Im just replacing a broken bolt on my upper control arm, 99 Cherokee. Stock arm, Im having alot of trouble getting it back in and lining the holes up to get the bolt through. Any tips? I already buggered the threads on one of the replacement bolts, good thing they were free!

 

you are talking on the unibody side right? look on the back of the mounting bracket and you should see two nuts. loosen those nuts and slide your bolt thru then make sure you tighten them back up. i had the same issue changing out my lower CA's the other day. hopefully this helps

 

if your on your back in the driveway, a good ratchet strap works good. If your on a hoist a trans jack or someone with a big prybar works good.

 

Ratchet strap sounds like a key ingredient, and yes i am doing this on my back. I dont really see how loosening the 2 bolts on the back of the bracket would help with the upper control arm.
Thank you both though!

 

If the eye of the bushing needs to go towards the back, remove a tire and put a hydraulic jack under the steering arm and use the jack to rotate the axle. Lots of fine adjustment here.

 

This is exactly what i need to do rotate the axle slightly. Not 100 percent sure on what ur saying with putting the jack on the steering arm? The steering knuckle maybe? I tried playing around with a jack in a few different place to get the axle to rotate, it didnt work would always just lift the whole alxe up. Im just praying the rachet strp will work tonight!

 

well i just looked at mine and the uppers do not have the same mounting bracket and setup as the lowers, sorry for the bad info

 

Support the axle. Take the tire off and place the jack under the place where the tie rod attaches to the steering knuckle. This gives you leverage on the axle. Then use the jack to raise it. The axle will rotate back toward the rear.

 

Ratchet strap worked like a charm!

Thanks for all the tips everyone!!! warthog, no problem, you learned something new today as well!