Hey fellow coupe builders. I wanted to provide a helpful hint for installing control arm rod ends into narrow mounting brackets. While trying to install my rear suspension, I found it difficult to jam the rod ends into the chassis brackets. Several of them were about 1/16th of an inch too narrow. So I tried to find a tool that would make the openings a little wider. I finally found this handy gadget at Advance Auto parts. It's a brake pad spreader that is operated with a 3/4 inch wrench, and made the job easy. I hope this helps anyone who is struggling with this same situation.
That's a great find/idea. There are probably a few more places that would also come in handy. Wish I would have thought of it for my build— if I remember properly, I think my tool of choice was a couple big-*** crescent wrenches.
Last edited by Alphamacaroon; 12-21-2023 at 10:01 PM.
Nice find! Haven't seen that one before. You can also use some simple threaded rod with two nuts and 2 washers. Easy to get in some of the small places, as you'll need to spread the ears out in just about every installation, from UCAs, LCAs and shocks.
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