Pinto Car Club of America

Since I turned the wagon into my daily driver, it has been in the back of my mind that the original 35 year old suspension with 140,000 miles  may need new ball joints as well as strut bushings, caliper rebuild, etc. I don't drive that many miles each day (maybe 30 total), but I do consistently have it cranked up to 70-75 mph. Sure would zoop loosing a ball joint at that speed! I've read the threads about joint replacement and I'll probably do it with the control arms on the car. A new rack will be next considering the price of new manual units. Should be a weekend of fun!

i youre gonna go that far why not also spend the 50 bucks on the urethane uper and lower bushings while youre at it... makes a world of difference......

Started out Saturday morning with every intention of tearing everything down and replacing all the ball joints, rebuild the calipers, surface the rotors and replace the strut bushings. It became apparent that was WAY too much to do at 1 time, so I concentrated on the priority.... the calipers. The pads have been noisy and haven't been applying evenly and properly, so off they came. I bead blasted the calipers and detailed them before reassembly. In addition to the rebuild kits (seals), I bought new pistons (steel not phenolic), and hardware kits. Reassembly is a learning experience. Seating the boot in the caliper body and getting the piston in takes practice..... a LOT of practice. I finally figured out the trick on the second caliper.
I loaded the calipers and replaced the hardware. Specifically the anti-rattle clips that were missing. I made sure the outer pad fit the bracket tightly so it wouldn't rattle. After bleeding the brakes it was time for a test drive. The pads need to seat, and I'm not a big fan of organic pads, but everything I read warned against semi-metallics and the increased wear. It has an excellent pedal and after a few miles they're coming around. I'll need to find another weekend just for the balljoints... and possibly a new rack.