Does anybody have a recommendation for getting the old **** CABs out of the arms aside from burning/hydraulic press/ball joint press? i'm trying to source one, but the shops around here aren't willing to press them in/out due to liability, and nobody i know has the means to get it done. I don't have access to most normal shop tools, so i'm just looking for outside the box options while contacting machine shops in the area.

 

I had the dealer do mine.

 

I've heard people take a thick piece of wood cut a hole just slightly bigger then the cab lay the control arm over the hole. Make a round piece of wood slightly smaller then the cab and hammer out te old one hitting the wood not the cab.
Then you use the same rig but tap in the new cab or use a vice to press it in.
However you would t use the piece of wood with a hole in it the second time.

I would just get the dealer to do it before doing it that way but it's an option...

 

if you have the style with the gaps in it, you can use a hacksaw to cut the outer metal sleeve. 2 total cuts, on opposite sides. just go slow and be careful not to hack up the actual control arm too much. basically cut the outer sleeve into halves. if you have the solid rubber ones you are going to have to burn them out.

The issue is even if you get them out, you wont realistically get new ones in without a press. Might as well just wait and have someone press them out and the new ones in. It wont be much money, and whatever it costs will save you a lot of hassle

 

I had a shop do it cuz I didn't want to deal with somthing being seized. Lucky they said it went smooth. After the alignment is was like 225 no bad for safety of me raging on a bolt haha

 

I've used a vice and a big socket to do it but it sucks doing it that way. If you do it that way, just get 2 blocks of wood or something on the side that the CAB is being pushed towards to give it room to come out. Those things are in there tight though so it's not the easiest thing to do that way

 

I know it won't be easy without a hydraulic press, but the cheapest i've found after about a dozen calls out is about $120 just to knock them out/new ones in. I can almost buy the a ball joint press and do it that way for that price. i like the block of wood idea, might be a possibility if my last option doesn't come through.

 

I bought a harbor freight press for 110 bucks a year or two ago. its by no means precision machinery, but its great for stuff like this. Basically paid for itself after a few CAB changes and U-joints on my truck

 

i used a big ass vice bolted to the floor with a three foot cheater bar and froze the bushings overnight. It worked with two people but i wont do it again major pita. I used two sockets one on the back to evenly distribute the load on the arm one on top of the cab to push in, both sockets needed a little work on the grinder and dremel tool but i got it done for around $15. I would not recommend hitting an alloy arm with a hammer it could very well bend. The only reason i was able to do it this way was the support on the back of the arm and constantly checking to make sure it was straight with calipers if your not very careful you will bend the arm with the vice.

 

My favorite technique is to buy all new control arms from CED.

$300 for all new arms and bushings already installed. or Get Powell bushings preinstalled for $400 with new arms.

Especially if you control arms have about 100k miles on them. So much easier. Time saver too.

 

i have a set of Fe5 arms for sale if you want a spare set ... the best way to go. I sent mine out and had them put in for me

 

disappointment, I thought this would be a thread about ******* taxi drivers

 

Mr. Bill, you must not know me very well, for I am nothing BUT a disappointment

 

Ok if you say so, But most of the taxi drivers in Vancouver drive like ********

 

bill

 

I used a 1 9/16 socket and a hole cut drill bit can't remember the size 4 inch I think and a vice ...for removal and install took like a hour for both sides ..that's removing the arm from the car removing the cabs and reinstalling it all.

 

thanks for the size reference, that might just have to be the way i go, because there's no way in hell i'm paying minimum shop labor fees for 5 minutes of press work.

 

I rented a ball joint tool from Autozone. Worked well.

 

Could you elaborate on your method?

 

Pretty much applied this video...

 

I really wouldnt have thought one of those would apply enough force

 

Worked fine for me.

 

Do you need an alignment if replacing CAB with new OEM replacement parts?

 

You more than likely will need one ^ and even if everything seems fine i would still do it

 

put the new CABs in just throw them in the freezer. should shrink them just enough to pop them in.