Control Arms?

[81Mustang]

Leave the RUCA unboxed, but with fresh rubber bushings.

If you plan on doing any kind of drag racing or hard launching do not use polyurethane bushings in the RLCA. Polyurethane will deform permanently, then it will crack and split.

So you're saying use nothing but maximun motorsports?

[81Mustang]

Check out the article on theses J&M control arms. I think I am going to buy a set.

http://www.hotpart.com/shop/index.ph...ct_detail&p=43

They use a Patent Pending 3 piece Poly-Ball bushing combination. It acts like a spherical bearing.

[MAD MIKE]

So you're saying use nothing but maximun motorsports?

What I am saying is, if you are keeping the factory four link suspension, leave the RUCA stock stamped steel, unboxed and with rubber bushings. This allows the twisting, and elongation that those two links need to be able to do to allow suspension articulation.
The rear lower control arms need to use spherical bearings if you plan on doing any hard or drag race type launches. The high amount of energy will shear and destroy polyurethane bushings.

If you are going to purchase a set I would recommend the MM Extreme Duty pieces.

[craigerSS]

American Muscle is not that bad, There is no hidden fees. I might just get the J&M lowers and box and new bushing in the uppers. I can get the lowers for $230 shipped so I am happy with that just not sure what to do with the upper. I dont want it to be unsafe or cause damage.

the hidden fees come when the delivery man shows up at your door wanting extra duty and taxes even though the site says its all covered,it happened to me

[Capri-Magic]

I have been going round and round on this exact same issue. The rear control arms in my 82GT are shot. At least I'm in the US so delivery is not a problem but there are so many choices and opinions out there I still dont know what to use. Be sure to keep us updated on what you choose and how they work out. Looks like ones with spherical bushings are my main choice right now. Just have to dig some up. Anyone know how the noise level is with these??

[ddawson]

This is my 3rd Mustang and they all got MM lowers. If you spend a lot of time on sites like corner-carvers you really learn the basics on how bad the 4 link is.

On my 84 I used MM lowers with new FMS uppers and Axle side bushings and it made a huge difference.

[81Mustang]

J&M bushings have a life time warrenty that comes with them. I am 98% sure thoses are the ones I am going with for uppers and lowers.

I am not just going with the fact that they have a life time warrenty. I think a lot of people havent heard enough about them yet. I read there article and the testing they did was pretty impressive.

The company has just started in 1996 so there just getting out now. I think I will try my luck with them.

[blackgt85]

J&M bushings have a life time warrenty that comes with them. I am 98% sure thoses are the ones I am going with for uppers and lowers.

I am not just going with the fact that they have a life time warrenty. I think a lot of people havent heard enough about them yet. I read there article and the testing they did was pretty impressive.

The company has just started in 1996 so there just getting out now. I think I will try my luck with them.

Maybe try their lowers, but the uppers with their "Poly-Ball" bushings I wouldn't use. I looked at a picture of them, and I don't see how these "Poly-Ball" bushings are "special". Maybe they are, but I would still be skeptical on anything with "Poly" in it's name... http://www.hotpart.com/shop/index.ph...ct_detail&p=68


Is there a reason why you keep wanting to move away from the stock uppers???


Justin

[81Mustang]

No reason why I want to move away from the stock uppers. Is aftermarket ones going to lower the ET times?

[MAD MIKE]

Is aftermarket ones going to lower the ET times?

Nope.

The aftermarket uppers will induce bind. This prevents the suspension from freely articulating. A suspension that cannot articulate is useless. Drag strips are not window pane glass flat, your wheels need to be able to maintain contact with the road.
Loss of contact = loss of traction = slow.

As for poly ball or spherical bearing RUCA, these do not induce bind, but forces the rear axle to move in a figure 8 like motion when the rear end rolls. This will cause for some funky handling, and make the axle housing move about in unpredictable ways.

The RUCA simply need to be left stock. Unboxed, rubber bushings.

The answer to your next question of "why do so many companies make them" is two fold.
One they do not understand, or possibly care, the simple physics that the factory 4 link rear suspension has.
And/Or
Two, its about money. If you can sell $40 bucks in parts for $120 you have made quite the profit.

[Mike Croke]

There is something to be said for the absence of poly bushing uppers from the "serious" suspension companies. Maximum Motorsports, Team Z, Wolfe Racecraft, Baseline, Griggs offer either rubber bushing uppers or spherical bearing uppers.

