i know this subject is getting real old, however...when i was looking for control arms on bma, they listed upper and lower. question: which ones are the primary cause for the shimmying that i feel btwn 45-55 when i accel or brake? :withstupi

uppper

werd, upper

Are you replacing them yourself?

Make sure you get them with the E32 bushings-

They're not bad to change yourself, my current best time is 75 minutes for both sides :buttrock

what method did you use to acheive that new record? :)

what method did you use to acheive that new record? :)


off-topic but do you have any more pics of your car? Looks hot.

what method did you use to acheive that new record? :)
Air tools shaved about 20 minutes off my previous best time :)

The best invention ever is the ball joint removal kit for air hammers, like a pickle fork on steroids (available at Sears). The only downside is that I have to get some of those Urethane boots from bmp. I have a spare set of thrust arms now so it's not a big deal...

I've taken so many E34 front ends apart that now I just know which tools to grab and I go to town... The other critical part is knowing how to line up the steering plate to the strut housing, the first time I did it I was under there for an hour and I couldn't figure out why the frickin' thing wouldn't line up. I eventually figured out that it's best to get directly underneath the holes and look through one of them to make sure they're lined up properly.

Love the M5 License plate surround by the way...that may have to be my next mod :cool

apologies gang, was away for a few days. i going to try to attempt to do the work myself. thanks for advising on upper or lower. as to the e32 bushings, are those separate from the control arms. do i need to see a specialist to have them pressed? also i've read previous posts where 750 il or ml bushings are used. any thoughts/suggestions? last question; are e30 control arms compatable?

E32=750iL Bushings, BMA will sell them already pressed, as will a number of other retailers. It's pretty much a standard thing nowadays.

I don't know about E30's, but I doubt that they're common.

The best advice I can give you is to go to AutoZone (or comprable) and get a $10 Ball Joint Seperator, also known as a pickle fork. And make sure you have a big damn hammer. When you go to pop the ball joints loose, don't be afraid to swing on it HARD. If you try to pull your punches you'll be there all day.

Finally, don't forget that you have to torque the bolts that go through the bushings when the car is on the ground. Ramps are perfect for that, and I suggest the grey plastic ones found at AutoZone or Advance if you don't have any.

Best of luck!

appreciate the advice/help. now to get motivated...

btw...i was @ the boneyard the other day and came across an '85 635is. when i looked at the engine, it looked almost exactly the same as mine. could this be the same engine? had many parts on it. i took the injectors and air flow meter and power door switches.

it is the same.

Air tools shaved about 20 minutes off my previous best time :)

The best invention ever is the ball joint removal kit for air hammers, like a pickle fork on steroids (available at Sears). The only downside is that I have to get some of those Urethane boots from bmp. I have a spare set of thrust arms now so it's not a big deal...



its most likely a stupid thing to ask and revive an old topic, but I know the know hows to remove the ball joints, but how to put them back on without the new ball joint spinning trying to tighten it? Seems a lot of downforce is needed to fully meet the torque settings required. :help :help :help

its most likely a stupid thing to ask and revive an old topic, but I know the know hows to remove the ball joints, but how to put them back on without the new ball joint spinning trying to tighten it? Seems a lot of downforce is needed to fully meet the torque settings required. :help :help :help

Well at least for the lower ball joints, you put a jack below the ball joint and apply a bit of pressure on it - this will make it so the new ball joint doesn't spin when you tighten that nut - make sure you use new self-locking nuts!

thanks! any other methods? just insuring myself that after all I remove everything, I want to rely on maybe a few more methods incase one or two aren't as effective, so I don't have to hassle on putting everything back together when I'm stuck. TIA :help :help

bump?