1999 Mounty 5.0 aka My Great Bad Idea

[410Fortune]

I don’t think that would work because the outer piece has the front to back bolt that sets its final position BUT that is a great question and I wish I would have checked into this earlier lol

I have gotten quick at changing the drivers uca so it never occurred to me to try
I simply Unclip the lines that are in the way and push them aside. With the uca in the correct position the bolts/spacers go in and out easy enough

Now next time I’m in front of one I’m gonna look into this two piece on the drivers side question! Long live the two piece!! Lmfao

 

[97Sandbox]

Well I'll be pulling off the two-piece passenger's side in the near future -- easy enough to check!

 

[97Sandbox]

I have gotten quick at changing the drivers uca so it never occurred to me to try
I simply Unclip the lines that are in the way and push them aside. With the uca in the correct position the bolts/spacers go in and out easy enough

That's what I've done in the past too, but the camber plates/eccentric washers on my Mounty are actually press fit over splines under the hex head of the bolt. It's easy enough to push a bolt head past the EVAP line, but a whole camber plate not so much.

 

[allmyEXes]

I think that trying to 'flip' the rh UCA, the upper ball joint would be pointing up.

 

[97Sandbox]

I'm saying just flip the inner piece, not the outer.

 

[410Fortune]

I think that trying to 'flip' the rh UCA, the upper ball joint would be pointing up.

Oh man that’s great! You made my morning

 

[97Sandbox]

Boy did I underestimate the passenger side camber bolts. Both of the pressed-on eccentric washers interfere with the shock tower and header when I try to back them out. I tried clamping the eccentric to the UCA mount and pounding the bolt out, but there's just no room to get a good swing (and I broke some other stuff trying). Next I tried cutting the bolts, but they must be really hardened because one bolt wiped the teeth off three sawzall blades before I got halfway through it. I guess tomorrow I'll try the cutoff wheel.

This is definitely nothing like what I experienced doing UCAs on my '97 or my Sport.

 

[410Fortune]

What kind of sawzall
Blades? Milwaukee torch metal
Blades are the best
Cutoff wheel should make short work of them!
Crazy you are having all this trouble I guess it has been a while since I did a mounty?
I don’t recall these issues with the bolts! Cut those sobs and get the eccentric cams in there

 

[97Sandbox]

What kind of sawzall
Blades? Milwaukee torch metal
Blades are the best
Cutoff wheel should make short work of them!
Crazy you are having all this trouble I guess it has been a while since I did a mounty?
I don’t recall these issues with the bolts! Cut those sobs and get the eccentric cams in there

I was using the entry level TORCH blades. TORCH is just a sub-brand though, there's a lot of different models for cutting different materials. Fun fact: I worked at Milwaukee Tool for the last couple years that I lived in Milwaukee (miss that job, and especially miss the employee discount!). I may pick up some of the higher-end TORCH blades and see how they do.

Cutoff wheel will work, but there's no room for the angle grinder. I'll try the small wheels on my die grinder. Going to have to be real careful not to hit my header or the brake line, I already accidently snapped off the ABS sensor clip on the frame with my hammering.

I didn't see this difficulty coming as I did UCAs on my last two Explorers and the only issue I ever had was needing to flex the EVAP line a little. I've never seen this type of camber bolt before with the pressed-on eccentric. I'll have to take a picture.

My replacement Mevotech camber bolts are same as what I used on my Sport when I lowered it. Those have loose eccentric washers on both ends that are keyed to D profile of the bolt, so installing them won't be a problem.

 

[97Sandbox]

Also, I looked at the two-piece UCA and it can't be flipped to mirror the geometry. To many issues to list, I'll get a pic.

 

[410Fortune]

Put an old License plate in there to protect things

Discount on Milwaukee boy oh boy I would have never been collecting a paycheck

 

[97Sandbox]

Good idea!

Yeah, there were some pretty sweet perks. Glad I stocked up on what I did before I left.

 

[97Sandbox]

Here's the style of bolt that's giving me so much trouble

Here's one I pounded apart after getting it off

I swear these splines are more aggressive than lug studs.

Here's the two-piece UCA

The two sections don't even bolt to the same plane, definitely not something that can be flipped and ran on the other side.

 

[97Sandbox]

Licked.

Going to want to clean this up with the angle grinder though

 

[97Sandbox]

New UCAs and camber adjusters installed without issue.

Broke one LBJ loose and hit a snag:

It seems the LCA is hitting the outer CV before the LBJ is high enough to clear the knuckle. Do I just need to put a prybar between the knuckle and LCA and work everything apart (not sure how much tilt is left in the LBJ shank), or do I need to disconnect the CV at the hub and get it out of the way?

 

[410Fortune]

Oh man okay

The upper ball joint needs to be released and the cv axle removed

Remove the brake caliper
Remove the 32mm cv axle nut
Release the ubj pinch bolt
Push the cv axle through the wheel bearing

Now you can change the lbj

 

[97Sandbox]

That's what I was starting to think. So basically disconnect everything but the tie rod and hang the whole knuckle off to the side?

Are these CV axle nuts reusable? On my Honda they are single use as they get staked into the axle stub, but the nuts on the Mounty are not staked.

 

[97Sandbox]

Got my knuckles off and LBJs pressed out.

I didn't realize that pulling the knuckles from the axles would give me a chance to grease the inner bearings. So now my front suspension refresh is going to include fresh hub grease, brake slide grease, and caliper slide pin boots (a couple are torn).

In spite of how much slop was in the ball joints, the CV axles, hubs, and tie rods all feel good. A general cleanup and fresh grease ought to keep it rolling a while longer.

 

[410Fortune]

Yes the 32mm nut is re usable torque is 184-205 ft Lbs

I am sure they will tell you to replace it each time because it is nyloc but I have always re used them and never an issue

 

[97Sandbox]

Yes the 32mm nut is re usable torque is 184-205 ft Lbs

Sounds like I'll be standing on the beaker bar haha!

I don't have a torque wrench that hefty, but I can do the old body weight x wrench handle length = torque equation.