Paul & Sabrina's Cheap EV Conversion

[Intrigued]

Hmmm... Yeah, those pickle forks can damage both parts, so you want to be careful. They are useful for putting pressure on the tie rod, though. If you can get the nut off but can't split the joint, thread the nut back on upside-down until flush, and then use the Big Hammer. Otherwise, you might do like one certain person I know and actually flatten the end so much you end up having to cut it off...

For the cotter pin to have broken off at both ends would normally be because the castle nut was jammed against it. Usually a person can move the nut a little to relieve pressure, then drive the cotter pin out with a small-diameter punch. WD-40 will help if the thing is actually rusted in the hole.

I suppose there's as many ways to get 'r done as there are people doing it, but I've seen guys use the pickle fork to try to hold things tight if the whole thing spins with the nut. Otherwise I heartily recommend the nut breaker, as most other methods of removal may cause bodily damage to either you or the car...

[Christ]

Nut Breaker FTW... as unpleasant as it sounds, it's Oprah's favorite tool. Or maybe it's Barbara Streisand's.. not sure.

No seriously though... you shouldn't wedge anything while attempting to loosen it. You might hit the wrong part and end up with a projectile.

Also, you really should try smacking that part I told you about.. you'll be amazed how easily the joint comes apart. If you look at your new parts, you'll see why... there is no knurl or anything holding them together... they're essentially a press fit kinda thing... it's a male cone fitting into a female cone (HEHE).

[MPaulHolmes]

Is the other picture one of an "inner control arm mount"? I need to order 2 of those too. But I'll need to wait until JANUARY!!! DANG IT!

[Christ]

Inner control arm mount? Hm. Well, if you have McPherson's, you only have one control arm.. so the part on the left of the second picture would be the inner of it.. if you take that bolt out, there will be a rubber bushing in the arm.

Here's what you do... trace the shock/strut to where it connects to the spindle/knuckle, then find a part that connects to the spindle/knuckle that is long and thin (LOL) and connects to the chassis. That will be the control arm (you've already identified the tie rod end, so discount that)

The control arm will be connected to the spindle/knuckle assembly by another ball joint, same procedure to remove it from the spindle/knuckle as with the tie rod ends. (Cotter pin, nut, taptaptap, laugh at Oprah.)

At the chassis side, there is a bolt through the "arm" that you're now holding, it's probably 9/16" - 11/16" (in that range, maybe metric 14-17mm)

That bolt goes through a rubber bushing that has a steel sleeve in it.. I'm guessing that "inner control arm mount" refers to that bushing. You can get new ones from Energy Suspension that will help stiffen up the chassis a bit.. they're polyurethane.

keep in mind, things don't wear one-side, then the other... replace the same parts on both sides. Its less work you'll have to do later.

[Christ]

Left upper of the 2nd attachment that shows the inner tie-rod end, that's the chassis side of the control arm.

[Tango Charlie]

Okay, I think I've caught my breath enough now to post...
Let me just say that I'm greatly relieved to hear you're addressing the front end shimmy. Now instead of fearing for your safety, I can go back to dreading truly scary stuff like Oprah, her cult followers, and thread posters with no sense of humor.

I would suggest getting the bug aligned at a professional shop. You can get it close in the driveway, but not nearly as exact as they can. Any misalignment is gonna cost you in decreased range and increased tire wear.

And congrats in being featured in the blog.

[MPaulHolmes]

Thanks for the advice you guys. I'm going to try and get the alignment close as described above, and then I'll take it down the road to the VW place and let them finish it. It's going to be really really nice not violently shaking every so often. I found a way that sort of stops the shaking. I slow down a bit and jerk the wheel to the right. That usually temporarily cures the problem. hehe. I freaked my brother out last week. It was pretty funny. He was saying, "aahh! stop the car!" He didn't like the shaking. Some people don't handle near death experiences well AT ALL!

Isn't that cool about the feature! I'm on next monday or something like that. I'm going to be famous!!! ya! Then, if I network and use my fame properly, I might get the chance to meet my inspiration for the second time! Oprah! My inspiration to ... (WIFE EDIT)

[Christ]

Ew.. that might have been too much...
















nah, Oprah herself is too much.. the jokes are just enough.

[MPaulHolmes]

It was way too much! (gravy, that is. she over did it. had to go to hospital, get a gravy transfusion, still had plenty of lard)

So, I put on the outer control arm mount I think. How much torque do you do on the bolt that has the cotter pin through it?? I didn't know when to stop. boo hoo. The wheel still turns nicely, though.

Ya, I beat that problem like a red-headed stepchild! Now I just need to order one for the left wheel, and then maybe one each of those other things that the other picture showed. What would I call those when ordering them

[Intrigued]

Shop a little for the best alignment deal. Anybody that does those can look up the specs pronto, and make it happen. Ask around and see who is recommended...