Just use the German torque method - Gutenteit

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have no worries.....President Obama swears "If you like your gun, you can keep it

...........not on that fastener.........it holds up the entire corner of the vehicle.

I knew this would be the case for your control arm because of your rust history. Make sure they are not badly pitted or else you'll need to replace them. If that is the case, there is a pair Cali LCAs that are ripe for picking after I took removed and took home the springs from my local wrecking yard. I can easily pull them if you need them.

Yes, the steering knuckle is 80 NM... =60 lb ft.


.

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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System

There's definitely some rust in there under rubber bushing. It doesn't seem to be a lot of metal missing, but it is definitely rusted. I spent a few minutes and applied POR-15 to them tonight, so they wont rust any further from this point forward. Ill post a pic in a few minutes.






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The cali control arms are very tempting...but i really cant have this job drag on for two weeks. Its almost time for me to go to grad school, potentially painful after a few years away from the 'formal' books.

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

The first and third photos show a LCA that is beyond repair. Using that LCA is not advised.

Yeah, I looked at those pics again and I knew that was coming. I wire brushed them really good though! j/k

yo, DeliveryValve, PM sent. Im gonna be needing those golden rust free gin-you-wine California LCA's after all.


dd

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

Good job. I've always preached do the job right, and even then you can never be too careful.

I had a spring compressor cut loose, after the spring hit the frame then the floor, taking a piece of concrete, then my left hand and the floor again. It took several trips to the head of sports medicine, Dr. McCue in Charlottesville before I had the use of that hand again. Painful, yes. Does it still hurt today? When the weather is right.

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DO IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME, DON'T BE A HACK
Political Correctness is NOT part of my vocabulary
and finally FIGHT CRIME...SHOOT BACK

'82 240D Stick
'85 300D Auto
Drove my first MB at age 16 1960 300SL W190

I had the same rust problem (the Car came from the east coast).
No wire brush will clan them out whith that much scale. I used a Needle Descaler; an Air Hammer that hits a bunch of Steel Needles and knocked off the rust.
After I was done the holes were too big; not enough metal left for an accurate bore inside of it.
I also had to get another used set

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84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel

OK, so I am now waiting on parts to come in.

Is there any reason to not take the other side apart? I just want to be as far along as possible when the parts come in so I can bolt it back together relatively quickly.

dd

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

Nope........do it now........it's a slow slog to put back together.

I painted the LCA's with POR-15, including the seats for the guide rods to limit future corrosion. Did not paint the bushing bore, however. Probably could have.......

Okay back in business with new control arms.

But now Im having trouble tightening the nut that secures the LCA to the lower ball joint. The ball joint is spinning when I try to tighten the nut.

I even made the tool depicted in the FSM (well, close) , article 33-512.

Whats the trick to getting this thing tightened and torque down?? Iknow enough to know this is an important one

dd

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'85 300D, 'Lance',250k, ... winter beater (100k on franken-Frybrid 3 Valve Kit)
'82 300D, 'Tex', 228k body / 170k engine ... summer car
'83 300TD Cali Wagon 210k, wife's car

Either lower the steering knuckle onto a jack stand or use a jack from below to lift it, forcing the ball joint's taper into the LCA. The friction fit should allow you to tighten the nut by preventing the ball joint stud from spinning. Without a spring in place an appropriate length of 2 X 6 between the LCA and the wheel well will hold that in place as you do this.

I happened to struggle with the exact same issue for two hours tonight. I really screwed myself because I added some loctite to the nut and I could not get the taper to set. The loctite complicated the issue as it began to dry.

The solution of the jack beneath the LCA doesn't work without a spring..........the spindle simply moves upward with the LCA.

I finally got a large C-clamp to bite down on the bottom of the spindle and the top of the LCA...........very tentatively..........and the nut turned without the ball joint.

Two hours of screwing around. After I cross threaded a tap in one of the holes for the spring perch, I called it a night............not a good day.


One additional note..........you must torque the nut for the lower ball joint (60 lb-ft.) before you install the spindle onto the upper ball joint.

This makes it easy!

X2 - This is the way to do it.

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1983 123.133 California
- GreaseCar Veg System