So I took Snowblind (1962 Impala) into a local alignment place for upper control arm bushings since we're offically metal to metal :shock: . Cost is @ $300 (with alignment/shimming). I call and he says the lower bushings are shot as well and I'm looking at another $300! What the hell? Is that expensive or is it just my lack of experience in the area?
Yep, If I did that work, I'd charge the same. Of course i think my time is important. If you want to start investing in tools and knowledge instead of pouring it into someone elses pocket. I'd suggest that you do it yourself next time.
A front end rebuild is a pain in the ass, with the cost of parts, labor and alignment that sounds about right to me.
Very,very few can do their own alignments (yes, props to you that can) but alot of owning an old car is jumping in and doing it yourself. Otherwise owning an old car can get real expensive. Now I would think you would get the lowers done for a bit cheaper since the thing is already in the air with the wheels off. Truthfully I don't really like fighting things to get them off. Once I see a bill for $600 though I go looking for the hammer. Unfortunately there are some who live in apts or something and have no place to work on a car.
http://replacement.autopartswarehou...MPA--001&part=Control Arm Bushing Kit&dp=true About $50 plus labor. <TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD></TD></TR><SCRIPT src="http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/quote_e/Q2hldnJvbGV0/SW1wYWxh/MTk2Mg==/Q29udHJvbCBBcm0gQnVzaGluZyBLaXQ=.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><SCRIPT src="http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/includes/imagepopup.js" type=text/javascript></SCRIPT><FORM style="DISPLAY: inline" action=http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/domestic/add_item.php method=post><TR><TD vAlign=top width=115 rowSpan=2> Click to Enlarge #MOK304 </TD><TD>Control Arm Bushing Kit</TD><TD>Moog</TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #990000">$31.95</TD><TD></TD><TD align=right><INPUT type=hidden value=172418330 name=partid><INPUT style="DISPLAY: inline" maxLength=2 size=1 value=1 name=qty></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=4><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Vehicle: 1959 1962 Chevrolet Impala </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2> Fits Engine Chassis: </TD></TR> <TR><TD colSpan=2>3.9L, 6 Cylinder, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>4.6L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>5.4L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>6.7L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top> Description: Control Arm Bushing Kit, High Quality Original Equipment Replacement </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top> Fit Note: FRONT Suspension, Lower </TD></TR><TR><TD> Live Help Free Shipping On Orders Over $50.00 </TD></TR> </TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD vAlign=top align=right> <INPUT class=buyButton title="Add to Basket" style="CURSOR: pointer" type=submit alt="Add to Basket" value="Add to Cart" name=buy> </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=7><HR></TD></TR></FORM><FORM style="DISPLAY: inline" action=http://www.autopartswarehouse.com/domestic/add_item.php method=post><TR><TD vAlign=top width=115 rowSpan=2> Click to Enlarge #MOK5196 </TD><TD>Control Arm Bushing Kit</TD><TD>Moog</TD><TD style="FONT-WEIGHT: bold; COLOR: #990000">$15.95</TD><TD></TD><TD align=right><INPUT type=hidden value=172395537 name=partid><INPUT style="DISPLAY: inline" maxLength=2 size=1 value=1 name=qty></TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top colSpan=4><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0><TBODY><TR><TD>Vehicle: 1959 1962 Chevrolet Impala </TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2> Fits Engine Chassis: </TD></TR> <TR><TD colSpan=2>3.9L, 6 Cylinder, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>4.6L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>5.4L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>5.7L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD colSpan=2>6.7L, V8, GAS, CARB Base</TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top> Description: Control Arm Bushing Kit, High Quality Original Equipment Replacement </TD></TR><TR><TD vAlign=top> Fit Note: FRONT Suspension, Upper </TD></TR><TR><TD> Live Help Free Shipping On Orders Over $50.00 </TD></TR> </TBODY></TABLE></TD><TD vAlign=top align=right> </TD></TR></FORM></TBODY></TABLE>
Yeah-I know it's a speciality tool situation. The additional $300 sounded high when it's already apart. I asked if it would be more if I brought it back later, since it'd be all buttoned up again, but he said it'd be the same.
Cheapest way in would be with Chinese versions of the big C-clamp type press and spring compressor (optional, but doing without safely requires a good bit of careful input!), with dangerous portions of operation backed by a good chain in case of bad forging in the compressor...then you get to learn how much fun dealing with rusted bushing shells can be. This will be cheap in dollars, shockingly expensive in time, learning, and blood unless you have some kind of miracle unrusted chassis... I think he is doing some double-dipping on those labor charges...some stuff certainly has to be repeated in there, and maybe he'll rethink if you try to schedule toe appointments for the work a week apart. I think he is simply adding two flatrate operations that actually have significant overlap... If new A-arms are available from the musclecar suppliers, think long and hard.
