67 230sl, Front Suspension

[Bconley759]

Trying to take the upper, outer control arm apart to clean and paint front suspension , not having any luck removing the bolt that runs through, any ideas??

[Benz Dr.]

Unless you've cleaned this area before you began it looks unusually dry. I'd say lack of grease or lubrication is your main problem.

Upper outer pivot kits are available and are part of the king pin assembly so you may need to replace a few parts before your done.  If your suspension was rarely or never greased it will be hard to remove. Be prepared to replace things before you're done.

If your car is running and driving you might want to try greasing everything, driving your car for a while, and see if that helps. Always start with the end in mind unless you plan on rebuilding your front end. 

[dirkbalter]

Can you rotate the bolt (3) ?

[Bconley759]

Yes, one side is quit easy and the other side rotates but not very easy.
I'm debating weather I need to take it apart at all. I have the front end removed from the car, trying to clean it up for a repaint.

[dirkbalter]

Well, the other side is the same. May be you soak them in some Wd-40 or sim over night and lightly tap them with a plastic hammer or so. Since you are talking it already apart and assuming all the parts are ok, I would at least replace the rubber seals that keep the grease in place. As Benz Dr. already said, all the upper and lower wear components are easily available from multiple vendors should you need them,
Good luck.

[MarkCan]

Since the front end is out do yourself a favour and dismantle it all to the smallest component. By looks of it all the parts are bone dry and there will be internal corrosion. I took apart whole front end on a 66 not to long ago and I’m in the process of getting parts and putting it together. Back to the bolt in the pic, I had to soak it in penetrating fluid, than use the impact to turn it while slightly tapping it from the other side. Once it broke loose it was fairly easy. Be careful, those little bits don’t come cheap. I should have an update on my progress in few days.