From Maximum Motorsports site:
"When retaining the original four-link suspension, the best compromise between resistance to suspension bind, best control of axle position, best ride quality, and least potential damage to the chassis, is to retain rubber bushings in the rear upper control arms."

From Griggs site:
"...the lower and upper rear control arms are not parallel, so as the suspension moves the upper arms are twisted in their bushings. During performance driving this quickly leads to a near total binding of the rear suspension, called roll bind. With the axle bound, it acts like a giant anti-sway bar, causing the rear roll stiffness to skyrocket and the overloaded rear tires to loose traction and spin....Ford addresses the roll bind by fitting the upper arms with very soft bushings, a sloppy fix, to say the least."

[81Mustang]

Okay, I will leave the uppers stock. Thats over with now.

What is every ones thoughts on the J&M lowers? MM extreme are way out of my reach money wise. Maybe I should just freshing up all the stock bushings and run stock lowers too? What about the steeda lower control arms?

[81Mustang]

http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/product_p/tzm-lca-1.htm

Thoughts on these. They might be afforable.

[Marz]

So you're saying use nothing but maximun motorsports?

lol... I am. Wont trust anything else.

[Marz]

If you are going to purchase a set I would recommend the MM Extreme Duty pieces.

Thats what I have in my GT. Amazing!

[Gonnagofast]

Maybe I made a mistake yrs ago. I got the BBK upper and lowers. I have never driven the car though.

[Mustang-junky]

http://www.teamzmotorsports.net/product_p/tzm-lca-1.htm

Thoughts on these. They might be afforable.

No sway bar mounts. I have a set of UPRs like the ones in your link. Now I have to buy an aftermarket rear sway bar.

Jess

[81Mustang]

I was also looking at global west. They look like they have a good set.

[opntrk86]

Just to through this out there, I have had the J&M (they used to sold under the Pro3i name) LCA's with the stock rubber (FR M-5500a) uppers on my car for about 9 years with no issues. My lowers have the spherical bearing on the axle side and the 3 piece poly on body side.

My car has seen at least a couple auto-X and HPDE events a year and about 30K street miles in the time. They are quality pieces and have held up great for me, they are the only non MM suspension part that is on my car right now.

I would not uses there uppers though, stick with stock

[burntorange84]

If any of you guys get Fox Mustang Magazine, the latest issue has a DIY with an UPGRADE? to UPR uppers and lowers.

I've only browsed the article but this same issue came to mind! I'm not sure they are poly but 90% sure.

-j

[MAD MIKE]

I was also looking at global west. They look like they have a good set.

They are some of the worst. Spherical bearing on one side and a Del-A-Lum solid bearing on the other. That's a torque box damaging device if i ever did see one. Both ends need to be spherical bearings if you plan on doing any kind of drag or hard launch racing.

[JACook]

If any of you guys get Fox Mustang Magazine, the latest issue has a DIY with an UPGRADE? to UPR uppers and lowers.

I've only browsed the article but this same issue came to mind! I'm not sure they are poly but 90% sure.

-j

I saw that article, just shook my head...

Just gotta keep reminding myself that magazines do what magazines do, to sell advertising
first, and if any good tech comes out of it, that's a bonus. In this case, it's not happening.

[burntorange84]

I saw that article, just shook my head...

Just gotta keep reminding myself that magazines do what magazines do, to sell advertising
first, and if any good tech comes out of it, that's a bonus. In this case, it's not happening.

Maybe the next DIY will be to weld in Torque Boxes....to make matters worse. It is possible these guys may listen up and do a little more research....

-j

[bigblockrs]

hey guys,I traded around and got a set of Lakewood upper & lower control arms for close to nothing but after reading this thread Im worried about my Torque boxes. These have never been out of the box , should I replace the poly bushings for factory rubber ones?

[wraithracing]

hey guys,I traded around and got a set of Lakewood upper & lower control arms for close to nothing but after reading this thread Im worried about my Torque boxes. These have never been out of the box , should I replace the poly bushings for factory rubber ones?

I don't believe the Lakewood bushings are the same size and shape as OEM rubber. It's been many years since I looked at a set, so I could be wrong.

IIRC, they are all poly bushings, so I would not recommend running them if I were you. I am sure someone on Ebay, Craiglist, etc. will want them.

Trey