rear control arm

[mity2]

I'm sooo new to this solid rear axle thing(i used have nothing but 4 wheel indipendent suspension car in the past), so i'm very much lost on basics.
can someone enlighten me about rear upper & lower control arms? what does it do, and what is good, adjustable, and non-adjustable??

 

[Ottomatic]

I'm sooo new to this solid rear axle thing(i used have nothing but 4 wheel indipendent suspension car in the past), so i'm very much lost on basics.
can someone enlighten me about rear upper & lower control arms? what does it do, and what is good, adjustable, and non-adjustable??

The upper and lower control arms are in place to limit the front to back, and side to side movement of the rear axle. Here's a diagram:

(Taken from http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm)

 

[TacBear]

The upper and lower control arms are in place to limit the front to back, and side to side movement of the rear axle. Here's a diagram:

(Taken from http://www.miracerros.com/mustang/t_suspension.htm)

The old Quadrabind suspension!

 

[nickthegenius]

How easy is it to change the uppers/lowers in your garage on jackstands? I have all the tools needed I believe, but will I have enough clearance is a lift needed?

 

[Ken01GTvert]

I did my 01 in my garage with jack stands. The lower ones were cake to put in. The uppers were a PITA. The toughest part with the uppers were to remove the bushings from the top of the differential. Since I had everything ripped apart anyways I also installed Pro-kit springs and Bilstein shocks. It made a HUGE difference.

 

[mity2]

thanks for the replays guys! what is the benefit of adjustable one?

 

[stangman]

thanks for the replays guys! what is the benefit of adjustable one?

if i remember correctly, its to adjust angles in the rear end, so you get better handling at the track. i.e-better launch. if i'm wrong someone will chime in & correct me.

 

[Ken01GTvert]

Yea, i've heard it adjusts the pinion angle which will translate to better times at the track. I don't do the track so I got non-adjustables. I've been noticing that my 3.73s are starting to whine a little and wonder if I had gotten adjustables if I could adjust the angle to reduce the whine. I'm not sure if it would make any difference and I'm not sure how I'd be able to set the adjustables at the optimal angle.

 

[mity2]

According to mirracelos.com, upgraded control arm with poly bushing id more for drag race. it was talking something about snap oversteer

 

[spree]

How easy is it to change the uppers/lowers in your garage on jackstands? I have all the tools needed I believe, but will I have enough clearance is a lift needed?

i spent 4 hours on trying to do mine before giving up...but that's mainly cuz i don't have all the right tools. I could probably finish it up in an hour or two (including the time needed to get the car on jackstands and remove/reinstall the wheels/tires) if I had the right equipment.