adjustable UCAs? possible?

[wicked93gs]

alright, we all know how much the stock setup(and the stock based setup) sucks for performance applications...mainly because it can slip out of alignment under aggresive driving...those control arm teeth just dont seem the best setup. I have a Heidts kit with tubular UCAs...nice enough setup, but it doesnt cure the issue...I was looking through a summit catalog and noticed that competition engineering has adjustable control arms for quite a few chevys...control arms that are adjustable by way of rod ends threaded into the control arm if you see what I say

this is a similar control arm to mine(except I dont have adjustable heim joints)
I was wondering if it is feasible(or even possible) to do something similar to mine to make them adjustable...I would then weld up the adjustment slots and drill a couple holes for the locating bolts instead...this would in theory eliminate slipping alignment....I am by no means a suspension expert and was wondering if there is something I am missing here...any reason why modding my control arms like this wouldnt work...it would also give me the advantage of being able to make the UCAs slightly shorter for better negative camber as well

 

[78CobraII]

I think that you are right about changing the adjustment method for a race or track car. Most circle track cars use adjustable A-arms.

Years ago I saw a magazine article where a street rod builder was using MII front components, but changed the adjustment method. Instead of the UCA cross arm mounting to the horizontal top of the spring tower and adjusting via slots, he turned the mount 90 degrees to vertical and used shims to set the alignment. The trick would be to weld the correct grade of steel angle bracket to the right place on the spring tower, drill it properly, and brace it as needed.

I've seen the adjustable UCA's in a couple of places, but can't come up with them right now. I thought that Speedway Motors had them, but no.

 

[wicked93gs]

so someone does sell them for the MII? that angle iron is a good idea..but i would think that adjustable UCAs would be a requirement to take advantage and get the correct alignment

 

[78CobraII]

The guy I saw doing the vertical mount on the upper a-arm (with reinforced angle iron) was using shims to set alignment, just like the upper on many older Fords. Ford must have seen some benefit in changing the way the alignment was set, I'm guessing it was in the amount of time required to do the initial alignment at the factory.

I spent a bunch of time Googling adjustable MII A-arms already with no joy, so I must have been smoking something...