Slipstream - November 2014

to all the weight pushing down from the A-arm, and
instead was dragging along on the gravel. I could also
see that the castellated nut on the bottom of the ball
joint was shaving pieces of metal off of my inner rim.
Fiddling around with the strut some more, I noticed
that the instantaneous release of tension had completely
obliterated my ball joint. The “ball” part was
completely disconnected from the “joint,” and the protective
rubber boot was shredded beyond recognition.
Not wanting to be late for class, I left the car where
it was and called in a tow truck to bring her home.
Once she was back in my parking lot and with her
front tires off, the real work began. After my first
inspection of the suspension components, I deduced
Busted tie rod end
of this “suspension odyssey” will cover the removal and
installation of all the suspension components listed
above. I will try to give step by step instructions as best
I can, while sharing the problems I had to overcome
and how they could have been avoided, so that if a
suspension upgrade is in your future, you will be better
prepared for the challenge than I was. Stay tuned next
month for Part 2: Tie Rods and Ball joints.
One good-looking hitchhiker
that I would need: new shocks, new ball joints, new
tie rods, and “while I was in there,” new rotors, a
re-packing of the wheel bearings, new brake pads, and
if needed, a re-seal of the brake calipers. Naturally, I
chose to do the Lemfoerder turbo tie-rod upgrade,
and counted myself lucky that I was able to get all the
parts I needed within a reasonable timeframe and for
a reasonable cost. I was doubly lucky when I learned
that I wouldn’t need replacements for the front torsion
bars, as they were still firmly intact and solid.
But my luck would soon run out, as problem after
problem surfaced from what was supposed to be a
“routine” suspension upgrade. As I have already run
out of space for this article, the next few installments
11