Work required to change front lower control arm

[hjb981]

I am getting new struts for my '97 DeVille, and need some advice regarding the front lower control arms. They look like this:

http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=3254355&cc=1025345

Looking at the picture, the bushing to the left, at the end of the long, bent rod (which points to the front of the vehicle) will flex in an "unusual" way when the suspension moves. The flexing will be around the axis of the other ("normal") bushing, which is in the top part of the vehicle. I can see grooves on my bushing if I lift the front, so that the areas that are normally inside of the metal part (the control arm) get exposed (because of the "unusual" way in which the bushing has to move). Looking at the linked picture above, it looks like there may even be some grooves there by design.

I do not know if I will need to change this part yet, and ideally I would be able to go ahead with the strut change and change it later if needed.

Is this bushing is prone to going bad?

Is there a lot to gain by changing the control arm together with the strut, or can the control arm be replaced without removing breaks or anything like that, or in other words: how easy is it to change the control arm?

Is Mevotech a good brand?

Any other tips?

Thanks,

Jonas

[BodybyFisher]

I did the lower control arm bushings and strut rod bushings on my 96, but this setup is a lot different. It looks much easier to remove, I had some problems R&Ring mine, especially when I used the non compressible poly strut rod bushings.

You may be able to get replacement bushings and not have to replace the control arm. I like the way you are thinking, while you are there, fix other stuff... nice

[BodybyFisher]

Here is my lower control arm with the poly strut rod bushing, replaced bushing and new ball joint and joint dust cover

[KHE]

I don't think Mevotech is a reputable brand. I would not go through the trouble of installing a no-name part only to have to repeat the procedure in short order.

[rockfangd]

I have to honestly say I have haad good luck with mevotech. I was quite surprised by the quality as it seems comparable to moog. But that is just my insight.

I wish that my 96 had that setup. You would be surprised how much your alignment is affected by worn control arm bushings

[hjb981]

Thanks for the input. And yes, I do like to keep things in good condition, and I prefer to change half-bad parts before they go completely bad, especially if I am taking things apart anyways (or paying someone to do it, still cheaper to pay once than twice).

It seems that the front bushing of the front lower control arm was changed from '96 to '97 (compare BodybyFisher's pic to the one I linked to). The '96 seems to have had a "normal" bushing (one that pivots around the axis of its bolt) rather than the the "unusual" kind that I have (that pivots around an axis perpendicular to the bolt). When I jack my car up, the rubber surface that would normally be surrounded by the metal of the lower control arm gets exposed quite a lot, looking as if it was about to pop out (which is the way it has to work, given how it pivots, but it still looks strange to me). I did not have a good picture of it, but the next time I get a chance I will take one.

Any ideas on where to look for bushings? The Mevotech control arm was the only one I found, and I did not find any separate bushings at all.