aftermarket control arms January 08, 2006, 07:56:22 PM is there any other company besides CHE, that makes them for 87-88 t-birds? is there enough adjustment to get the aftermarket mustang arms to work? im looking for some adjustable lowers, that allows you to lower the rear. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #1 – January 08, 2006, 08:13:36 PM CHE is it for the rear control arms. Allegedly there's a GM car that has uppers that will work, but I can't recall which. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #2 – January 08, 2006, 08:45:24 PM Fordpartsnetwork appears to sell UCAs. http://www.parts.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getLocator&siteid=318&chapter=DN2FD0&appSectionid=24&groupid=61991&make=10&model=Thunderbird&year=1987&catalogid=1Maximum Motorsports makes LCAs for our cars. MM adjustable LCAs = $399.95CHE adjustable LCAs = $229.95 Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #3 – January 08, 2006, 09:03:39 PM MM has lowers, but they are expensive!I know what GM car you're talking about....if I had a Jeg's catalog I could tell you which one it is, but I can't remember off the top of my head and can't find a jeg's catalog laying around. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #6 – January 09, 2006, 12:16:24 AM Chevelle???? Gonna go jack the ones off my dads 70 SS! Nah thats mean for such a nice car. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #7 – January 09, 2006, 03:56:01 PM Maximum Motorsports makes the best LCA's for T-Birds period. They aren't cheap, but you get what you pay for. You couldn't pay me to install anybody else's on my car. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #8 – January 09, 2006, 10:59:59 PM Mr. Hawk if I had your car I wouldn't either. :D MM is the only LCA I've seen that let's you lower. I think Global West might have some, but I don't recall. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #9 – January 09, 2006, 11:35:23 PM I really like the CHE adjustable arms I have. Too bad you couldn't find a shorter spring and stick it in there when you install the adjustable arms - then you could dial it in. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #10 – January 10, 2006, 03:15:31 PM Quote from: darkthunderMr. Hawk if I had your car I wouldn't either. :D MM is the only LCA I've seen that let's you lower. I think Global West might have some, but I don't recall.I like the MM's primarily because they are the ONLY company that does the bushings correctly for use with a Fox Ford 4 link setup. I've covered the topic too many times on this forum as to why bushing choice is important for cars that do something other than go in a straight line, so I won't get into writing that novel again (should come up in a search I think but it may not as I believe the last time I wrote on the subject was back on the old EzBoard based forum) MM covers the subject quite well on their own site though. No offence to supporters of other brands of LCA's for our cars, but if you like to go around corners or drive your car on the street in directions other than straight you would be better off keeping stone stock LCA's on the car.:flame: Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #11 – January 10, 2006, 04:29:18 PM I, for one, am quite familiar with the post you are talking about. It's the reason I held back from buying any of the typical aftermarket control arms - too firm urethane bushings that do not allow side-side movement and eventually damage the torque boxes - thanks :D Below is my thinking process prior to purchasing control arms:Maximum MotorsportsI would have bought the MM arms, but for the following reasons I decided to look elsewhere:1. The center harder section is rectangular and has been known to tear due to the deflection that they are trying to preserve. Their seemed to be several folks who complained about the bushings tearing.2. The axle end uses a spherical bushing which may provide good side movement but it also will introduce more NVH which I can live without.3. $400 is a high price to pay for a set of adjustable lowers - too high for most folks IMHO.4. I bought full-length subframes from MM (for a pretty penny I might add) which they SAID would fit the Cougar fine, but which didn't fit when I got them. They offered NOTHING more than an appology when I called & said they didn't fit properly - ****ing jerks. Wouldn't even give me a discount toward LCA's as compensation for me having to bash the Christ out of them with a 10 lb sledgehammer for an hour each to get them to fit :flame: **** MM .CHEThe CHE is a compromise using a delrin liner as a buffer between the mounting axle bushing and the polyurethane. I was leary about their material hardness and emailed Chuck who forwarded the following information (now on the website) to alleviate my fears:Steel Crush Sleeve:The crush sleeve not only maintains a fixed mounting point on the vehicle, but also acts as a smooth bearing race for the Delrin. Delrin Bearing:Delrin is an Acetyl Nylon material with low friction properties. The Delrin Bearing is designed to rotate around the crush sleeve providing smooth, low friction, squeak free operation. Polyurethane Bushing:The polyurethane bushing is designed to absorb shock and allows the axle to move through its complex range of motion without harsh binding or torque box damage. Because the poly bushings