C20 Upper Control Arm Shaft Studs

[crazy4offroad]

To weld high-carbon steel, if that's what the studs are, and I think they are, you have to preheat them with oxy-acetylene to better than 200 degrees, then post-heat by sandbagging or heat blanket to keep the weld from cracking, then re-temper. I'm tellin ya, you'll be miles ahead of the game if you just get some grade-8 bolts, take loose the motor mount, jack the motor up as high as you need for clearance and bolt it in. Hell you could even do a couple 1" seam welds in places where you could cut them back out easily with a 4" angle grinder with a cut-off blade if you needed to. It would be better than those overheated studs breaking on the highway at 100 mph and crossing the median and killing a family and more than likely yourself. Just my $0.02, but don't take unnecessary chances on mission-critical parts.

 

[89Suburban]

Holy **** dude! I can't believe it goes down the road like that. Must make a hell of a clunk when you hit the brakes?

Very cool seing ya on video too, and the truck looks cool too bro.

 

[HotRodPC]

To weld high-carbon steel, if that's what the studs are, and I think they are, you have to preheat them with oxy-acetylene to better than 200 degrees, then post-heat by sandbagging or heat blanket to keep the weld from cracking, then re-temper. I'm tellin ya, you'll be miles ahead of the game if you just get some grade-8 bolts, take loose the motor mount, jack the motor up as high as you need for clearance and bolt it in. Hell you could even do a couple 1" seam welds in places where you could cut them back out easily with a 4" angle grinder with a cut-off blade if you needed to. It would be better than those overheated studs breaking on the highway at 100 mph and crossing the median and killing a family and more than likely yourself. Just my $0.02, but don't take unnecessary chances on mission-critical parts.

You're right and I think the same way too. This is why I pretty much keep this truck around town. Although, the truck is actually safer on the smooth highway doing 75 than it is doing 30-40 around town hitting pot holes, railroad tracks and lots of left and right turns. I can also make it better by tapping some shims in place and take up the slop too. Just that, after hitting a couple good bumps, the shims fall out. So I do babysit it, and keep it safe as possible. I just want to get it right, get my other suspension parts on, then be able to ge an alignment. I'm pretty anal about alignment and my steering wheel spokes are straight across, so I know the toe is out a bit too.

 

[HotRodPC]

Holy **** dude! I can't believe it goes down the road like that. Must make a hell of a clunk when you hit the brakes?

Very cool seing ya on video too, and the truck looks cool too bro.

Beleive it or not, I only get the clunk when I am backing up and hit the brakes, and you can feel the left front of the truck lift up too. Its not good.

 

[89Suburban]

I got a video today. Its a video from a snapshot digital cam, so qualty sucks, but you get the idea of what I have been driving around on and why I want it fixed so bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8jPEbt6PgB4

Here is the 2nd video with the tire removed. For real, I want this fixed this ASAP.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0_ETUbgojk

Any updates on this?

 

[Old77]

Go the a arms fixed yet hrpc??? At this point that tow truck maybe a safer rig....

 

[HotRodPC]

NO, still driving it that way. Just avoiding bumps and slowing way down over tracks. I've been so busy I have not had time to finish the trans install on the 85 K1500 so I am able to tear the 84 C20 down. When I fix ****, I fix it right. I could probably just have someone tack weld those studs in place since I am farily certain the stuf holes are wallered out by now. But, I am hoping to take it all apart, grind off all the pinky finger size rivets, remove that part of the frame. Then I'll use grade 8 hardened bolts and permanent tight loc-tite and bolt a new frame piece in place so it'll be good as new again.

 

[Old77]

The a arm fix couldn't take more than a few hours on a Saturday as dangerous as that is I'd get that fixed ASAP and get the tranny in on the 85 another day....

 

[HotRodPC]

The other doner frame part also has to be removed by grinding big rivets off the doner bent frame truck out at my dads. 160 acres. Power for the grinder is about 300 yards away, and his property is 75 miles East of me. So its a matter of finding time and fuel money to get out there. Then figure out how to get the donor part off the donor truck. Shouldn't be much of a problem to disassemble my truck here in the driveway once I get the parts off the donor.

I did work on the K1500 a bit tonight. Got the bad ujoint out of the driveshaft. Got the old rear Tcase seal out and a new one installed. Just got back from buying the new Ujoint. Get the driveshafts in, speedo assembly installed, cooling lines to the trans and Tcase linkage, I think it'll be ready to fill with fluids and take for a ride. Maybe tommorow since I will not be towing, but I work the other job tomorrow from Noon - 10pm.

 

[HotRodPC]

The a arm fix couldn't take more than a few hours on a Saturday as dangerous as that is I'd get that fixed ASAP and get the tranny in on the 85 another day....

Oh, and I wouldn't risk not being able to get it all done in one day and not having something other than my box van as a daily driver. Honestly, at this point, the 85 K1500 can be running quicker than I can repair the 84 A arm issue. I just know when I get the K1500 running, I also have a power steering issue to resolve, a heater core to install, and figure out why the blower motor isn't blowing. Of course none of those issues are safety issues, so I'll drive it and work on those as time permits.

 

[Old77]

Make sure and post vids of the carnage when your wheel suddenly turns to a 90 degree as you're tootling down Main Street

 

[89Suburban]

 

[HotRodPC]

Make sure and post vids of the carnage when your wheel suddenly turns to a 90 degree as you're tootling down Main Street

Trust me, I inspect those studs often looking for them getting weaker and so far they are not. Keep in mind, those studs are also much bigger than a half ton studs, although a big block is alot heavier than a small block too. At any rate, I dive it knowing it has the problem, and careful about it, and also instpect it often. I'd love to get it fixed. Hopefully the K1500 will be driveable today. Vac line, cooling lines, speedo retainer is about all that's left and I'll take it for a ride. I'm not putting the front driveshaft in it yet. The rear dshaft has a new U joint in it now and is installed. I did that this morning.

 

[Old77]

 

[HotRodPC]

So about this problem. I know of a place here in S. OKC called Merles Frame and Alignment. I had called them long ago and asked them about this and they told me some ********, bring it in and leave it a for a day and they'd look at for $69 then tell me how much to fix it, and if I wanted to take it out of there, then all I'd owe is the $69.

So yesterday, I towed a Lincoln Navigator with some undercarriage damage to the lower control arms from running over a curb. Just talking tow truck and auto repair with them yesterday, they told me $60 for an alignment, and $40 to spot weld the studs in place and they go ahead and do all 4 of them, 2 on each side, since the other 2 will do the same thing likely when they go to align it. So when I get insurance on the 84 again, I'll be taking it to them. I dropped the insurance, since in the last month, I've driven the K1500 1 time for 3 miles since I got the roll back truck. Bossman says keep the truck with me incase I get a call and out and about, so I do. Saving gas money like a **** !!!, But I'll sure be happy to get that suspension fixed. I am replacing all the tie rod ends, and center drag link too before I take it to them to align it.