Norm Peterson

Start by making sure that the poly pieces are a tiny bit shorter than their inner sleeves. Compressing the poly does not locate the bolt or the inner sleeve because it moves with the suspension. Trouble is, once it moves in any fashion, it can then move in a direction that takes up slack (and makes a clunk) because there is nothing stopping it. When the grease washes out, the poly (being compressed against the brackets) can vibrate (squeak).

You need the inner sleeves to be under compression from the bolt clamping load, which is really what the torque spec is supposed to be indicating.


Norm

My05GT

Can I go back to stock LCAs even with the car lowered?

Right now:
BMR adjustable LCAs
BMR adjustable Panhard bar
Tokico D-spec
Steeda springs

I know lowering the car moves the rear-end around, that's why they recommended the adjustable panhard, to get the rear wheels centered again. Can I just put the stock LCAs back on, and nothing else?

2nd question, I've had the stock LCAs off so long that I'm sure the rubber bushings have hardened and cracked. Can I just buy OEM replacement bushings?

Norm Peterson

Yes. But don't torque the bolts down until the car's weight is resting fully on the wheels.


Unless you've been keeping them near a running electric motor or other source of ozone, they shouldn't be in particularly worse condition than if you'd never swapped them out.


Norm

ElSuperPinto

I installed the UPR LCA/UCA set on my 2010 Mustang GT with the pinion snubber.

They clunk too at low speeds getting into or out of the gas (like in a parking lot) or during gear changes at high RPM.

It seems to be a univeral problem regardless of brand.

Norm Peterson

That sounds like bolt to bolt hole clearance being taken up.

I'm guessing that you've got some sort of poly bushing arms, and that the poly bushing material was slightly longer than the inner metal sleeves that the bolts run through.

If that's the case, the cheapie fix is to remove the arms and belt-sand the flat ends of the poly bushings down until they are ONLY A TINY BIT shorter than the metal sleeves (if you're careful, you might also be able to use a bench grinder). 1/32" shorter might be too much (water and dirt will get in), although you should really be considering any polyurethane bushing to be a wear item that eventually WILL require occasional replacement.

What the belt-sanding does is make ALL of your bolt torque go into clamping the sleeves between the bracket sides. Torque that compresses the poly (when it is longer) is wasted, because once the poly moves at all it'll let everything slip (because the bracket/sleeve/bracket stack isn't properly clamped). Until something else - the bolt to the hole in this case - comes up as a hard stop. That's the clunk you hear.


Norm