Control Arm Bushing Replacement

[mbboy]

Anybody happen to know if the front, lower control arm bushings on a 380sl can be replaced without removing the whole control arm?

Thanks in advance

[RadioTek]

It's theoretically possible, but the big problem is dealing with the springs. The springs store what is technically referred to as One Hell Of A Lot of kinetic energy. If you have something go wrong, you will be lucky to only wind up in the hospital. It is very easy for something to go wrong.

To compress those springs, you need to obtain the Klann or similar type spring compressors, as they are designed to handle the stresses involved. There are some spring compressors available from places like Autozone and Checker, but they are designed for MacPherson strut springs, and will fail catastrophically if used for this application. Some people have fabricated their own compressors (look around here for how they did it), but unless you have access to the materials and shop.....

I ended up getting lucky and handed the dealership a box of parts when they did the subframe recall.

Best of luck,
Scott

[GaryF]

You'll need to have it 95% off the car to do the bushes anyway, the extra 5% is the ball joint which can be difficult to seperate without damaging if you don't have the right tool that pushes between the lower and upper joint on the hub.
I wouldnt advise trying to do it without the correct spring compressor or trying to change them with the spring still in place.

[mbboy]

Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess I'll just have to get that spring compressor, and take the control arm off.

I'm just wondering now whether it will be worth all the trouble, since the bushings don't look too bad from the outside, even though they are 30 years old. Anybody know if changing them will noticeably increase handling?

Thanks in advance.

[meltedpanda]

be careful of the springs, they will go through anything in their path, including you, if they get away from you. The right tools are a must, and best done on a lift

[GaryF]

Originally Posted by mbboy

Thanks for the advice, guys. I guess I'll just have to get that spring compressor, and take the control arm off.

I'm just wondering now whether it will be worth all the trouble, since the bushings don't look too bad from the outside, even though they are 30 years old. Anybody know if changing them will noticeably increase handling?

Thanks in advance.

If they don't look too bad they're probably not originals. The main reason I replaced mine was to stop a knocking noise over bumps, they were pretty bad and the noise has gone but didnt impact handling much. I think worn subframe mounts will have more of an impact on handling if they're looking bad.

[mbboy]

Thanks for the advice, guys. Since the bushings don't look too bad, and changing them won't add much to the handling, I think I'll just leave well enough alone for now.

[Build]

If they aren't squeaking, grinding, etc, and don't seem sloppy, they're probably fine. The control arm bushings on my 380sl look almost new and they're original as far as the stack of repair documentation goes. I find it strange how a few rubber parts on the car are deteriorated, while others look new and pliable; and the car is well documented as to which parts are new.

If you're looking to improve handling, you might want to consider changing the sway bar bushings; or even swap the sway bars out for early 450sl bars.