UCA's

mytight95

Active Member
Apr 11, 2003
2,605
0
46
Dothan,Al
Well this is gonna sound cheap, I really didn't wanna spend 100$ on some upper control arms so i took an extra set i had and cnc'd some plates to fit the back side and welded them out, they are tough as nails now, i also have a friend that bought me a set of urethane bushings for them, for making him a set of the plates.......

My question is, now that i think about it all my other suspension is aftermarket, springs, new tokico shocks struts, c/c plates, lca's, everything.......... Will these boxed in stockers be adequate, i know they are better than they were but will they add to the ridigity, traction, and surefootedness of the car as am aftermarket set would....




Opinions on this are welcome, but i kinda expect to hear "quit being cheap and buy some real stuff" lol



jason


ps.... gonna post pics in a minute...
 
scan....._035.jpg



these picks are before i ground them down, and sanded them, they are drying from the paint i put on them this afternoon....... I will take pics after i install the new bushings... i used .188" plate to box them in, slightly thicker than the factory stamped steel.....


do they look like they'll work..


jason
 
to be honest i have heard it is very effective in providing the rigidty of an aftermarket piece, while keeping costs down. i know a lot of people who have done this and still used a rubber bushing, they said they liked the rubber bushing better for drag racing since it didnt put the rear end in a bind but gave them the rigidity they needed.
 
1 confirmation,

i know the welds kinda look bad, but trust me they are there.....the stock arms have a galvanized finish to them from what i can tell, and after that burnt off it did good, but til then, spatter was awful....lol


so you think i should put the stock bushings back in or what.? i don't want it to be harsh...



jason
 
i would say some stock rubber bushings in the control arms, and maybe those spherical ones in where they attatch to the rear end. it feels a little stiffer without being to harsh. a friend has that same set up, and it still rides very nice.
 
I agree with Mac....I was gonna do up my stock ones this Winter...I would prefer to have the rubber bushings myself..

Look at Steeda's uppers...same as you did....a little prettier though... :D Just jiving ya...
 
So far so good.. I have poly on my uppers and poly in my lowers.. no problems here... I actually scored a free pair of factory five uppers from a guy here so the are really rigid..

I believe it is MM that reccomends the ford uppers with upgraded bushings over the aftermarket uppers as far as price is concerned...

Give it a shot and try it. then if you don't like it pull the uppers anc re-chage out the bushings.. why do it just in case...
 
You need to shorten the plate you welded on. I had mine about the same length and it wouldnt go on over the bushing.

I welded those up, and part of the lca as well when I changed the bushings in the rear to poly. Car rides GREAT now, it isnt very harsh either, just a bit more road noise.
 
i fugured i might have to shorten it, i am gonna do it with a jigsaw though to make it look better..........


Hey Andy, i know they are ugly, but the plate i made sits right down inside the little flare that is made into them....If you are thinking of doing this, i can cut a set of the plates for you, You have hooked me up before.....lol I saved the .DXF file in my computer at work..

i willl bolt them in next weekend, and i am gonna get pics of how Pretty they are now, compared to then......lol

jason
 
Isn't that a old racing trick. Before all the Steeda's and Maxim's came out. My dad had an alcohol injected CHEVY :bang: back in the sixities and thats what he had to do. Ran eights i believe. Looks great man. Function first. You can always paint later.