On 2010-11-26, jim beam > wrote:
> On 11/25/2010 11:32 AM, Hachiroku $B%O%A%m%/(B wrote:
>> On Wed, 24 Nov 2010 16:53:18 -0800, ChrisCoaster wrote:
>>
>>> On Nov 24, 7:25 pm, "Steve > wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>> 01-07 - Off the shelf upper ball joints with 1 degree of caster/camber
>>>> possible run about 50 bucks each. They are available from Mevotech,
>>>> Moog, Wagner
>>>>
>>>> Pull a tire and look at the actual suspension. It is a linked coil over
>>>> system, the strut is the spring/shock BUT it is not the steering pivot.
>>>> Works just like the system on the front of a Jeep Liberty.
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Steve W.
>>>> (\___/)
>>>> (='.'=)
>>>> (")_(")- Hide quoted text -
>>>>
>>>> - Show quoted text -
>>> ____________________
>>> 2001 - 2007 is that? Actually, the last year of the 2001 generation
>>> optima was 2006. The newer design(mine) debuted as a 2006"1/2" which
>>> share nothing with the old optima save the name.
>>>
>>> So I'm afraid I'm out of luck on this mod.
>>>
>>> -CC
>>
>>
>> Check with Energy. I have an '88 Supra and NOBODY had bushings for this
>> car, and then they suddenly showed up on AutoZone's web site. Thank God,
>> mine are SHOT! I was actually hoping to go with rubber, but at least
>> SOMETHING was available. I could get most of them from Toyota, but the
>> front lowers are only available with the entire control arm. At $198 each,
>> no, thanks!
>
> you say that dude, but thin walled bushings can be a giant pita to get
> out, even on low-rust california cars. even if you have dies that will
> fit and not mangle the bushing wall [by no means guaranteed], you often
> need a /honking/ great press to get them moving.* unless you have ready
> access to a machine shop and someone with a press of >100 tons [a diy
> 30-ton press won't do it] it can be an entirely non-trivial job.
>
> [you can of course spent hours sweating away with various drills,
> dremels and punches to remove the old bushings, but it'll take you
> literally hours. by the time you've priced the tools, knuckle skin and
> inconvenience spending a day doing a job that will take you less than an
> hour with simple arm replacement, your likely cheapest route is simply
> to replace the whole control arm.]

This is why I just bought new control arms for my mustang. Although I
paid less for a pair of ford OEM cobra front control arms than he is
being quoted for one. It just wasn't worth the time and effort screwing
around with trying to get old bushings out and new ones in plus the same
with the ball joints. Which after nearly 200k miles should be replaced
while the control arms are out on principle alone. Which is another
thing that should be considered wrt the supra above. then there is
sanding and painting to make the old control arm pretty again...

It's just more cost effective to get the assembly in most cases. $400
for the pair is high but still not enough IMO to pay for anyone but a
teenager (no money, lots of time) to screw around with reconditioning
the old control arms.