Control Arms Too Weak

[Lynx331]

Im restoring my 87 GT. Ive got a set of 3.73s for her that we will be installing thursday. But i was thinkin how will my stock control arms hold up with this gear? I am thinkin about getting some drag radials will my control arms be ok? Im also going to put sub frams on there and beef up the torque boxes. Also the controls arms will have poly bushing in them.

 

[GT Drifter]

I'm not sure if the controls will take the abuse or not but personally spending the money on some aftermarket ones is just good piece of mind.

You should be able to find some good/cheap ones for around $250.

 

[bgjohnson]

it shouldn't DO anything to them, but it might cause some traction problems and wheel hop but other than that they will just flex, i've seen people running 11's-10's on stock suspension.

 

[BaXTeR3221]

Yea it shouldnt have any effect on the actual control arms, but you may or may not have traction problems. You dont have any mods in your sig, but as long as you have basic bolt-ons and a good set of tires, you shouldn't have traction problems.

 

[Lynx331]

well my only mod right now is exhaust and a cobra intake. But i am converting to mass air, adding a cam, changing my valve sprins and pushrods, reseating my valves. Im getting an aluminum driveshaft. I have a set of 3.73 gears waiting to be installed, a rear end rebuild kit. I am also considering getting my heads ported and polished. In the future i am also considering a supercharger. But if i go that route i will definately change my control arms before then.

 

[BaXTeR3221]

Yea the supercharger will deffinetly create traction problems, but i doubt the other mods will, provided you have a good set of tires and you not trying to break em lose

 

[v8only]

rear control arms are a must, especially when going with gears and lots of power. you're asking for an ass whooping worth of trouble with 3.73s, drag radials, and the drag strip. gauranteed, you'll wind up doing them. if you can afford it, throw at least some lowers in with the gear swap

 

[Lynx331]

whats a good set of control arms that can be had for a pretty decent price?

 

[v8only]

lot of info on this out there. if it's gonna be a street car too, stay far away from lowers with poly bushings on BOTH ends. that'll **** up your cornering and rip your torque box's out.

maximum motorsports make probably the best, if not one of the best sets around, but they are kinda pricey. stangnet's partsshopper sells pro3i arms, which are identicall mm knockoffs for much cheaper. Get the street/race versions, as they've got the poly on one end, and spherical bushing on the other.

x2c has them VERY cheap, but don't get the double poly set, I forget what the name is, but they sell a set with good spherical bushings on one end too.

I'd match them up with frpp uppers, very very cheap and effective

 

[Lynx331]

i bought a whole rear end poly bushing kit. Will i really mess up my torqe boxes if i put all poly in? We plan to re inforce the t/b's but i dont want to mess anything up. Im also going to get sumframes.

 

[v8only]

from another post I put up:


check out this link
http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm#Rear

When the car leans (rolls) in a turn, one side of the chassis moves upward relative to the rear axle, the other side moves downward, and these non-parallel control arms must twist and change length axially to allow the axle to articulate. This causes the control arm bushings to bind. If this bind becomes excessive, it can raise the rear wheel rate and produce sudden, undesireable changes in handling (e.g., snap oversteer).

If improved straight-line (dragstrip) performance is your primary goal, the stock rubber upper & lower control arm bushings can be replaced with solid polyurethane bushings or spherical bearings. Hard bushings/bearings eliminate wheel hop, reduce axle deflection, and improve rear end grip. The downside of solid poly bushings is that they prevent the necessary movement of control arms during body roll, which in turn produces significant suspension bind in turns. Spherical bearings do a better (but still imperfect) job of handling control arm motion during turns. And they also tend to transmit a lot of road noise and vibration into the car.

He's right about the huge benefits in launching, but he's dead wrong about it with handling. Even if you beef up your torque boxes to not break, poly at both ends will cause snap oversteer from the binding, and will cause highly unpredicable handling. FOr a strip only car, double poly bushings are fine, but for any car that sees the street, stay far, far away from these monsters.

 

[Lynx331]

ok well my cars going to see the track every 2 months or so. But it is going to be a daily driver. I have a rear end poly bushing kit sitting right next to me? How should i set it up? I can return it to summit if i want within 90 days. Should i go all rubber again? Rubber/ Poly? Get stronger lower control arms? What do you guys think i should do?

 

[Lynx331]

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