91 Civic front control arms

My mechanic (a shop) suggested that the bushings on my control arms are
pretty well worn ... and the bolts rusted. They claimed that the only way
to get new bushings is to replace the entire control arm. They quoted in
excess of $900 (with a ball joint included).

Are they full of hooey?
Can the bushings be purchased separately and replaced? How? Pressed in?
Is this a job a decent home mechanic can do? I've already replaced the
struts and done all the brakes ... the point being that I'm not TOTALLY
clueless ...

Any suggestions on how to get these (supposedly) rusted bolts out? Are
there any tricks for these specific bolts?

Thanks all!
Dave
'91 Civic STD

 

first thing is inspect it yourself!!! if they look bad, replace them.
if you can find a shop with a bearing press, you can have them change
the bushings and the ball joint. you can also do the ball joint with a
shop vice. bottom line, if you're handy, diy won't cost you a fraction
of the $900. google this group for bushing part numbers. if the bolts
are rusted, buy new ones at the same time you buy the bushings or if you
don't live in the rust belt, get them from a junk yard.

if you're doing bushings, seriously consider the rear main bushings as
well. tegger's got the how-to posted in the faq's. almost all civics
that vintage have that bushing shot to heck.

if this is a 4-speed stick, put the money you save into a 5-speed
transmission from a junk yard. that 4-speed top gear is /seriously/
short on the std. dremel the tandem valve restictor tab too. the std
has it restricting how far the tandem valve can open thus limiting the
output of that motor.

 

$900 seem like a lot, the parts from Honda are $150 each, you can
find aftermarket pieces for about $150 or less for both upper control
arms. The ball joint comes as part of the control arm, so it is mostly
a 3 nut operation, with the hardest thing is getting the bolts out of
the
bushings at the back of the arm.

Kevin in Iowa

 

LOTS of work if you're doing all of them!

I never did put anything up for that, unfortunately.

The job was so intense, and so filthy on account of years of drippy
rustproofing, that I just stuck to the work and gave up taking photos.

 

Jim,

What/where are the "rear main bushings" you're referring to?
What/where is the "tandem valve restictor tab"?
Yeah, I've thought about the 5-speed. Is everything else the same? I've
done a complete rebuild on the factory shifter (WOW! is it nice now), but
I've wondered if that (among other things) is enough different on a 5-speed
to be a problem.

Thanks VERY MUCH!
Dave

 

Here:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/rustybrakes/brakes4.html
(Go most of the way down, to the text "A final check.").
And...
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/old-bushings/trailing_arm.jpg

And more pics here:
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/old-bushings/

 

Tegger, what's that padding between your jackstand and the car at
http://www.tegger.com/hondafaq/misc/old-bushings/P7220902.JPG ? Is that
a good idea?

 

It's a piece of paint-mixing stick from Home Depot. Helps keep the metal
jack stand from breaking the paint at the jacking points. I think it's a
good idea.

The paint there is already torn from damage garages have done with their
hoists. I touch it up once in a while and do not wish to add my own damage
to it.

 

tegger's kindly covered that!

on the throttle body, on the passenger side, is the tanden valve. it's
like a choke from an old carb. if you take the air ducting off, you can
see it operate when you press it with your finger, and on the std, it
won't open all the way. you'll see the tab on the outside when you
operate the valve. where to dremel should be pretty self-evident. go
to a junk yard and mess around with an unrestricted one if you want to
be sure of the difference.

drive shafts and input shafts may be different. there are changes from
the 88-89 & 90-91. also, the flywheel on the std is /way/ heavy
compared to the others. if you go to the junk yard and can pick up a
normal one for a decent price, consider it a good upgrade! makes
shifting /much/ quicker. and if you really want to go hog-wild,
consider the camshaft too. again, the std is neutered to restrict
power. believe the ecu remains the same so it should be able to take
the changes. the si/crx instrument cluster is a great upgrade too - has
a tachometer. can swap out the speedo component so you keep genuine
mileage ok.

oh yes! 4th on the std is very close to 3rd and painfully low. the
5-speed is much better spaced & 5th is a great cruising gear.

 

I don't think I have any paint left there... thanks for the info.