It's always the cheapest part screwing up a project

[alkemyst]

I started this a few months ago and just had to pay for a couple used tires ($60) as my alignment is off....that really sucked

Last week I got the basic maintenance / tune up stuff out of the way: coil, rotor, plugs....do all my belts (non-serpentine, so 1 for a/c, p/s and alt) to find out my crankshaft's front seal is leaking.....$3 part is going to cost me another 2 hours in doing the belts for a 30sec job....oh well...will do the PCV valve with my coolant flush though due to it's wierd placement.

Yesterday was to be a good day (cool and dry)....so I decide to do my VLSD, Coilovers, sways, and braces, along with a spindle.....get through the VLSD install....easy and no noise....do the rear coilovers and get lucky....was looking for a 25" ride height at the fender well and got 24.625....like a 1/3 of an inch off but close enough to not worry about adjusting it. Sways and braces go on easy....

get to the front of the car...get everything down and find out my ball joint boot is torn a bit....this is non-servicable. A new balljoint is $30, but you have to press it in....a new lower arm is about $180 retail....make some phonecalls....best price is $115 on the lower arm, but not until Friday, maybe Wednesday....same thing with the ball joint....no one has it in stock. Bolt everything back up and hope next weekend is a good day.

Anyone else want to share their part was made wrong, screw stripped, bolt broke, didn't have the right size tool, dealer sent the wrong piece stories?

I had a Saturn (96 SC2) previously where a 2 hour header install turned into 2 days because the half dozen bolts holding on the A/C compressor were so frozen the bolt head rounded off with even a 6 point on them....

Å

[mjjstang]

I hate when that shit happens, my biggest worry whas when i busted a cam tower bolt, and what made it worse was it is the one that has the oil going through it for the squirters, by some grace of god, everything worked out as I tapped it and ligned up perfect, now when I replace my cover gasket I pray that its not gonna be scorched or some shit.

[orion::S14]

You can press a new balljoint in EASILY...

Remove control arm. Remove C-clip at bas of ball joint, put the nut on the top of the thread part of the ball joint, pound out.

File and clean all paint off the hole, and spray a little WD-40 to make it go easy. Gently tap it in with a large socket, or just a hammer and piece of wood. Put the C-clip back on, use an impact gun to tighten the nut upon reinstallation.

Good luck - Brian

[Ian]

hm, my story? crashed my car...whole front end was wrecked...months later i finally find a guy to do the work for me (welding core support) for how much i had to spend...everything works great w/o a hitch, i redid my i/c piping w/ 3" pipe on the hot side (replacing 2" diy pipes)...why isnt it driving yet? stripped oil feed in the block...cant fit a drill to drill and tap it for helicoil...gotta pull the motor due to lack of better way at this point

[driftyour40]

I got my ST sways and I was going to put the front one in, and found out the frame stud nut was frozen on. So I took it to magic muffler and, they stripped the shit out of the stud even though I told them it was frozen. Then the guy expected me to pay for the damage. Long store short i threatened bureau of auto motive repair, and the guy fixed it for free, two weeks later (this is my only car by the way so my daily i need to go to work car ). not to mention they tried to put the rear bar on upside down (i had a base model s14 at the time) so i had to go to Nissan and get the diagram for them and, they still tried to put in upside down. I had to go in the shop and do it for them. Then after all that shit, the guy told me that i was never allowed back. Told him that wouldn't be a problem.

[FRpilot]

thats what happens when ur playing with 10+ years old garabage. shit needs to be replaced/maintained..

[sykikchimp]

Turk - post in Forum help/suggestions if you need info. You do not have PM Privileges.

[papershot]

i was replacing my front lower control arm, and broke the rubber boot on the tie rod ends. turns out the kts tie rods are backordered till december. i bought the lca with good balljoint for $50 shipped though from some guy parting his car.

i don't care though. too cold to drive anyway.

[rizzle]

So if your lowar ball joint boot is torn a bit with some grase leaking out does that mean it needs replacing asap? If so then that means I have another thing on the " all the shit i need to do on my car when I get time list" lol.