will be about 80 bucks shipped, add another 10-15 if you want them to throw in an eccentric and put it together.


good luck again lol

edit:

http://www.fcpeuro.com/BMW-parts/325i/Ball-Joints/?e=177&m=20&year=1990

looks do-able, a lot of silcon spray and soap and some time will do it for sure. all up to you, how much fun you want to have

Those are some good options. I have fcp on my supplier list though Ive never dealt with them so I may get in touch w them and see where they stand on a single eccentric...and the silicone and soap DOES sound like fun :)

Reality is I was hoping to get the coupe roadworthy with a minimum of fuss since I absolutely MUST do the TB on the Cabrio asap. Thats going to involve front seals with its own challenges so who knows how long it will be on blocks. If it wasnt for the eccentric CAB on the coupe I'd probably throw the old CA on it just for backup.

I love my e30's :-)

PS I see those eccentrics are Rein and i absolutely have Lemfoerder. robably unwise to mix and match these

[jeffnhiscars]

OK I give up. The one place in town that can swap out the ball joint said go get a new one..lol. I did call FCP and that discount code was NLA but they said they would honor it. 1 for Devon.

Im in the process of salvaging my CAB off the twisted CA. It does rotate on the shaft and it looks like it sits in a bit of a recess so I cut off the stub of the CA and am drilling it out so the bushing will come off nice n easy. 1 for Jim.

The days of wandering in to a shop and having some guy say "hey let me take care of that while you wait" are LONG gone :-)

[jlevie]

Don't even think about replacing the ball joints in the control arms. Buy new Lemfoerder parts.

The shafts on the control arms where the CAB's sit doesn't have a recess when new. Use a press and push the lollipop/bushing off the arm.

[jeffnhiscars]

Don't even think about replacing the ball joints in the control arms. Buy new Lemfoerder parts.

Not only did I think about it, I posted about it <blush>...but, Im over it. I still intend to replace just the one bad CA and am inclined to try to match the one I have since its fairly new. It says "L6081" if that means anything.

The shafts on the control arms where the CAB's sit doesn't have a recess when new. Use a press and push the lollipop/bushing off the arm.

RGR that

[TobyB]

Don't even think about replacing the ball joints in the control arms.

Sure, you should think that a press with several custom jigs would be needed...

...then think of all the time and effort and money you'd save by just replacing
the control arm, since the whole thing is only about $35 more than the ball joints.

That's what I thought, at least....

t