Thank you so much for posting this video. I have watched 100 videos for c-10 trucks but none of them have this type of shaft. You saved the day. #vanlife
Thanks buddy for the video it has helped me a ton. I have a 1992 g20 and it took me two months to locate a not rusted set of control arms and I too was shiting thinking of bashing them. It came apart great with your advice. Thanks again and happy vannin.
@@charlesswenson8510 I found them out west by accident on Craigslist. But there is a youtube channel called the swim shop 4x4 custom van's that converts van's to four wheel drive. So if you're looking for some they might have some. I don't know for sure but it would be worth a shot emailing them.
I'm planning on changing the bushing on my 89' GMC G2500, I had no idea that the shaft was hollow with a rubber bushing. I have a feeling mine might be shot, current bushings are crumbling and cracked so I'm going to assume that the shaft bushing is similar. The only off the shelf replacement I came across was from Rare Parts and my goodness are they pricey. I'm hoping they aren't as bad as every other bushing on the van, if they are I might have a crack at making a bushing from Polyurethane casting rubber. Thanks for the Video!
You're welcome. Another helpful tip - when pressing in your new (I'd recommend Energy Suspension) bushings, press the sleeve in with the kit I showed, then the bushing, I hammered it in with a block of wood over it, make sure you jam a block of wood or something between the two holes the bushing sleeve goes through so they don't deform. Also, insert the inner sleeve after the poly bushing is in, if you try to get the poly bushing in with it's sleeve inserted it won't go in. I used a suitably sized socket to knock in the inner sleeve. One side can all be done with the ball joint kit, the other side is what I'm referring to it needs to be done with the shaft in place so is a bit more awkward. If you have an air chisel or even one of those drills that have a chisel action the shells can be removed much quicker, in minutes. Good luck, the hardest part is de-rusting, cleaning and painting the control arms. Getting it all off and on the van is actually quite easy. Cable tie your upper alignment shims together so you don't get them mixed up. Be careful with the upper bolts on the chassis, they can't be replaced if they snap because 'no chassis'. Don't forget to buy a new backing plate seal, and get timken bearings they are oem. Your rotors come with races in them. Renew your brake hoses, drivers side one top connection is easiest to get to from under the hood, use proper pipe wrenches. The centre of the hose is held on with a clip that you pull outwards to release the hose. It looks like it screws apart but it doesn't. Spindle castle nut finger tight then ½ turn more, check by rocking wheel top to bottom, drive a bit, check again. Seal your brake fluid reservoir caps with plastic bags, and provided you don't touch your brake pedal you shouldn't lose much fluid and will be able to gravity bleed your new calipers without tripping your proportioning valve. Quality control on the ball joints is poor, even with moog, make sure they are not loose fitting and also get them in perfectly straight take your time pressing them in you don't want to oval out their mounting hole then end up having to weld them in. Make sure you measure ride height at the centre of the wheel before dismantling so you can torque up your control arm nuts at ride height. You will need a 1¼" ring and open ended wrench. One of the control arm nuts can't be torqued (no space once fitted) so you will just have to use your judgement based on how hard the other one felt. Torque specs in vid description.
So both my bushings were seized onto the rod. Had to literally cut the shell off and open up the sleve to get it off. Then the large washers are also stuck to the shafts. So I've had to keep the shaft in and put the bushings in around it. What a freaking nightmare of a job this is!
Thank you, helped me out for sure. It means allot that to me that you went ahead and made this video. I hope you are well and please have a wonderful day for me.
Roy, I have a 1991 GMC Vandura 2500 that has that same extra large main shaft like yours. I was wondering if you have the correct lower control arm bushing part number, so I can change them myself too. I've seen a lot of lower control arms with a lot smaller diameter shafts, but yours is just like mine, the extra large one. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks, DB
I got Energy Suspension 33161R from RockAuto. I think all the bushings are the same size regardless of the shaft diameter, but not certain. When installing the bushings into their outer shells it is best to do this without inserting the inner metal sleeve. If you install the inner sleeve first then you won't be able to get the bushings in at home and will have to take them to a shop to have them pressed in. You can knock the inner sleeves in after using a (I think) 20mm socket or whatever. The little tub of extremely sticky grease they send with it (wear disposable gloves) doesn't seem like it will go far enough to do the job. Fitting the first side I used it sparingly, and doing the second side I had loads left over. A year later and the first side now squeaks going over speed bumps. It says on their blurb "advantages/disadvantages" compared with rubber bushings that this may happen, so not a problem and not really that noisy to be annoying. The poly bushes definitely give a firmer ride and handling. Nothing particularly wrong with rubber bushings I just wanted the poly ones because they supposedly last longer. I also got Moog ball joints, idler arm, inner and outer tie rods and connector, new calipers, inner and outer wheel bearings and new inner seal, backing plate seal, new rotors, and rubber hoses. These are important to change, mine looked perfectly fine but once I got them off and bent them a bit they were cracked, and they rot from the inside too, turning them into a one way valve that makes the brakes drag. If you are going to do all the brakes then make sure you don't touch the brake pedal whilst you are rebuilding everything, that way you won't need to bleed the master cylinder. Take your time fitting the new ball joints to the lower arms, make sure they are square, you don't want to elongate the hole, I have seen pics of some people's ball joints "falling out" because of that, and then they have to get them welded in. Be careful with your U bolts, new originals are impossible to find. I soaked mine in spirit vinegar they came up like new. When dripping the lower arm to remove the spring, jack it up and loosen the nuts on the ball joints but leave the bolts on. Get an oversized pickle fork (I think it needs to be over an inch wide) and open the top ball joint first, undo nut, lower down carefully, push down on the control arm once your top spindle is loose and out comes the spring nice and easy. For fitting the upper ball joint, if you have the original still fitted it is rivetted on. Drill them out, small pilot hole in the centre first then a 6mm drill (I think) and once you have drilled down a bit you can chisel them off. The new ball joint with have nuts and bolts to mount it. Good luck it's a big job don't expect to get it done quick but it's worth taking the time to do properly so you know you can do donuts with confidence.
You lift the lower control arm with a jack, loosen the nut and break free the upper ball joint, remove nut, lower the jack, spring is no longer under pressure and can be lifted out. Reassembly is the reverse.
@@charlesswenson8510 yeah well at least you have pick and pulls with g vans in them, I'm in UK so it's make do and mend for me till CPP start making tubular control arms for them, there is a demand for sure. Fortunately for us vans are becoming more fashionable. If you haven't already, join the fb group "Chevy G10, G20 & G30 vans" that's the best place for help and advice I've found, though I have not had to ask for advice yet but have gave plenty. Happy vannin share some pics if you join the group.
TRW makes the replacement shaft now you can get both shafts for the left and right lower control arm for about 80 bucks why bother all that trouble I've had that trouble by their pain when you get new one just cut them out and put new ones in it's a piece of cake
I had a quick look at TRW, appears to me they only do the 1½" shafts, or shafts for vans "without vacuum brakes”!! But hey, if I'm mistaken and they really are available now then great, they weren't when I made the video, and the chat on the G Van FB pages no-one has ever managed to find a replacement for the 2” shafts.
