Control Arms, Brackets, and more control arms (some q's)

[captdistraction]

;D

So I have a few things to install should I get the car back today:

Whiteline LCA relocation brackets
MM Panhard Bar (which might just be temporarily installed, it is indeed a rod end on either side, probably way too much for street - NVH)
J&M polyball LCAs (really interesting 3 different durometer bushings)
and (ordered today) Steeda front Boss-comp LCA's with their balljoints and poly bushings

On the whiteline LCA brackets, it seems there's about 1/8" of gap with the arm set in:

with the arm set in (the bushing cups want to push out to fill the gap, obviously not ideal

I bought some fender washers that are approximately the size of the bushing face and also would allow the bolt but not the crush tube through. I'm guessing I should use at least a pair to fill the gap, do I need to grease both sides to prevent any noise? Any thoughts on the plan there?

I think the rest of it will be cake outside torquing the suspension while loaded, that won't be fun.

Then on the front LCA's, it again looks to be a straightforward install, remove the spindle from the balljoint, remove front and rear bushing bolts, but anyone run into any issues or tricks?

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Torquing with the suspension loaded isn't difficult. Put jackstands under the axle tubes right where the spring perches are, and of course get the front of the car in the air as well, or jack the car up with the wheels on then put it back down on flat ramps or something.

Even on the FRPP LCAs I'm going to need some washers as well, but that gap will disappear as you torque to 129 ft-lbs.

 

[Fat Boss]

Use some grease. You guys have AC in your garages, or do you work in the middle of the night?

First weekend in August the Shelby Club is holding a two day event at Sears Pt. (Sonoma..) and last year it was 71* at the track. It's right on SF Bay and not all that far from San Quentin Prison so you can wave to Charles Manson et al as you drive by. Escape the heat, guys. You know you're thinking about it. :

http://www.norcal-saac.org/summersurprise/

Horrible iTurd vid from last year when my car was stock.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=3UdlKJH2n20[/youtube]

 

[NewBossowner]

;D

On
I bought some fender washers that are approximately the size of the bushing face and also would allow the bolt but not the crush tube through. I'm guessing I should use at least a pair to fill the gap, do I need to grease both sides to prevent any noise? Any thoughts on the plan there?

Just need to grease the rubber sides.

 

[captdistraction]

Can I ditch the axle weights or do they still serve any purpose. Does seem like unsprung weight that's replaced by the bracket

 

[NewBossowner]

Can I ditch the axle weights or do they still serve any purpose. Does seem like unsprung weight that's replaced by the bracket

They are very important. They hold down papers on my desk. Take them off, you wont miss them.

 

[Grant 302]

Can I ditch the axle weights or do they still serve any purpose. Does seem like unsprung weight that's replaced by the bracket

My thoughts exactly.

If you still have all the parts loose...does it look like the stock arms fit in the Whiteline brackets?

I remember somebody saying that the stock arms would fit in the FRPP bracket upper hole. Yeah, maybe if the bushing is toast. :

 

[PeteInCT]

They are very important. They hold down papers on my desk. Take them off, you wont miss them.

+1

 

[captdistraction]

So they're installed. Lets hope I never have to work on that part in the heat again. Trying to set torque on all those many fasteners at awkward angles wasn't fun (and I don't trust any of my torque wrenches, my decent one for engine building was abused by my lemons team, and the other is a harbor freight I trust for tires only). However 6 hours later I prevaled. Didn't need the washers surprisingly, but those 3 piece bushings were hell to get lined up. Its a 2 person job, as they kept wanting to explode with the force of a nuclear bomb whenever you pushed them in together. There were about 10 different hand tools involved in seating them properly.

I did keep the weights, but I'll remove them soon and replace with those bolts. I'm far too sore today to care about them.

Driving impressions? Totally worth it. The squats that added some bind in the drivetrain on shifts and a lot of kick are totally gone. The car shifts more smoothly, is easier to get moving from a stop, and overall grip is dramatically improved (more grip communicated). I haven't driven it too terribly hard, but I can tell noise is very slightly increased (can hear more tire noise), though drivetrain noises have decreased.

