I finally got around to installing my FEA links. Hoping it fixes the excessive inner tire wear that I have been seeing lately...last set of fronts had almost half of their tread life remaining when they corded. Or maybe it is just because I have been doing thousands of miles of straight line highway driving with -2.8 degrees of front camber (but 0 front toe which should help).
The job was a major pain for me. The ball joint tool that I borrowed from AutoZone didn't fit and no amount of hammering on the knuckle/arm with a sledgehammer would pop it out. Even jacking the corner up on both the threaded stud and the arm didn't help. I was afraid to use heat in case the grease might catch on fire. The pickle fork that I owned also would not work in spite of using a jack handle for leverage to wiggle it and hitting it with the sledgehammer even when I cut 1" off of each side of the fork with an angle grinder and then another 1/2" trying to get it to apply more upward pressure. I was surprised by this because I replaced the other front arm on one side a while back after I bent it on a curb and it came out easily without a ball joint tool or pickle fork. After some research, I found
the method I should have used to start with on the Corvette forum.
I popped the ball joint out in a minute or two per side after buying the Harbor Freight ball joint tool and grinding the material away with my
Dremel 9903 Tungsten Carbide Cutter at 20k rpm (same one I used for elongating the strut to knuckle bolt holes for more front camber) in the spots mentioned in the link above. The U shaped part goes on the nut (see attached picture). With the nut tightened closer to the knuckle, grinding material away from the U to make it wide enough to fit on the nut might be the only modification required. You need a 6mm allen key to hold the threaded stud when tightening the new nut on each side. The CH-42188–B separator recommended by the service manual is not stocked by any local stores that I could find online.
Also the sawzall blade that I bought to cut the bolts wore out before I even cut through the first bolt (
6 in. 8/10 TPI Steel Demon Bi-Metal Reciprocating Saw Blade for Thick Metal Cutting) and was so dull that I couldn't even finish cutting through the second bolt so I finished with the Dremel 9903 Tungsten Carbide Cutter. Maybe 3 or 4 of those sawzall blades would be needed. I guess a different type of higher end blade might last longer for cutting grade 10.9 bolts but I am no expert on that. There's a wiring harness (protected by a black plastic sleeve) that is in the path of the blade so I picked 6" instead of a longer blade. Laying on my back pulling the sawzall towards my face while watching the metal shavings fall onto my face shield was not comfortable but it was the only option I could come up with to cut the bolts. In hindsight, maybe the Dremel 9903 could have done it without the sawzall but I don't think that is really what it is meant for. My angle grinder and Dremel cutoff wheel would not fit in that area due to limited space. My arms were sore after torqueing the new bolts since I was on my back with all 4 wheels on rhino ramps so there was not much room to exert the required amount of force. I think the weight of the car's weight needs to be on the tires before tightening these arms up even though the service manual does not mention that. I tightened the other front arm I replaced a few years ago with the corner in the air and this caused the ball joint to wear out in less than 2 years so I had to replace it again (tightening it with the car on the ground the 2nd time) while the original ball joint on that arm on the other side still has not worn out.
Torque:
74 lb ft + 90-105 degrees for the new nut/bolt replacing the bolt that you cut. (use 18mm wrench(es) and/or socket)
30 lb ft + 120–135 degrees for larger steering knuckle nut (use 6mm allen key to hold threaded stud in place against rotor until it is hand tight with a 21mm wrench [or adjustable wrench], then remove the allen key and torque with a 21mm socket)
The service manual says the nuts are reusable but I replaced them with new ones.
I used the torque wrench on the bolt head instead of the nut due to more space on that side and had an 18mm wrench on the nut pressing against the metal bracing to hold the nut in place.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mountain
-Call me crazy, but I think there is a slightly better steering feel/feel of the front tires. It is pretty minor.
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Curious to hear others feedback when they do the install.
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I noticed a big difference but mine leaked a few years ago and I just recently got around to installing them. Within the first few minutes, I noticed that you can feel uneven road angles on left vs. right side of the car through the steering wheel with the new FEA links when straddling a seam or changing lanes over one. If you are not holding the steering wheel, this would cause the steering wheel to turn slightly. The weight of the steering wheel now feels better and more natural while turning on the street. I have another track day coming up and expect I will have a better feel for the front end of the car based on this.
I put a screwdriver into both the old FE4 and new FEA bushings where the bolt goes and pushed on it to compare them and the new ones were significantly stiffer than my old ones. I could also see where the rubber ripped releasing the fluid when I took the cap piece off of the old ones.