remain fixed without rotating, there are no annoying squeaks. We carefully select the proper hardness to provide maximum performance and prevent binding and damage.Our Polyurethane bushings are engineered and manufactured specifically for our products ensuring optimal performance for any driving or racing style.At $229 - group discount it was certainly worth taking a chance on. I am more than pleased with the compromise in hardness of the polyurethane - they "feel" right on my car on the curves & at the racetrack. So far, so good.J&M PerformanceI also tried to get a custom Cougar/T-Bird buy on arms from J&M Performance that uses a ball & socket type of design similar to MM but with the advantage of being spherical so the bushing will not tear like the MM supposedly do. Unfortunately, I could not get enough interest in this custom length even though I posted here, on Cougarnuts, NATO, TurboFord etc... They make a nice adjustable design too These are $268 with spherical poly on both ends, $298 with teflon lined spherical on axle side & poly spherical on chassis side. Very similar to MM for $100 less. I can't vouch for them on any car I know of however. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #12 – January 10, 2006, 04:41:16 PM Y'all DO know that you can use Mustang rear LCA's on your car...right? They are 3/4" shorter in length, meaning they will rotate the top of the rear end slightly upward. But that's a good thing because it helps with the pinion angle. Your wheelbase would be a bit shorter as well. This upsets virtually nothing as far as tire wear, wheel fitment, etc. I have not seen or heard any arguments as to why one shouldn't use them on a T-Bird/Cougar platform, at least in aftermarket form. The uppers still have to be specific to our cars, or from a GM A-Body (1968-72 Chevelle). But the lowers...no known issues. I ran Saleen/Racecraft Mustang lowers on the convertible for about 7 years with no problems. The CHE arms definitely "feel" better on the car though, no doubt due to the bushings.If money is no object...MM lowers seem to be great for those that have them. If money is an object...and for virtually everyone that views this board, it is...there is no better overall value than what CHE is offering for street cars, at least that I've found yet.Those ball-and-socket bushings are very intriguing though...interesting.What we don't have here is a lot of data concerning either the MM or the CHE arms when used at the track on a T-Bird/Cougar platform. Ditto for road courses. I feel if we're going to be fair to either company, we need this feedback. We already know what MM does with Mustangs and road courses because of their own information in magazines and on their website. But how well do those bushings hold up afterward? What about the occasional autocrosser or weekend warrior? What do they have to say in their own non-sponsored words? I find it difficult to give advice to people when there are too many unknowns. And what I'm talking about here should be the car owners' feedback, not the company's feedback. Word on the street, in other words. Anything? Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #13 – January 10, 2006, 04:57:47 PM Quote from: EricCoolCatsY'all DO know that you can use Mustang rear LCA's...I think the difference is more like 5/8" if I remember correctly. I did the calculations WRT pinion angle and I didn't like the way it came out. The angle would have been close to zero with Mustang arms and I don't like the idea of the pinion pointing at the driveshaft - not good for U-joint wear and might have vibration issues as well. Quote Selected
aftermarket control arms Reply #14 – January 10, 2006, 05:05:20 PM Quote from: Cougar5.0Maximum MotorsportsI would have bought the MM arms, but for the following reasons I decided to look elsewhere:1. The center harder section is rectangular and has been known to tear due to the deflection that they are trying to preserve. Their seemed to be several folks who complained about the bushings tearing.The only tearing complaints that I have heard about were from drag racers who used their std. arms.Quote from: EricCoolCstsWhat we don't have here is a lot of data concerning either the MM or the CHE arms when used at the track on a T-Bird/Cougar platform. Ditto for road courses. I feel if we're going to be fair to either company, we need this feedback. We already know what MM does with Mustangs and road courses because of their own information in magazines and on their website. But how well do those bushings hold up afterward? What about the occasional autocrosser or weekend warrior? What do they have to say in their own non-sponsored words? I find it difficult to give advice to people when there are too many unknowns. And what I'm talking about here should be the car owners' feedback, not the company's feedback. Word on the street, in other words. Anything?Given the similarities between the Mustang and Tbird/Cougar suspension, I think the feedback from MM Mustang products is directly applicable to the Tbird/Cougar. If you want feedback concerning the MM Mustang LCAs, go to corner-carvers.com. They are considered the best arms bar none. There are many, many people who had the MM arms on for years for DD, autocross, OT events, and amateur racing. Quote Selected
Topic: aftermarket control arms (Read 9059 times)
previous topic - next topic