Some pics: (the angle is actually not as extreme as I was worried it would be. Though with the sportlines, my before angle was very extreme causing all sorts of drivability issues):

I didn't install the PHB as I just was not wanting to listen to the differential after all that hard work, it was well over 100* still at about 1AM when I wrapped up.

 

[Justin]

I did my lower and upper control arms on rhino ramps keeps the suspension loaded for you and no need to take the wheels off. Something to consider next time

 

[boro92]

Soooo did you need washers between the lca and brackets?
Inquiring minds want to know. I'm after the exact same bracket/lca setup that you have. Knowledge is power here

 

[Grant 302]

So when's the front end getting done? I'm thinking of going with the same front LCAs and a bumpsteer kit on my GT.

Just put the whiteline rear brackets in with the stock arms and the difference in corner exit grip is way better than I thought it would be. What do you think of the noise from the J&M poly balls?

 

[captdistraction]

I did not need the washers after all. The brackets to squeeze to fill the gap. Though I hate torquing metal that moves that much, getting an accurate reading near 130ftlbs isn't fun.

Noise isn't any different than before. I think I hear a bit more tire noise, but no real obvious difference. As long as the polyball setup holds up (which I imagine it would, shouldn't "oval" the crush sleeve), these have been a fantastic value in performance gained per dollar.

 

[steveespo]

I have found that a lot of noise with suspension parts is due to clearance between the bolts and sleeves not the bushings themselves. Ford parts and hardware have a very close tolerance fit that aftermarket parts sometimes don't I installed a BMR adjustable panhard rod way back when and had a clunk that I chased for 2 weeks after doing the springs and shocks at the same time. Everything was torqued to spec and still I had a clunk over bumps. The fit of the bolt and sleeve was the cause, put the stock bar back on and the noise went away. I pay the extra for Ford racing parts for that and other reasons.
Steve

 

[captdistraction]

For sure. I've seen plenty of sloppy fitting suspension parts. I had done my research with these and it paid off. J&M is a more entry brand but I'm a big fan of these arms and their CC plates (they use larger fasteners than the MM ones which I consider the benchmark). I do have some Ford (lol, some) parts on the car, but definitely recommend that research always be done when buying parts. I missed out on seeing about this gap in my research but it was rectified during install.

 

[Brandon302]

Speaking of noises, Capt if you start to notice a noise from the back when going from a standstill check the rear torque. Maybe it is something I was unaware of, but it seems like the aftermarket stuff like's to loosen a little after driving which will start to make noises. I will be checking torque every few months to be sure from now on.

 

[captdistraction]

Started working on the front LCA's wednesday night, the car is still on jackstands. Had to buy $100 worth of tools (some ratcheting metric wrenches which I'm juvenile for not purchasing before, but another $50 of 21mm sockets, wrenches and adapters/swivels/breaker bars).

This install sucks. Its 8 bolts altogether, that are all in clear sight (plus two steering rack bolts that are hidden and "welded" with gallons of loctite). Every step was impeded by something. Couldn't get the rack bolts out until the torch came into play, then the rack won't move due to the car being a Boss 302 configuration (oil cooler interferes with the rack). Worked around that to eventually get the arms out (on day 3), but now I have it all back together sans one steering rack bolt (I can't get the rack to line up, I need a tie strap on one side that I don't have to pull it in).

Given that nightmare, I proposed some changes to the ford service manual to make it a bit more accurate for the DIY crowd:

http://www.chris-wynne.com/mustang/suspension/LCAinstall.pdf

 

[ArizonaBOSS]

Speaking of noises, Capt if you start to notice a noise from the back when going from a standstill check the rear torque. Maybe it is something I was unaware of, but it seems like the aftermarket stuff like's to loosen a little after driving which will start to make noises. I will be checking torque every few months to be sure from now on.

PRO TIP: Get yourself a paint pen and witness mark anything you install in the car after it's torqued to spec. You can visually see if anything is loosening that way.

 

[Jimmy Pribble]

PRO TIP: Get yourself a paint pen and witness mark anything you install in the car after it's torqued to spec. You can visually see if anything is loosening that way.

PRO PRO TIP: Safety Wire

 

[captdistraction]

I marked the bolts that I've torqued so far.

I reserve safety wire for sealed engines, seatbelts, and hood pins. not crazy enough to start drilling bolts just yet.