We tore into the front end of my PV444 last weekend, thinking we would only be inspecting and replacing the steering rods w/ ball joints, tie rod ends, a few bushings... besides finding out that the kingpins are shot and my upper A arm is badly bent on one side, we discoverd the general wear is more extensive than we anticipated (of course). Most of the threads in the fittings, such as this control arm, are badly eroded and have a lot of play in them. Too much play for my comfort. Probably the safest thing to do is cut out the welded in fittings (using a welding cutter?) and press/weld new fittings in. Has anyone done this? The new bolts will then fit snugly and safely. I need to dig up a picture of the old bolts, it's scary how much wear some of them have.

Control Arm Fittings