OK, by researching the forum I now appreciate that the probable answer to my question is that the lower arm and ball joint come as one item.
Also on the subject of CV joints, it appears that the removal of the rubber boot (already split in half) and the circlip will remove the CV joint at either end. Is it approximately this simple?
Any thoughts on prices for either of these items?
thanks Peter
Is this for the Sting?
Why not use all the parts from your unregistered FIRE 45 that you have just bought for $97... Swap the engine while you're at it.
I presume you've decided not to buy the $3000 Turbo in the south island - which would be quite a risk as we discussed!
If you have any rust-free front doors (5-dr) that you'd like to sell, plus a windscreen, PM me - maybe James & I can reduce your cost further
The CV joints are approximately that simple - I presume you've found the circlip near the centre of the joint that's an unusual open-ended type.
The left CV joint usually wears before the right, in a RHD country like ours. I seem to recall once buying a CV joint for an Uno 45 - it was $90. I think, though, there will be enough spares around now. Clean and re-grease and they get a new lease of life (the only reason they wore out at all was probably because the grease wore out). The old grease tends to be thin and army-green, and the new grease is 'pasty' and dark grey.
You're right to tackle the lower balljoints as they make more difference than anything else to the handling of the Uno - the effects of a varying degree of wear are almost unpredictable, everything from knocking, steering pulling, 'torque steer', dive under braking, strange lurches mid-corner etc. etc.
It IS possible to separate the balljoint from most arms - there is a round-section circlip around the outside - but I wouldn't bother. A few years ago the balljoint cost $90 and the arm was $165. However it was all too easy for the replaced balljoint to work loose in the arm (one of mine had to be welded in). A couple of years ago, I bought two replacement arms from Autolign for $150 ($75 each). I think that was a bit of a special case though, and suspect the price would be about $120 each.
The hardest part of removing the lower arm is probably splitting the balljoint (I use a clothes-peg splitter for this - see
https://www.fiatforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=46418&d=1215506407 where I'm using the same tool for something else).
The next hardest part is a stupid 10mm nut - on a 'tiny' M6 bolt that goes through the subframe and you can't get to the bolt head on the other side - which is used to hold the control arm to the subframe before the subframe is bolted to the car. In our mild climate the nut can usually be undone after you wire-brush the threads, spray CRC, etc. Then you undo the main 17mm-head bolts and pry the bracket to 'load' against the 10mm nut, which might then undo without the bolt turning. I imagine in other parts of the world, an angle-grinder is the best option.
-Alex
