Lower Control Arm Blues

[1985LWB]

I have a 1985 NB LWB, read about it here - My 1985 NB LWB

I bought a replacement lower control arm for the passenger side which was damaged by the previous owner not checking the shocks bolt, allowing one to drift out and the other was pulled out of the arm, taking the captive nut along with a piece of the control arm.

I replaced the arm this weekend, not a real hard job, and took the NB for a run to Morton National Park to test it out. After about 30 minutes of driving on the rough stuff, I heard the dread clank. I stopped to find that the driver's side shock had been ripped from the lower control arm. I checked those bolts when I was replacing the other arm and they were torqued to spec.

So now I am up for replacing another arm, unless I decide this time to rebuild the arm myself, and strengthening the arm in the process.

What is going on here? Has anyone else had the same trouble, or am I having a run of the "rebuild it" blues?

[Bitsamissin]

Yeah it has happened before but usually only on abused vehicles offroaded heavily. Never seen it happen on a Gen 2 model though.
If you can look at a Gen 2 set up you will see they changed the bottom mount which is a better arrangement.
I would be repairing the bottom mount with some reinforcement that will do the trick.

[1985LWB]

Bitsamissin;

Are GEN II lower arms interchangable with GEN I? The new(used) arm I bought was from a 89, so a GEN I.

Thanks

[Bitsamissin]

You probably could do it but you would have to change the upper and lower wishbones.
The reason is that the Gen 2 are slightly longer giving a wider track and a tad more wheel travel.
The upper balljoints are also bolt ins for the Gen 2 as opposed to pressed in Gen 1.

[1985LWB]

If you read my little speil over at the "Pajero Club", you know, I literally fell into this NB. The unfortunate part is that now I am falling in love with it and am having unexplainable and irrational urges to spend large sums of money on it!! I seem to get attached to strays. I have an EA Falcon wagon... that is another story.

I should start another topic, but briefly, I am confused about how I want to proceed with the rebuild and restoration of this NB, including whether to rebuild the 2.6 or replace with a 2.8TDI. If I choose the 2.8TDI option, I will buy a written-off GEN II, so then I will have lots of spare parts including suspension bits.

Decisions, decisions...

[DougH]

If it is the 2.6 petrol engine I would throw it right in the trash. Just my opinion though.

[PHIL]

I had the same problem with my last genI. Ripped the shocks right out of the lower mounts, and ruined a set of 9000s in the process. I ended up putting a bolt UP through the arm, and then double-nutting it from over the shock pin. BUt you might want to look at WHY you're pulling them out. If your torsion bars are cranked, you may be running shocks that are too short, and thus acting as your suspension limiters....

PHIL

[1985LWB]

Phil,

Briefly, it appears that the cause was collapsed bottom bump stops.

For more details see this thread at Pajero Club -

Lower Control Arm Blues