Help! Should I stay, should I go?

[Big T]

I'm at an impasse on the removal of the lower control arms:

1) Tried 5 lb BFH.

2) Soaked it now for several days with PB Blaster and applied BFH.

3) Looked all over locally for air hammer bit, but could not find. Given the failure with the BFH, it's doubtful that an air hammer will do much.

4) Applied some heat with a Mapp gas torch, but I did not want to compromise the existing bushings. Applied BFH again, no go.

Again, I am at an impasse. All suggestions here have produced no progress. I'm thinking that I have to put it back together as is with the old bushings and just live with it. I'll grind and drill out the lower ball joints and put the new ones on and be done with it. This job on a 20 year old truck is just an exercise in futility.

 

[pipelinetrash89]

I've never messed with IFS truck much, but I'm curious if the T-bars are pressed into the control arm? If heat and a hammer didn't move it, it has to be pressed in, or have a retaining clip somewhere?

 

[Big T]

This video was sorta inspiring:

http://youtu.be/pKH9Ag8FMZY

I did some searching and found some posts in other forums:

When I took mine off to lift my 95 GMC they were stuck also. This was in 2004 so they had been in a while.
I released the tension like you have done, then I soaked them w/ PB blaster.
Then I disconnected the crossmember. I then ducktaped a 2x4 to the crossmember and pounded the hell out of the 2x4 with a sledgehammer towards the back of the truck. It took a lot of beating and they finally came out.
There may be an easier way, but it worked

Or

Thanks for the input, PB soaked and beat the hell out of it, forwards and backwards and nothing budged. I ended up removing the tranny x-member and dropping it all at once, control arms-cv's-t bars-and the x-member. Big and nasty, but at least it is out and things are starting to go back together. I wonder it the truck having been used to plow for the first 6 years of its life helped lock those bastards in there.

I've tried the above, but there isn't enough side-to-side play to get the X-member out. I tried pulling the rubber caps to gain more clearance. Jacking up one side to gain. Pulling one side forward and jacking. Still not enough to clear the frame.

And some more:

Once you remove the adjuster bolts and the keys are hanging there put a pry bar where the adjuster goes in the torsion bar cross member and grab some big channel locks the twist the bar towards the outside of the truck as hard as you can and they will break loose if not then grab a sledge and beat on the edge of the keys with it and try it again but don't use heat! What ever you do don't heat them up! Hope this helps. Good luck.

Note: I'll try this.


Another vote for the goal post removal:

this sounds harder than it is. but i did a lift kit about 8 years ago on a buddies truck and we had the same problem. we took out the lower control arms, torsion bars and crossmember all in one big piece. once it was all unbolted we rotated the assembly out sideways till the cross member came out. kind of a bitch to put back in alone so get a buddy or two to help. this DOES work. pm 70chevrolet about this as he just did it to his truck too.

 

[Mike K3500]

When I've removed mine.. I have done a couple different ways... Both while the lower control arm was still installed.

1) first time (I was replacing a set of light duty bars from a half ton with 8,700 lb bars from one ton for snow plow rig), I cut the bars off and used a torch to heat the ends up this is kind silly here, but I used a bottle jack that I wedged in the control arms and put lots of pressure on the end of the T-bar from the "inside fo the control arm and bet the hell out of it with a BFH, it / they came out that way, but not the best way... but worked

2) second time while all still in the truck, I was helping a buddy of mine and on a hoist.. I heated and used an air hammer to drive them forward enough to break them loose and then backwards to get them out.. but they were soaked for quite a while prior.

3) third time (i'm cringing) still yet to be done, but have to get to it soon.. (installing a 4" lift in my K3500) and swapping the stamped lower arms for the newer forged ones. Ought to be a treat.

I wonder if you could use a press OR maybe get a ball joint press in there... ???