Clayton Front Lower Control Arm Install!

It is a very interesting time with COVID-19 curtailing so much of our daily activities. We are doing our part by staying home and away from others, and know it's the right thing to do to, ultimately, beat this pandemic and move onto to healing sooner.

Now, that does not make things easy when it comes to working on your Jeep. Many jobs require and extra set of hands or someone to bounce ideas off of and, let's face it. it's way more fun with someone else to laugh at you when you bang you shin or hit your knuckles!

I have learned a few things during this time...

1. I do not have all the tools I need (my friend and I have a complete set when you put them together, but alone, I do not).
2. Sometimes I just need someone to tell me that I am not thinking clearly about what I am doing,(more on that in a bit)
3. It sucks crawling out from under the Jeep to grab a beer! Someone needs to be standing by to hand you one. (Same goes for tools or that part you just dropped and it rolled away)
4. Jeep projects are just much more fun with a good friend to share them with

Anyway, now onto the install...

I had a whole half-day to install my Clayton Overland+ Control Arms and this was my goal. The work is relatively straight forward BUT removing the factory torqued bolts proved quite a challenge... this is why I only was able to get the Front lower control arms swapped out. This is where lesson #2 came into play, I was using my Lowe's "24-Volt Max 1/2-in Impact Wrench providing premium performance for installing and removing high-torque nuts, bolts, and fasteners. It’s brushless motor delivers 650-ft-lbs of breakaway torque" according to the company, and I could not get them to budge at all. After a struggle, I was able to remove one bolt from the passenger side on the rear of the front control arm.

Here are the general steps I followed (the website directions are great) for each side individually starting with the front lower passenger side. Rattle-can paint as desired before you start...

• Remove the old control arm bolts
• Disconnect the brake line bracket from the control arm
• Remove the old control arm
• Remove the lower shock mount bolt (MAKE SURE you keep the shock from extending or you will fight with it to get it back in place)
• Install the new lower shock mount bolt provided by the good folks at Clayton Off Road
• Position the axle where you need it to be and measure from the center hole in the front mount to the center hole in the rear mount and write down the length
• Adjust you new control arms (both sides) to this length
• Tighten the lock nut down to secure length
• Install your new control arm in place with the adjustable end towards the frame and torque everything down to spec
• Reconnect the brake line mount using the new screw provided by Clayton Off Road
• Repeat all steps on the drivers side

Here's a view of the de-install...

Here are some "helpful" hints...

• I had to use a 24mm ratchet with a breaker bar on one side and the 21mm wrench on the other side to break the big control arms bolts free! The 1/2 inch impact wrench just could not do it.
• Put a flat head screw driver under the shock before you remove the old and have the new one ready to go. Use the screw driver to keep the shock from extending and as a lever to position it so you can slip in the new bolt.

And now for the new Control Arms...

Next week, with a bit more time and planning, I intend to install the remaining arms and until then...-

The Journey is what counts, Adventure Awaits!

#jeeplife #rubicon #jl #wrangler #jeep #jeepporn #retrorubicon #claytonoffroad