Why do I do this?

I've been meaning to post this for a while, but have been too busy, and have been too embarrassed. I only have 1 relevant picture, but at the time, I wasn't in a picture taking mood!

This is a combination of stupid things I did and having one unlucky break after another. Over the July 4th weekend, I decided to install the new suspensions bits I've had sitting in a box since October. I took off the Wednesday and Thursday before the 4th thinking that worst case, I'd have 5 days to get it back together. Of course worst case is all I had for the whole 5 days!

Stupid thing #1... picking the hottest part of the summer to do this when I don't have any shade to work on it. You'd think I would have learned my lesson after this experience.

Stupid thing #2... trying to do it all myself.

Wednesday morning, I start tearing into it. I start on the passenger front. I get most of the old stuff off with no incident, until I start removing the bolts holding the sway bar bushing brackets. It's a tight fit, but there's enough room to get a socket on it. What I don't realize is that as the bolt comes out, the socket starts hitting against the body. There's not enough room to get the socket off. Not enough room to reverse the socket. I keep cranking on it but it's not coming out. I decide to move on to something else and I'll come back to that later.

Trying to get the Lower Control Arm bolts out is impossible as it's hitting on the crank pulley. (I find out later... too late, that most people just cut the bolts off, get new ones and put them in upside down... oh well). The solution I *did* find was to support the engine/tranny and remove the subframe bolts and drop the subframe, which coincidentally will fix my stuck socket problem from earlier.

Drop subframe, got the socket and ratchet out, (ratchet was ruined, but it sucked anyway, good excuse to get a new one!), remove LCA bolts, put in new LCA, remove swaybar bushings, put in new sway bar bushings... oh wait, why cant I get this bolt started??? That's right, I stripped the threads on the captive nut welded inside the subframe.

Parts Store Trip #1: Had to get a tap and die set and a new ratchet!

I get back home and try to repair the thread on the stripped nut. Only problem is, even with the subframe dropped, there's just enough clearance to get the the tap bit in, but I can't put any kind of tool or handle on it cuz there's just no room. I fiddle with it for a bit more, and finally call it a day.

Parts Store Trip #2: Thursday morning, first thing, I make another trip to the parts store to get some more tools and a different tap kit thinking the handle was smaller, and I might could use it, but no. I decide to move on to the other corners and I'll come back to that later. This day actually went pretty good. I had learned my lesson and got a ratcheting wrench to get the swaybar bushing bolts off. I got all 3 other corners done, including putting on some re-surfaced brake rotors. I fiddle with the stripped thread problem with no luck and called it a day.

Friday morning, I devise a plan. I put the tap bit in and carefully use a crescent wrench to turn it. Wonder of wonders, it works!! I'm ecstatic! I might have this thing licked yet! I put everything back together. I go to put the subframe bolts in... one goes halfway in, then just turns... won't tighten and I can't get it back out. How the hell did I strip THAT?!?! I didn't think I used that much force on it! Coincidentally, this is the same corner, same spot where the captive nut stripped earlier! AAAAARRGH!!! I watch sadly as my family leaves for the zoo. Not that I was dying to go to the zoo... I just had no idea what I was going to do now.

After more Internet research (how did I do anything before the Internet), I discovered that it's not uncommon for the captive nut welded inside the body to come loose and turn. To get a wrench on it, you have to pull up the carpet, find a little grate on the floorboard and snip a couple of grates off. I get the interior all disassembled and pull the carpet up. I need tin snips and (another) wrench from the parts store, but the family is still out, so I'm stuck at home. I decide to do some other things like replace the belts. Other than being a pain in the butt, this went without incident. Called it a day and grilled steaks and had a great 4th of July evening watching fireworks from our back porch (some of our neighbors dump a ton on fireworks.)

Parts Store Trip #3: Saturday morning, I make my last trip to the parts store, for tin snips and a wrench. Cut open the grate, get access to the nut, get the bolt back in, and get everything buttoned up. I do my last task which is flush the brake fluid. I'm on a roll!!! I'm actually putting the wheels on! I'm so close I can TASTE IT! It's getting late, but I should have time for a quick test drive before dinner. I put the car on the ground and the front wheel shifts forward and is touching the fenderwell.

WHAT THE HELL!!?!?! It takes a few minutes to realize what I've done. I didn't get the ball joint firmly seated into the steering knuckle! They popped out as soon as I got it on the ground. It's too late to mess with it now. I go in and grill some hotdogs and hamburgers. I'm totally demoralized and my wife is none too happy with me.

Sunday morning, I got the Ball Joints firmly seated in the knuckles, and got everything back together, and took it for a test drive just before noon. Amazingly, it stayed together. It was another week and a half before I got around to putting the interior back together just because I was sick of looking at it.

I have another story about taking it in for an alignment, but I'll save that for another post.