SBC Conversion - Front Suspension A-Arm Trouble

Good Day Everyone

I am just having no luck with my conversion. My next task is putting the front suspension back together. After not working on it for 4yrs, I had forgotten that there was something suspect with the lower A-Arm mounting on the passenger side. The rear mounting where there 2 bolts attaching to the underbody is where the problem is. First I cannot get that rubber bushing thing to sit flat against the underbody. As a result, when I try to bolt that shackle thing over top of the bushing the stock bolt is too short and won't thread in. Then the other bolt is a different thread and it had a spot weld on the head of the bolt to the underbody. I think the threads are boogered up.

So, I have 2 things going on here:
1) The A-arm rubber bushing won't sit flat against the underbody.
2) Thread issue maybe I can get a tap and cleanup them up.

Does anyone know what the thread are on those bolts?

Thanks,
Ed

first off, what year is the car. the control arms changed 85.5+.

you should be able to loosen the nut on the end of the control arm and the bushing should free up. that will at least help with it not sitting flat.

My bad on forgetting the yr...1983.

I don't have a nut at the end. Perhaps I should just get a new one?

the advice above was for the 85.5+ control arms. im not familiar with the early stuff.

you may have to push the knuckle out of the way and get the control arm bolted up, then pull it down and get the balljoint in place.

Hello there

I have my new bushing for the rear of the front pass side lower control arm. But it does not have any metal on the one end. The one on there has metal infused into it kind of like a backing plate on the end that slid on first.

Is it ok to put this new one on that is all rubber? Now my next task is getting the old one off. Is there a special technique or is it cut off wheel time?

Thanks,
Ed

the rear bolts for the front control ares are 10MM with a 1.50 pitch thread .
the bolts are 65MM long with a thread length of 30mm . it should have a self cleaning cut at the leading edge of the threaded area . it uses a locking washer and a 30mm X 4mm flat washer .

they at times can be kind of a pita to get threaded in when your going with a poly bushing .
on the end of the bushing on both side there should be a collar washer to stop the poly bushing from walking up the post on the control arm . they need to be there .
the collars are not very thick just thin sheet metal .

you may need to pull the front control arm bolt out to install the rear bolts . because your going with poly bushings you may also need to grind down the flat of the bushing some to make then the same size as the rubber bushing as the poly bushing will not crush as the rubber ones do .
there has been a few times i had to push up in the rear bushing cap with a bottle jack to get the bolts to start going in .