Southside Machines install questions...

[2000xp8]

Got it c figured out today and man do I love the way she feels now

If you drive your car on the street at all, I suggest you take them off.
Soundside bars give the term "bind" a whole new meaning.
I don't care what you do to the car, nothing can withstand solid straight bearings. So if you redo the torque boxes, then the rear tears open, redo the rear mounting holes likely the next place it will go is tearing the floor out.
When one wheel goes up, the bearing has no give so that flex has to go somewhere.
They aren't like a heim and don't articulate.

I speak as someone who destroyed the torque boxes and tore the rear open using southside bars.
Single worst thing I ever did.

The punishment for using them on the street is $2000+ in damage.
I wouldn't even drive the car around the block with them.

 

[sal5.0]

Get rid of them! I just took mine off, because I noticed the torque boxes staring to warp. These things reek havoc on your car. I just installed Hotchkis control arms, and what a difference! If anyone wants my SSM bars, they can have them.

 

[fredfifty]

i have these LCA's and the bottom part is welded (like mentioned here) to the stock LCA mounting section.. So one would need to un-weld them to remove them properly if they wanted to go with different LCA's??

 

[2000xp8]

Grind off the welds. I didn't have too since I had to change the entire rear housing because it was so damaged.

 

[fredfifty]

if i leave that welded on part of the SSM LCA, would i be able to install a MM LCA still? or would that welded on part get in the way?

 

[2000xp8]

I would think that it would work, it's been a long time for me, probably 15+ years. But i'm pretty sure they are welded to the outside and still use the stock bolt holes up top.
So it may be possibly to just use a cut off wheel or grinder and trim the excess at the bottom. You may need longer bolts if the ones in the top weren't meant to go through bushings.

 

[Rt jam]

This is an old thread but it does need a bump for future owners of SouthSide Machine bars. The best reply is reply #21.

My answer is also, DO NOT USE THEM. They have zero compliance for articulation and will wreck something. It is odd how so many think power broke their mount when in fact just driving the car up into a driveway 6" higher than the road on an angle will strain the mount.

 

[fredfifty]

This is an old thread but it does need a bump for future owners of SouthSide Machine bars. The best reply is reply #21.

My answer is also, DO NOT USE THEM. They have zero compliance for articulation and will wreck something. It is odd how so many think power broke their mount when in fact just driving the car up into a driveway 6" higher than the road on an angle will strain the mount.

i plan on taking them off, but wanted to be clear if i needed to grind off the section that appears to lower the axle end of the lower control arm mounting point.

 

[fredfifty]

Looks welded, and i dont think i can leave it on if i go MM

 

[2000xp8]

I think they were always welded, at least all the ones I've seen.

I couldn't remember if the brackets were on the inside or outside and your pic answers that.
Looks like you are grinding. It really shouldn't be that hard the only spots they could probably reach with the welder was on the bottom left and right and maybe the front.

With a couple good grinding discs it should only take a couple minutes.

 

[fredfifty]

would anyone keep these on (based on quality/performance/etc) or, im thinking, to switch to mm rear lca's w/delete spring perch since i went CO.

 

[2000xp8]

would anyone keep these on (based on quality/performance/etc)

Look, i'm probably one of very few people that still have a mustang that used these.
It's simple, regardless of whether they work or not, if you do anything other than trailer your car to the drag strip, drive a straight quarter mile and put it back on the trailer, they HAVE to go.

I'd be seriously worried about what I would find for damage on the car now, since southside has been out of business for a long time. Which means either some idiot put them on the car recently or the car has been that way for quite a while, either way, it's not good.
I'd check the torque boxes, upper and lower and pull the back seat out and start looking for crinkling or cracks in the floor above the uppers and behind the trans tunnel.

It's starting to seem like you don't want to grind the plates off. The reality is that you have to.

Look at it this way, if you put a 2x4 block of wood under one rear tire, with these arms, you would already be in a damaging bind situation.

Get yourself a grinder and some new arms and get to work if you care about your car.

 

[fredfifty]

Yes, id rather not grind, but i understand its not that difficult. Prior to installing torque box reinforcement plates (bolted down, not welded....yet), the areas were intact..so im sure the SSM’s didnt slaughter my TB’s. Id rather go MM all around but wanted some feedback on these components...and, well, i did. Thanks.

 

[JimZim]

These SS lift bars sound like the greatest thing since sliced bread. (he he)

 

[JimZim]

I wonder if sal5.0 still has those SS Lift Bars.]

 

[fredfifty]

well because im trying to avoid any damage to the TB"s, i had the plates welded down and damn they look solid. now to work on grinding off those lower mounts and replacing those SSM LCA's

 

[fredfifty]

finally took those god forsaken ssm lift bars off. what a pain in the ass. took me 9 hours on jack stands so space was limited and my body was not going with the program. im old i guess. grinding off the old plates and bending the axle side stock lower mounting plates so my MM LCA's could fit were another pain in my ass.

in my defense, i took alot of in between breaks so it was more like 6 hours which is still unsat.