Auto repair - 240sx front lower control arm replacement

[xXKevinEdgarXx]

What the fuck? The lca really just fell out that easily?! My shit won't come out at all from the spindle!

[wookiesandcream]

great video man,i slid in the rain the other day and hit a curb in my s13 and broke the tension rod and bent the control arm pretty bad and am about to do this, thanks for posting. subscribing for sure. ps, i lol'd on the smoke break part haha

[dtmbcorp]

@wookiesandcream Sounds like you were havin fun! Were you able to limp it home or did you need a tow? Be careful out there brother. I been riding my motorcycle a lot lately, but I still take the car out to slide around when the roads are wet. Can't do that on a bike! At least I can't, anyway, hahah.

Glad you enjoyed the video.

[Drumvain]

Do you get high before or after you do this? My bet is after.

[dtmbcorp]

@Drumvain Before, during, and after. I actually broke my bowl on the parking lot when it fell out of my pocket halfway through. :(

Being high not only makes the job more fun, but honestly I get more insight into the dynamics of the car parts and how they work together as a system when I'm under the influence. It may take a bit longer than it would otherwise, but the insights are much more profound. It also helps to have a lighthearted attitude when doing potentially frustrating work.

[Drumvain]

@dtmbcorp Thats cool, I guess it depends on the strain+ your tollerance. Now days That part is saved for after. Youre good, youre good!

[Sc0rP7707]

hey mate, i have an s13 silvia. but the set up is identical.

actually looks like i've bent the mount on the crossmember that the control arm goes into.

would you know if it's possible to unbend that or would i be looking at replacing the whole crossmember?

cheers mate.

[dtmbcorp]

@Sc0rP7707 You might be able to bend it back so you can fit the LCA on and make it drivable to get you to work or whatever, but it likely won't be very exact, and you will be putting extra stress on other parts of your suspension if it's not exact and you hear clunking, banging, rattling etc. Might be ok for a few weeks but I would replace the crossmember when possible. Don't risk the safety of you or your car if it looks sketchy.

Good luck man

[HowToChangeTheWorld]

Nice work bro. I assume you went with the OEM replacement control arms? My new control arms have been sitting in my storage room for over a year now, along with the rest of the suspension goodies that haven't found their way onto my 240 as yet.

[dtmbcorp]

@HowToChangeTheWorld Thanks. Yeah, they're OEM from PDM racing. I'd like to do poly bushings all the way around, lsd, some cheap coilovers, high flow cat and cherrybomb, 5 speed swap, 1 piece aluminum driveshaft, lighter flywheel, engine rebuild, low boost quick spooling homebrew turbo setup [ka-t], paint, tension arm brace, front and back strut tower bars, etc... Keep it tasteful and stock looking. I like the sleeper look. I'm also starting to like the pignose bumper more... One day!

[HowToChangeTheWorld]

@dtmbcorp I see you have many more projects ahead of you. To tell you the truth, I never liked the look of the S13's front bumper. It's just too square looking and doesn't fit the rest of the car, in my opinion. I have only seen one that rocks called 'monkey magic' by URAS. I'll PM you a pic and tell me what you think of it.

[dtmbcorp]

@HowToChangeTheWorld what else you got to put on anyway? I don't think I'm going to go with much adjustable stuff on my suspension because I hear people who have them complain about losing their alignments really easily. For a daily I just want it solid and responsive feeling, it's not like I'm taking it to the track or anything.

[HowToChangeTheWorld]

@dtmbcorp I have all the parts needed to rebuild the suspension, including 5 lug conversion hubs and too many other things I bought. The problem is, I now want to tare the car down and start from the ground up. I want to lighten the car as much as possible yet still remain functional for street travel. The parts list keeps getting bigger.

[dtmbcorp]

@HowToChangeTheWorld I was just talking to my friend about the 5-lug swap earlier today. If ya got any extra parts you decide you don't need and wanna sell em, let me know what ya got, we can do something over paypal maybe.

[roadrunnermike]

I have always done every repair to all My cars ever since I was 16 yo. and My first car a 68' Roadrunner 383 4 sp. I have replaced many clutches, engines, rear ends, and suspension parts, all You need is some tools, a book or online info, and a brain,, and Im glad You replaced the rubber sway bar bushings W/plastic, Ive had them on every car and truck Ive had, so I can take curves at 100 MPH. without swaying.

[dtmbcorp]

@roadrunnermike hehehee

I don't have those bushings installed yet, just planning on it.

I'll make sure I shoot you a question if I need some advice. Thanks for the feedback brother!

[roadrunnermike]

Hey Good Job Man, thats a good idea to film that to help other people, Im not sure I could usually something strips out, or breaks off and theres too much hammering and cursing when I do a big repair job, oh and at the end I thought You passed out from the heat, till I saw the cig. going LOL!

Cool

[seajist]

tight vid, was it hot out?

[dtmbcorp]

@seajist It was actually, cool, dry air and breezy. The sun was out in full force though... you can tell I got a bit burned towards the end there.... I had never done this job before so it took me a long time... 7 hours straight -__-

It was nice though, which is why I chose that day

it's humid as fuck in my area

[drugsRyummy]

haaa wow i love the cig break got the mat and all .... bad ass on the car repair job seems to me i had ball joint control arm problems that led to $600+ repairs .. pretty bad ass that u know how to do that and ur car functions after u put it back together

[dtmbcorp]

@drugsRyummy Don't be deceived, the mat is just a cardboard box ^_^

Useful for keeping the grit off you though and giving a little padding against the asphalt.

Yeah, the people I went to wanted somewhere around 700 (probably woulda been more when it was all said and done)... I paid $115 for the parts (including shipping, all the way from BC, Canada) and maybe 50 bucks for more tools that I needed. And you get to use the tools again in future jobs of course. Pretty incredible savings.

[dtmbcorp]

@drugsRyummy The auto service industry is a scam. I encourage everyone to buy a cheap automotive tool set (the one I started with was $20), a factory service manual, and get to work. You will save thousands...

Thanks for the encouragement BTW

[drugsRyummy]

@dtmbcorp definately man, thats money ur savin for more greens, that means its a good thing

[EVlLDeD]

awesome tutorial. Great work man !!!

[dtmbcorp]

@EVlLDeD thanks a lot broski