K Member removal

[black71]

i though there were 3 diff ball joint sizes? smallest being A bodie middle being E/B and the largest being on a C body? am i mistaken

[LAA66]

And while we are learning things, there are special tools for working on Chrysler front ends, which include the ball joint sockets for the upper ball joint (there are 2 sizes, most are the smaller size- these screw in, not press in!), and a tool for the removal of the torsion bars. It clamps around the t-bar, and gives you something to strike with a hammer. Chryco's method is tried and true, and used by me forever. I would use the t-bar clamp, but I haven't had to. When a torsion bar is stuck hard enough as to require more persuasion than usual, the use of locking pliers (like vise grips) is ok, as long as you cushion the jaws against the bar, so as not to mar it. Stress risers in the torsion bar can turn into catastrophe, and the shrapnel is capable of going through the floorboard (trust me, I know from bitter experience). Never strike the spring directly with a hard-faced hammer, and use the proper tools (or a suitable alternative) for removal and installation of components.

 Maybe a little conservative here, I don't think it would be a good idea to even scratch a torsion bar. Scars start  stress cracks, which can progresses towards the center of the bar/spring and ultimatly fail. This is a most delicate component for sure. 

 Gotta do my front end soon also , this seems to be a great post for refereance.

[duodec]

I always wondered if it would be a good idea to put a protective tube, or heavy flexible coating on the t-bars.  I lost one once to what I assume was a scratch or nick from road debris; I'd had the car for a while, never touched the bars to that point, and one day it went *BANG* and dropped the left corner while sitting in the parking lot at work...

OTOH the t-bar pieces made a great pry bar and tent stake, respectively.

[71chally416]

You can also just lower the k-frame with a floor jack once the strut rods and k frame attaching bolts are removed and pull it forward to get it free of the control arms and torsion bars. Of course the nuts on the front of the lower control arms must be removed first and they must be seperated from the spindels at the ball joints. That way you're not beating on the control arms with a hammer or scratching up the Torsion bars with vice grips. A concrete block on each side with a piece of wood on top makes a nice landing platform for them when they drop out of the K frame. Then you can simply pull them forward to remove them from their rear mounting points in the frame where the tranny mount bolts.      
 

[Chryco Psycho]

i though there were 3 diff ball joint sizes? smallest being A bodie middle being E/B and the largest being on a C body? am i mistaken

 You are correct , the trucks & vans share the largest C body size joint

[black71]

thanks CP!

[moparnut]

more great info thanks again

[moparnut]

I also forgot to mention, I bought the whole front end rebuild tool kit six months ago, should make the job easier

[moparnut]

 Guys, my applolgies, im getting old,lol
Its been so long(a year) since I was woprking on my projects i forgot i had this with the tool kit i bought. I found the scanned image on my hardrive

[Chryco Psycho]

I have the kit too , it doesn`t really help with the lower control arm unless you are using poly bushings , the tool for the upper control arm totals the bolt everytime I use it so I buy a  lot of  threaded grade 8 1/2" rod , other than that the tools do work

[Supercuda]

A little clarity concerning the three sizes of ball joint: the "small" A-body ball joint has the same size "head" as the later A- and B- and E-body ball joints. The difference in this application is the stud size, not the joint size. Otherwise, all the info is right. The fear of marring a t-bar is a valid one, and I never did find out why my t-bar broke, but it is better to be safe than sorry. Stress risers can be avoided by careful service techniques, and I have used large channel-lock pliers and vise-grip pliers both, but clamped around a shop towel to protect the bar. The proper tool works much better. For control arm bushings, I hammerr them out with an air hammer, and install them with a control arm bushing press, which was made by ATD Tools. It is very handy for any car, but worked superbly for installing both my upper and lower control arm bushings. The proper adaptors and a shop press also will install bushings.

[LAA66]

 I had no idea that many diffferant tools were needed to do a front end job.  Are any simple enough to be made at home, in the shop? Thanks!

[71chally416]

You can usually rent tools at the local Autozone.

[Supercuda]

Do not, I repeat, do not expect Autozone to have the tools necessary for most of the front end work required on our classic MOPARs. Bushing presses and ball joint sockets are all I would expect, and then, I would be surprised if they had ball joint sockets. Yes, most tools for servicing our cars can be made at home. Many of the tools in the MOPAR-specific kits are the result of clever DIY'ers making a good tool at home, and sharing it with the world. The tools that are very easy to come up with at home, if one is skilled and has the proper materials and tools to build them, are: the bushing drivers, the t-bar clamp, and any tool that makes any other part of the job easier. The ball joint socket should be available from your local professional tool dealer, also. Mine came from now-defunct suppliers many moons ago, but they should be available from Mac, Matco, and Snap-On. Without research, I couldn't tell you whom else, but it's an easy question for most tool suppliers to answer.

[71chally416]

They should have the ball joint socket. The bushings can be installed by the local automotive machine shop or front end shop. If you drop the K-frame the torsion bars will come out without damaging them. I would avoid using vice grips on them.