OOOOHHHH @&#^&@^$&^&(@$^!

[DirtyD916]

well i am putting in lowering springs and doing a 5-lug conversion on my 89' coupe. WEll i had two jackstands holding the car up in the rear by placing them on the rear end. I then proceded to drop out the lower control arms like an idiot. WEll when i dropped them out the rear end shot up and is now in a way "tucked" in the wheel well. Once i placed the new springs in the control arm and raised the arm, the hole for the bolt would no longer line up because of the rear ends position high in the well.
So then i jacked the back up and put the jack stands back towards teh gas tank on the frame rails. BUt the situation now is that the rear end is only supported by the uppers and the driveshaft and now sits very low down. SO once again the control arm wont line up right and when i jack teh car up the control arm wants to raise at an angle and now sit in the poclet on the axle tubes.

so my question is
How do i raise the control arms and the rear end so taht the hole lines up for the bolt to go through the control arm???????

 

[v8only]

support the rear, disconnect the uppers at the rear end. connect the lowers one at a time, then the uppers.

 

[DirtyD916]

so there is no way to connect the lowers without unbolting the uppers? i was thinking maybe getting some more jackstands and supporting the rearend to the perfect position so that i could just use a floor jack to move the lowers into postion.

 

[v8only]

i'm sure there may be, but I can't tell from the net. hopefully someone else will chime in. The rear end is very finicky, it's difficult to position just right to bolt it all up properly, as you've found.

 

[Daggar]

I will only add that ratcheting tie-down straps can be a man's best friend. That and PLEASE be careful about loading and unloading the jack stands from the weight of the car. Too many horror stories to count about cars rocking off of them.

 

[DirtyD916]

ya right now i have my two back tires under the car jsut in case it falls of the stands, this way i have enough clearance to live

 

[Daggar]

Good good... The racheting straps (in case I didn't make it clear) can be sued to get that extra inch or so, needed to get bolt holes to line up. I did not mean to use them to secure the car in place (in case I'd given that impression).

 

[DirtyD916]

oo i didnt catch taht part about the ratchet straps. wat is it that i should do with em?

 

[Mike86Stang]

Well I alway support the car by the frame & let the rear axle hang at full exstention. The rear spring should come out by hand if your shocks are disconnected. Then just use the jack to manipulate the axle until the control arm lines up.

Try it that way & it should be alot easier & you can slip the spring back in after the control arm is back in.

 

[Skoobie]

Had to have my neighbor help with this one but all I did was use a gorrilla bar and levered the cotrol arm into place while my neighbor tapped the bolts through the holes. Takes two but it works

 

[Daggar]

The racheting straps can be used sort of like a vise to help you get that "little extra" you need make the bolt holes line up. Make a loop around the axle and secure it around some other fixed (and substantial) piece of the chasis to give you leverage to pull the pieces in the desired direction to make things line up. It's a brute force method if all else fails.

 

[DirtyD916]

oo ok sounds like it would work though thanx

 

[04sleeper]

Use the jack to jack up the rearend. This should get you close and you may have to twist it a little but should get you lined up.

 

[88stangmangt]

i would do it right it's a four link suspension......takeing a short cut or useing ghetto methods like pull straps could cost you your life.................i would have to look at it in person to tell you but saving a hour isnt worth it in the end if your dead right........................?

 

[DirtyD916]

^^actaully no





j/k yes your right its not worth it

 

[Michael Yount]

When I put adjustable upper arms in my car, I found that several jacks were needed to get holes to align. I supported the axle with jack stands, and then used the hydraulic jack under the front of the pinion to alter the pinion angle and rotate the axle. As I rotated the pinion up, the control mounting point moved towards the back of the car and that lined the holes in the brackets up with the holes in the control arms.

Keep playing with the various ways of jacking the rear end around - you'll get them aligned.

 

[jerry beach]

Mike, you must have rear coilovers.

I used a small floor jack under the pinion and a large one under the control arm. AND a chain and grade 8 bolt/ washers and nuts to hold the spring in place in case the jack fails. There are some excellent write-ups here and on the corral. Just search for them, dont kill yourself. Even something as simple as a repair manual can go a long way. Go carefully step by step, measure twice and cut once you dont get a second chance every time.

 

[Michael Yount]

Nope Jerry - separate coil spring and shock similar to the Stang. I realize my set up is different than the Stang set up - just trying to illustrate how to use jacks to move things around.

 

[04sleeper]

- just trying to illustrate how to use jacks to move things around.

Kind of like what I said earlier.....just in a different way.

 

[biminicoupe]

I think your problem is the rear end has rotated as it was let down. you need to twist the rearend so the pinion starts to move up . The easiest way is to disconnect the uppers and attach the lowers. Then reattach th uppers. You could also get a buddy to help and pry the rearend forward with the uppers attached. If you pry with the uppers attached the rearend will rotate and should line back up. I hope that makes sence.