67 GMC

Hey-I get it but I'm in Canada too remember. Summit racing and Rock Auto ship immediately and clearing customs doesn't take long plus it comes to your door. Trying to work and go a hour's drive to show up at a NAPA store that doesn't have your part seems like more work and gas. To me, nothing better than getting home from work and seeing my box of parts at the door waiting for me.
Ask your Napa store for a water neck(thermostat housing) or tail light assembly for your Jeep. See what price and delivery they tell you.

Most local, limited inventory stores will be gone in a few years. The stores are still stuck on that front-desk, 8-4:30 M-F, open til noon on Saturday and closed Sunday mentality. When are you supposed to shop and do your work????

SG Mason

The problem with that mentality is that if you don't support your local stores when ever you can, you wont have them when you really need them. I am about an hour south of Ottawa, yet anything i have needed for my Jeep I have been able to get through my local NAPA within a day or two. Usually later that afternoon. Every time I have ordered parts online I have had to wait a minimum of a week for parts to show up, and that includes Canadian online retailers Now most of the time I call around to local parts suppliers to get the best price, order, and pick up a couple of days later. National 4X4 out of Smith Falls has been my go to store for upgrade parts lately. Sure they are still an hour drive from my dinky little home town, but it is a nice drive

Canadian Tire is about the worst for getting parts for vehicles over 10 years old. I went there to get an oil pan gasket for my Jeep and was told that they don't make parts for Cherokees any more Went to NAPA the next morning and they had it in stock.

My XJ is a 98, you should see the troubles I go through to get parts for my 92 Stealth Everything for that has had to be purchased online through US stores

67 GMC

NAPA=UAP=Owned by US corporation. Local store is really no different than any other franchise (Parts Source=Canadian Tire, CARQUEST=Advance Autoparts (US).

If you were talking about a privately owned, mom&pop store I would heartily agree with you. Awful lot of parts made in China. Where I am, we had GM, Dana, Aimco, Mackinnon Industries all making car parts. They are all gone now. Corporations moved to cheaper places to make parts.

This has drifted far from the topic of control arms...

swanson

No kidding... Well I'm not gonna get more into it, I have my reasons for the not ordering the lowers and that's all that needs to be said.

Anywayyyyssss finally got it all put back together. Was a complete ***** to get the upper bushings in, but I managed to (or so I thought).

Took her on the drive to my new place in the city, drove wonderfully. No more wobbles over bumps, thank god.

But after I got to my place and unloaded all my stuff, I took a check underneath to make sure everything was tightened up still (I'm incredibly nervous about my own work, all the time). And the passenger side upper bushing that sits on the axle had pushed out a bit. Control arm is still bolted up tight, but the fact that bushing came out a bit worries the **** out of me.

Unfortunately I've got none of the tools up here required to push that bastard back in, about all I can do is oil changes (no jacks, no air tools, no presses). The bushing still seems tight, but I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Should I just take it into a shop and get them to do it up right?

swanson

Been driving it for awhile now (past week), driven it probably 800 klicks total. Wobble's still gone, bushing hasn't moved since, so I'm going to leave it for now.


But I've noticed another thing, the steering wheel now has a bit of play in it that it didn't have before. I can probably turn it about an inch or so either way before the tires move.


Did replacing the bushings and control arms dick with the axle? If so, is there a way to fix that play, should I just adjust the steering box?

SG Mason

My steering actually firmed up after the bushing change. Did you use a torque wrench and torque to proper specs? I can't remember them off hand right now, but if not crawl back under and check that all the bolts and nuts are still tight. I wasn't able to get my big torque wrench on the frame side upper control arm nuts and have had to tighten them a couple times now. I have a set of 1/2" drive crows feet on order that should be in by next payday so I can get then properly torqued.

crimsondragon

Since the steering links move perpendicular to the control arms, I doubt it has anything to do with it. I have however, noticed that track arm bushings get destroyed soon after stiffer/new bushings are placed in the control arms. My theory is less give in the new bushings, suspension cycling up and down puts more load on the bushing than usual. Take it for what it is, just my experience. Inspect your track bar bushing.

swanson

I'll get underneath and check those. I was the same as you, I managed to get all of the bolts torqued to spec except for the ones on the upper frame. I hit those a bit with the gun, but I'll check them tomorrow.

It shouldn't be the track bar, because that's brand new as of 5 months ago, and these control arms were put in last week; I don't think that'd be enough time to destroy the bushing. I'll check it anyways.

The only thing I can think of is that either the control arms I replaced were out of wack a bit, and the new ones straightened out the axle which gave some play in the steering? Does that make sense?