VW T3: Vanagon upper control arm bushings

Thomas
P.O. Box 83041
4827 Kingsway
Burnaby, BC
V5H 0A4
Canada
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[@type2523]

I like that you are painting it so it won't rust !great job !

[@stuzman52]

Nice work Thomas...even down to spraying a little paint on the control arm to keep it from rusting.

[@EXOVCDS]

You never know how thorough of an inspection the customer does once he / she gets the vehicle home. :)

[@stuzman52]

Which is why you're a great technician in whatever you work on!

[@EndlessShots]

Quick, informative. Thank a bunch!

[@EXOVCDS]

Thank you for watching!

[@rhkips]

Can't say I've ever seen a welded control arm bushing before! That super-long bolt was a bit of a surprise when you pulled it out, too. :D Easy job overall! Looks like that van was in for a fair bit of front-end work. :)

[@EXOVCDS]

Just the upper control arm bushings and the tie rods (also both sides with boots).

[@wyattoneable]

Thanks again for taking us along!

[@EXOVCDS]

Thank you for coming along. :)

[@SteveRobReviews]

Hi Thomas, nice helmet custom graphics . Welding with fluxcore , didn't see a bottle. Nice😄

[@EXOVCDS]

Boss doesn't pay for bottle... why should I. For the odd jobs we do, this setup is ok.

[@SteveRobReviews]

+Thomas EXOVCDS that's all I use, I like it.

[@hectorzapata4295]

I have a Craftsman welder on a similar cart, bought to fix my VW Bug some day... My kid learned quickly how to use it, though.

[@wysetech2000]

Nice job, Thomas.

[@EXOVCDS]

Thanks Bill.

[@ktcadd]

Do think you could use JB Weld for that sopt weld? Thanks for the killer videos!

[@EXOVCDS]

Don't know, sorry. I guess it would be better than not spot welding.

[@baranarslan8604]

good work Sir, thank you for sharing it with us

[@EXOVCDS]

Thank you!

[@ktcadd]

Hey buddy, How tight should I tighten those 19mm hex nuts at the end of the long shaft bolt? Also, I read that you should tighten that nut when the van is sitting back on the ground on the wheels. Would that matter?

[@EXOVCDS]

The service manual lists torque specs. Those are slip bushings. It doesn't matter when you tighten the nut / what position the control arm is at. Rubber bushings that felt, need to be tightened when the vehicle is sitting on the ground. Tighten the nut to where you think it's tight. Wheel alignment is needed after this suspension work, so the guy doing the wheel alignment will probably torque the nut after adjusting camber (by turning that long bolt).

[@normansmith7806]

Good Job 👍

[@captainjerk]

Cool! Even painted it, like a pro! :D

[@EXOVCDS]

I should have probably painted the whole control arm.

[@captainjerk]

Naaaah. LOL

[@remo19811]

Good job man

[@EXOVCDS]

Thank you for watching!

[@Badgertronix]

I take it that works out cheaper than a new control arm? Nice welding ;)

[@EXOVCDS]

I don't recall ever seeing a control arm listed in the parts catalog of our suppliers. The bushings are about $15 ea. and seem to do the job for about 8- 10 years (according to my tracking / repeat work).

[@vanstechcorral]

I quench with a water soaked rag right after tacking.

[@EXOVCDS]

Whatever works.

[@vanstechcorral]

@@EXOVCDS I had some issues in the past where I overdid the welding heat, so I get a bit paranoid...

[@EXOVCDS]

@@vanstechcorral yeah, good tip. It doesn't take much heat to melt the plastic bushing. The quicker the cool off, the better.

[@bbogdanmircea]

Why do you weld them ? Is this done by VW too ? Seems useless too me ... that weld is too weak to do anything I think .

[@EXOVCDS]

I'll have to ask VW why they do it.

[@paullindsay1269]

I believe it is to prevent the bushes rotating within the suspension arm

[@paullindsay1269]

I've also read that brake cleaner should be avoided for parts that are to be welded as it produces noxious gasses.

[@Deafjustin]

Good job and you like weld?

[@EXOVCDS]

I like welding when it looks good... sometimes I have problems welding. I don't weld often, so I am not very good.

[@harveyboy45]

Freeze spray is a good idea.

[@EXOVCDS]

That will also work... thanks for the tip.

[@harveyboy45]

+Thomas EXOVCDS my Steering pulls to the left how would I know it's the parts your replacing? Much appreciated.

[@EXOVCDS]

+harveyboy45 All of a sudden? Any recent impact? Check for looseness in the suspension, fix worn components, then have the alignment checked / adjusted. Raise the wheel by jacking up the lower control arm. Grab the wheel & wiggle. 12 & 6, 9 & 3 (hand position on wheel / tire).

[@hectorzapata4295]

Hi, Thomas, that's my next adventure right there, except I have to replace all the bushings, even the rear bushings. FYI for Vanagon owners, Go Westy just came out with a tool set for this job, www.gowesty.com/product-details.php?v=&id=24508 (no affiliation whatsoever). Keep up the excellent videos, they help a lot.

[@EXOVCDS]

Thank you for the link! Yeah, some of the other bushings are not as easy to press as these upper control arm bushings. Thank your for watching!

[@hectorzapata4295]

They have a video, too.