Lower control arm nuts missing

[joshhol]

My 4.5 is stuck in a remote location due to the severe list it developed while on loan to a car less friend. Some of the nuts on the drivers side lower control arm fell off.

Can anyone tell me what size they are so I can pick some up and bring the car home?

It is the "I" shaped piece of metal that connects the lower control arm to the subframe. There are two bolts on each end that run through the sub-frame, "I" beam and LCA.

Thanks in advance.

[Mark DiSilvestro]

I don't have a W108 to examine but I've heard that the 111 and 108 have the same front suspension and, this week, I just happen to have a '64 W111 coupe front crossmember and suspension assembly in the back of my pickup. There are 4 nuts and bolts holding each lower control arm shaft to the crossmember. As best as I could see with my trusty tape measure, the bolts are 12MM D. x 50MM L. Bolt heads are marked N S F and 10K (grade 10 ?) Hope this helps.

Happy Motoring

[psfred]

You must be describing the bushing "holder" for the lower control arm. Four bolts (or nuts and bolts) that hold the pin the threaded bushings screw into so that the lower control arm can pivot.

Needless to say, it's not possible to have all three bolted together and have the arm move....

Any good building supply or hardware store (if such things exists anymore in the day of Lowes and Home Depot) will have a selection. Start with 12mm x 1.5mm thread (this is the usuall thread pitch -- if it looks like National Coarse, try 2 mm pitch), and get some larger and smaller.

You will need to jack the car up and put it on jack stands, then use the jack to compress the spring back in to get this bolted up. Please be carefull -- the factory recommends a special fixture that fits in two of the holes so you can bolt the others in.

Peter

[Tomguy]

It might be making more work for yourself but I'd personally find it easier:

Pull the lower control arm's outer bolt out, shock bolts, then bolt it in - the coil won't be putting pressure on it. This is how I replaced the lower control arm and it makes more sense to me to replace those bolts this way, rather than struggle with that spring. PLEASE when removing the bolt BE CAREFUL and have a jack pumped up under the control arm so you can SLOWLY let it down once you have the bolt out.

[joshhol]

Tomguy,
So your method is to place a jack under the LCA, remove the bolts to the shock absorber and slowly lower the jack until the spring has expanded? I've seen this procedure in the 115 shop manual but they have special adaptors to cradle the LCA securely.

I think either way will work. Compressing the LCA enough to get the nuts threaded should take care of it.

Of course, it would be nice to get that thing home and take the springs out and sell them to 68_Mercedes.

[Tomguy]

Josh: It's a shame to hear you're selling it. You must've had a ton of fun with it though!

I just think it'd be easier that way because fighting the spring AND trying to line up the holes might be tough.

[joshhol]

It's been interesting owning this 4.5. It was in pretty poor shape when I bought it, and I didn't expect much out of it, but it was pretty reliable. Last summer was rough though. The leaky radiator had a tough job in the Sacramento area heat. It couldn't always keep the temp down, so to help it out I would run the heat full blast. The fun part about this was there was an exhaust leak so I HAD to keep all the windows closed to keep the gasses out of the car. Getting home with a sweat soaked shirt was common. Also, the cracked guide on #5 caused horrible smoking on startup. I had to look around and make sure no one was looking whenever I started it up. I would also park in inconspicuous places.

I'm glad it is going, the appetite for fuel is just too unruly and I need to devote time and attention to the others. It has been cool owning a 108 though. In spite of all its foibles, it will still be difficult to part with it.

[joshhol]

Merely jacking up the car at the jack point allowed tension off the spring bringing the LCA back to position. Had no problem lining up the bolts. Tightening them up made the car feel pretty solid too.
Had a nice time driving it home. Could be one of the last trips with it.