rear control arm bushings

[pudman]

i'm needing to replace all the rear control arm bushings in my 86 gt vert. while shopping online i'm seeing rear lower front bushings offered in round or oval. which ones do i need on a stock 86 suspension? and what is the total number of bushings required for the rear? thankx in advance

 

[Mustang5L5]

If you look under your car you can easily see. On my '88 they were oval. I beleive the arms are the same.

You have two bushings per arm, and 4 arms total. The uppers are a PITA to do really. Don't go polyurethane in the uppers. Stay with rubber OEM bushings here. Creating too stiff of a setup can lead to snap oversteer.

 

[pudman]

thanks Mustang5L5. they are oval. that was simple enough to find out, but wasn't sure what i was looking for. i'm new to this car fixing stuff. learned a ton on this forum when i started restoring my car. do you know anything about mevotech stuff? bushing material not as stiff as urethane,but stiffer than rubber. input anyone?

 

[pudman]

If you look under your car you can easily see. On my '88 they were oval. I beleive the arms are the same.

You have two bushings per arm, and 4 arms total. The uppers are a PITA to do really. Don't go polyurethane in the uppers. Stay with rubber OEM bushings here. Creating too stiff of a setup can lead to snap oversteer.

would it be ok to go poly on the lowers?

 

[cenok is family]

i have UPR tubular uppers and lowers with poly bushings on both ends and i like em. the ride isn't harsh but it is pretty stiff, mostly due to my springs/shocks/struts though. sure does bite a lot harder though.

 

[Mustang5L5]

would it be ok to go poly on the lowers?

Yes.


You just want some "give" on the uppers

 

[Beasty306GT]

you should buy a nice new set of uppers and lowers...save yourself a headache just replace them..plus ull have a better ride

 

[90lxcoupe]

you should buy a nice new set of uppers and lowers...save yourself a headache just replace them..plus ull have a better ride

agreed, the stock stuff is going to flex alot with the bushings, and since they are out you might as well throw a set of nice aftermarket uppers and lowers in it. There are lots of quality brands out there and usually there is something for everyones budget. My advice would be to spend a few extra bucks and buy good stuff, otherwise you will be buying parts twice.

 

[SVT32VDOHC]

Your best bet is to get a whole set of control arms instead of keeping the weak stock ones and having crappy rubber bushings. If you don't do any serious drag racing, or racing at all get these.

Uppers:
79-98 UPPER CONTROL ARMS, HEAVY DUTY MUSTANG

My friend has these on this notch and runs 9's!!! They are basically stock replacements with harder than stock rubber bushings.

Lowers:
79-98 LOWER CONTROL ARMS, STEEL <br> MUSTANG

Or get a kit. This will do:

BEST BET...all the way....hands down.
79-98 CONTROL ARM KIT, BOXED, REAR, UPPER & LOWER, BLACK MUSTANG

 

[Mustang5L5]

Uppers:
79-98 UPPER CONTROL ARMS, HEAVY DUTY MUSTANG

My friend has these on this notch and runs 9's!!! They are basically stock replacements with harder than stock rubber bushings.

The steeda arms are the same thing, but boxed and zinc'd and come with poly bushings for the axle and are $99!

I chucked the poly bushings in the trash and bought OEM rubber bushings for the axle. Poly in the uppers is a bad idea.