Below you will find a few tips that will make changing a lower control arm on a E36 much easyer.
You will find it helpfull to customize a 21mm wrench. Not wanting to cut up a $15 craftsman I went to the local
pawn shop and found the closest wrench to a 21mm. I happend to find a chinese 13/16 (20.63mm) which is very close
for a whole buck. A small amount of grinding to open it up is all it takes to make it into a 21mm. You'll also want
to cut it down. I found something in the 6" range works well.
You'll also want a section of pipe to fit over the end of the wrench you just cut off. Length is up to you,
the longer it is the easyer it is to turn the wrench but the more difficult it is to manuver. About a foot is a good lenght.
The finshed tool should look something like
A 3 jaw puller makes short work of getting the lollypop and bushing off the end. (you did buy a new bushing right?)
A shop press is needed to press the old bushing out and the new one in. To do this you will need something that
is just shy of the outside diameter of the bushing because metal edge of the bushing is very thin. I made a
disk out of 1/2 plate AL. 2-5/16 is a rough dimention to give you an idea of the size that is needed.
Use the shop press again to press the bushing &lollypop back on the LCA.
NOTES:
1) The bushings, in theory, have an orentation (when they are pressed into the lollypops), if you are useing "cambered" bushings were the hole isnt centered
then they DEFEINTLY have an orentation. Make shure you get it correct.
2) Make shure you orientate the bushing/lollypop correctly on the LCA otherwise youll find yourself back under the
car cussing because its pointng off in some weird ass direction which means youll probibly have to use the puller to
pull it back off, and then press it back on with the right orentation.
3) If you were driveing around with a worn out balljoints on an LCA for any length of time (like I was) you'll
problibly find the wear pattern on the front tires to be odd. Say to yourself, "what better time to rotate my tires".
(did you take the chance to check your break pad thickness?, bout time to change oil too maybee?)