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I started by removing all the Krawler joints and the flex joint bushings. I used a 5/8" socket to push out the center sleeve.:
Attachment 1032
Attachment 1033
Once the sleeve is out, there are two bushings that need to come out from each side:
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I also used a parts cleaner with a very mild cleaning agent to clean all the grease and crud that were on the Krawler joints themselves.:
Attachment 1037
At this point I had a decision to make. I thought about taking the control arms to get new powder coating, bedline the arms, or just paint them. I decided on just painting them with some self-etching primer, satin black, and then a gloss clear coat. That way, when they get scratched I can just touch them up. The bed lined option would have been nice but I received a new full set of control arm decals from Rock Krawler that wouldn't stick very well to the rough surface of bed liner.
I broke out the ol' sander and took the arms completely back to bare metal:
Attachment 1038
I then cleaned and then sprayed the self-etching primer:
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I then sprayed a nice satin black, followed by a good clear coat. The final pic so far is of a finished front lower (top) against another lower that has yet to be redone. Also attached is the Monster Pro joint:
Attachment 1041
I sprayed each coat of paint several layers thick to give a nice heavy-duty coating of paint. As of right now, I have 4 arms completely done, 3 that have been primed, and one that hasn't been sanded.
I called a local off-road shop to see what they charge to install these as they may be more than what I want to get into. They quoted me $425 for the install, not including alignment. I would have to go elsewhere for that.
I then read through RK's instruction manual to see what all was involved in the installation and I may just do it myself. I can think of $425 on other products I would like to have.
Stay tuned...