More Novice Help Please, Suspension, CV Joint and Front Suspension Disassembly Options

[Highland]

More amateur help please, this time with CV joint and front suspension:

1) I've only taken apart one axle, but I found some pitting on one of the outside bearing. Pictured is the worse example:



Can I address this by swapping the transmission end for the wheel end? I notice they ride in slightly different locations.

2) Having much trouble taking apart the front suspension.

a) Can I just use a fork to pry this off or do I need a puller/pusher device? I have neither so trying to avoid buying both. Soaking in PB Blaster now. Boot is already torn so a fork would do no damage, just looking for the easiest way.



b) According to the Haines Manual the bolt/pin shown is suppose to come out to release the ball joint (held in by a semi-circle feature?). Mine looks like it is permanently attached to the strut. How do I get it out?



3) When removing the control arms do the adjusters need to be wound loose? Can the cross support bar be left in place?

[bbrock]

Tangerine Racing has CV joints. If 3 of yours are good, just get one. He takes Type 1 joints and makes the work. Adds an o-ring. Thing I found was that his Boot cover plate has 6 holes.... we only need 4. So I plugged up 2.

On a recent thread, he said he quit doing them since they were available through Porsche again, but then we learned what Porsche sells are actually 914-6 joints under the old 914-4 part number so maybe he can be convinced to start selling modded Type 1 CVs again (IMG:style_emoticons/default/confused24.gif)

2) Do torsion bars "sag" like coil springs? I have 100 lb springs and Bilsteins in the rear and plan on using Bilstein inserts in the front. Is it recommended to replace the torsion bars too (even if there's no visible damage)?

AFAIK, they just break rather than sag. They usually break when the car is sitting, which is rather kind of them. I wouldn't replace them if they look good unless you want to go with heavier bars. I think new stock bars may be hard to find. I"ve been told you can even sand out pitting to smooth it out and they'll be fine. Just don't mix up left and right when you put them back in. They are stamped on the ends.

I'm guessing others have better ways to get torsion bars out, but I've always managed to get them out without heat. I just pull or tap the rear adjuster off and that gives access to wiggle the bar around while pulling until it comes loose in the front. It has been a fight sometimes, but I eventually win. Also, if you remove the front nose covers, there will be cover discs over the ends of the a-arm tubes. If you pop those out (you''ll probably have to drill them to get a screw driver in to pop them out), you'll be looking at the front end of the torsion bar which you can then drive out with a drift (after the rear adjuster is removed of course)

I have no experience with heating them. Just be aware that heat will destroy the rubber bushings but if you plan to replace them, you are going to burn them out anyway.