As in buy totally new arms vs. replacing the bushings? They have some really nice stuff available out there.
uppers should only take an afternoon, you just need a floor jack, wrenches, vise, big hammer, and a few assorted pieces of pipe/tubing or maybe some big sockets you don't mind beating on. Lowers are a bit more of a pita, with the spring probably having to come out. you can someon else work on your car, trade your money for someone else's knowledge/tools/equipment/time, or you can buy some of that stuff and learn how to do it yourself, eventually it pays off for some of us. If you have the $600, you might be wise to just pay to have it done
Do-it-yourself will be a sure-nuff learning experience--you'll know your car, your soul, and your blood type before you finish... You'll either be a certified shade tree wrench or a Honda owner by the time it's over. Those bushings are the conceptually easiest/practically most difficult R&R you''ll ever meet. OTOH, good front suspension repairs often make a really big difference in roadability on a 60's car.
Had a Chevelle that the steering shaft needed to come out for A-arm removal. Is yours like that too? Are you ready for that?
62 chevy has an intermediate steering shaft, and I don't think it has to come out to swap the uppers....at least I don't recall having to mess with steering when I did the uppers on my 58 years ago.
If you elect to do it yourself, it might pay to scare up another pair of control arms and rebuild them on the bench, then swap them in at your convenience. That way, the car's still driveable while you toil and swear.
Have the ever been changed before? If not, 45 years of them being installed would be a helluva run! I'm also with the others here who suggest checking into aftermarket items. Yet another thought would be can you buy all both upper and lower control arms in a salvage yard cheap enough, carry them to a shop to have the bushings installed, then put them on at home? After you did all of that yourself, THEN take it to an alignment shop? Might get lucky and do all 4 for half the price AND get new ball joints installed at the same time.
If you have a place and tools, do it yourself,(except alignment) You can rent / borrow a spring compressor. Bushings arent hard if you have access to a large vise / press. Just don't try to beat 'em in with a BFH.
what in the hell do ya need a spring compressor for? IF the car has a motor in it(the motor is the important part), use a cheapy jack under the BJ . cheapy jack? the pad is about the same size as the ball joint...stays put!
I would be replacing the ball joints now and call the front end rebuilt. You know two weeks from now they will go bad and the mechanic will have to do about the same amount of repetitive work.
Guy is probably quoting you flat rate on both jobs !If the flat rate book says it takes 5 hours to R&R uppers AND the same to R&R lowers as seperate jobs 10 hours total for both jobs done at seperate times ,He can charge you 10 hours even though 3/4 of the labor is already done for the second job.So if he can do both jobs combined in say 6 hours the other 4 are pure gravy for him.This was challenged in court here in Ct.when a woman left her car for work that was quoted for somthing like 12 hours and the garage called her 4 1/2 hours later that it was done, The garage won the case they got the quoted price !Now if flat rate is quoted they are not supposed to charge anything over the quote no matter what goes wrong !If they say its going to take 3 hours at X $ total 150$ and rust broken bolts whatever causes it to go 5 hours they are not supposed to raise the price.By using flat rate they have contracted the job for that price.Many shops however will tell you that they ran into trouble and had to charge more if you don't know this
Just got it back and it's night and day! I went from 'floppy wheels' that kicked to the side when I turned (evidently) and a crazy rough ride, to smoooothness. I had blamed alot of the stuff the new bushings fixed on cut springs! I gotta pay somebody else this month, so 2 weeks sounds right on the lower...
ok, something is bullshit here! how do you "align" a frontend with worn out bushings? same with balljoints and anything else in the front end?
My thoughts,too. He said the next time, it'll be cheaper and the alignment will be free. The steering wheel is true and the wheels are straight with minimum shake at slow down from high speed. I drove her 60 miles on the highway last night, so i figure if it was going to break, it would break. Maybe they shimmed it to compensate?
I did the front and rear bushings on a 79 malibu once, i'll never do that again. Broke 4 or 5 pieces of all thread, and it took about 5 days. About an hour a bushing. Incredible difference with new bushings, but it was a bear to fight. If I ever was stupid enough to do that again, it will be with a press. On my mustang, I bought new arms with bushings and balljoints installed for about $350, which was unbelievable. Made the job much easier.
I did all the bushings on the front end of my c*maro. Took a week of evenings, but I did the ball joints and tie rods, centerlink at the same time. And I have a press....the job still sucked.
I did the full front rebuild on my 60 biscayne a few years back. I had the same metal to metal issue. I don't remember it being too hard but it was a few years ago. Just took the a-arms to the local mechanic around the corner and had them replace with my new bushings. I think they charged me $60 to do the bushing and then I took it to get the alignment. But you need to be able to have the car off the road for a couple days
The Jalopy Journal
