greetins to all and thanx to all. this being the best site by far i,m hoping someone can help me with installing the brake support ball joint. i.m an avid DIYer, fairly equiped tool box & much patience but little $. is this a job for the DIYer? i have the manuals but lack any specialty tools. any advice is welcome. thanx!

The only trouble I had with my 126 was getting the new bushing screwed back into the tube. I almost stripped it. The problem is that the spring causes the suspension to change position when you take that joint down. It is really hard to get it all lined back up with the spring installed.

Another tip....measure the distance between the tube end and the joint mount before you take the old parts out. I measured the length of exposed threaded rod which was a mistake as the new parts were built a little different.

I would recommend having the old joint mount-to-frame bushings replaced at the same time.

We use a hydraulic porta-power to replace the link during disassembly. We place one end by the lower ball joint and the other back on the frame. The length can be alter to allow easy assembly of the rear subframe that holds the joint.

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Steve Brotherton
Continental Imports
Gainesville FL
Bosch Master, ASE Master, L1
33 years MB technician

Q, thanx for the response, greatly appreaciated. In lite of posible difficulties i may encounter it may be a job for my mech. I would also like to replace the spring pads. I will of course replace the frame to mount bushings as you suggested. Are there other rubber componets in the same area that should be replaced on principle? It seems to me the rubber componets are inexpensive & the labor is the driving force on the bottom line of the bill. The vehix in question is a 1982 380SEC somthe componets are surely very near the same as your 1985 380SE. I hope! Thanx again Q. , luigi

WOW Steve, I guess that cures any ideas I had about this being a DIYer. Thanx for the input. One of the problems with living in the southern most U.S.A. is lack of qualified techs. It,s possible I may drive to Gainsville for this and other items to be done. I certain your shop could help me with the drivability problem I,ve encountered since my upgrade to the 205/55/16 tires and wheels purchased from Tirerack. A great bunchnto do bussiness with I might add. The wheels shimmy on turning and of course that transfers right to the steering wheel, thats what got me started on this proj. Thanx again Steve & Q for taking the time to respond. luigi in the Keys