adjustable UCA
05-06-2009, 05:33 AM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,692
The one that was suggested to me by F1Fan was the Steeda 555-4109 as it allows you to set it with a longer arm. This improves the geometry.
here is a link to Steeda's web site http://www.steeda.com/products/adjus...ontrol_arm.php
Installing this in an absolete PITA as you need to lower the gas tank to get the new mount in and when you put it on the longer setting you need to bend the lip of the gas tank down to clear the arm.
Others may now have other comparable designs as mine was bought in Mar 2008.
here is a link to Steeda's web site http://www.steeda.com/products/adjus...ontrol_arm.php
Installing this in an absolete PITA as you need to lower the gas tank to get the new mount in and when you put it on the longer setting you need to bend the lip of the gas tank down to clear the arm.
Others may now have other comparable designs as mine was bought in Mar 2008.
05-06-2009, 08:48 AM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2007
Location: Harrisburg PA
Posts: 1,778
There is no consensus answer to your question. The UCA is such a PITA to change out that I'm not aware of anyone who has tried multiple different brands and can give an objective comparison. I put in a BMR mount and the Spohn chrome-moly adjustable arm. It seems to work just fine to me but I can't say its any better than the Steeda setup or the UMI or Brand X.
I will say this: before my purchase I did some research and reading. One of the decisions you will need to make is which bushing to get: poly or rod-end. Think about the stock setup for a minute, it has a rubber bushing mounted in the top of the differential and another rubber bushing in the upper end of the control arm that mounts to the chassis. Now think about how the rear axle articulates (stand at back of car an envision how the right wheel goes up, forcing the left wheel down) - because its a solid rear axle it has to rotate about the upper arm, which means those two bushings twist. They can do this and not have much effect on the axle because they are rubber. Now think about the poly bushing - its much harder and does not twist like rubber. So the effect is it binds the rear axle, there is no way around it. How much effect this has on the rear suspension and whether or not you can even feel it is open to debate, but from mechanical stand point its not ideal (note that with a poly upper bushing and the stock lower rubber bushing you'd still have some articulation). For this reason I went with the rod end, which allows full articulation and no binding. Did it make any quantifiable difference? I have no idea but like I say its worked just fine for me. But...rod ends have a drawback, they will eventually start to wear down and rattle. They can be replaced but as mentioned the R&R of the arm is a PITA. My 2 cents.
I will say this: before my purchase I did some research and reading. One of the decisions you will need to make is which bushing to get: poly or rod-end. Think about the stock setup for a minute, it has a rubber bushing mounted in the top of the differential and another rubber bushing in the upper end of the control arm that mounts to the chassis. Now think about how the rear axle articulates (stand at back of car an envision how the right wheel goes up, forcing the left wheel down) - because its a solid rear axle it has to rotate about the upper arm, which means those two bushings twist. They can do this and not have much effect on the axle because they are rubber. Now think about the poly bushing - its much harder and does not twist like rubber. So the effect is it binds the rear axle, there is no way around it. How much effect this has on the rear suspension and whether or not you can even feel it is open to debate, but from mechanical stand point its not ideal (note that with a poly upper bushing and the stock lower rubber bushing you'd still have some articulation). For this reason I went with the rod end, which allows full articulation and no binding. Did it make any quantifiable difference? I have no idea but like I say its worked just fine for me. But...rod ends have a drawback, they will eventually start to wear down and rattle. They can be replaced but as mentioned the R&R of the arm is a PITA. My 2 cents.
Last edited by Argonaut; 05-06-2009 at 08:51 AM.
05-06-2009, 09:36 AM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Ontario, Canada
Posts: 1,692
Further to Argonaut's comment I am still running the stock rubber bushing on the differential end. There are parts to replace this bushing but getting the stock one out can be difficult per some other threads in this forum.
05-08-2009, 01:55 AM
#6
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location:
Posts: 638
I have a BMR ajustable. Have had it in the shop a couple times as there was a clunking which BMR told me I needed to buy a spacer from Steeda to fix the issue. Put the spacer in and still had the issue had it all retorqued and the clunk went away and now it is rattling. I frickin gave up and ordered the Steeda Adjustable with the replacement mount. Awesome deal on this right now only $189 that is like $100 cheaper than steeda. http://www.stangsuspension.com/store...idproduct=1127
Looks like the one with the bushing end is still like $279.
Looks like the one with the bushing end is still like $279.
05-08-2009, 06:16 AM
#7
3rd Gear Member
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Posts: 743
05-09-2009, 10:01 AM
#8
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TX
Posts: 4,897
Whatever you do and whatever brand you decide to go with... if you retain your stock upper mount, PURCHASE THE STEEDA STEPPED SPACER KIT. Not installing these little spacers caused me to spend another 2 hours under my car last night putting these little metal spacers in.
I had a clunk sound over some road irregularities because the upper CA bolt is slightly smaller than the mount hole. Even after installing the spacers I checked it and still had the tiniest bit of play but the clunk sound is now gone.
Of all the things I've done to this car, and all the suspension parts that have gone on/off getting that upper CA installed w/o dropping the entire rear exhuast is the biggest PITA I've experienced. And I've now done it TWICE.
If I can help keep someone else from going through that hell, I have a special place in heaven.
I had a clunk sound over some road irregularities because the upper CA bolt is slightly smaller than the mount hole. Even after installing the spacers I checked it and still had the tiniest bit of play but the clunk sound is now gone.
Of all the things I've done to this car, and all the suspension parts that have gone on/off getting that upper CA installed w/o dropping the entire rear exhuast is the biggest PITA I've experienced. And I've now done it TWICE.
If I can help keep someone else from going through that hell, I have a special place in heaven.
05-09-2009, 10:17 AM
#9
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: TX
Posts: 4,897
As for rod-end vs. poly... I had rod-end everything on the car... upper CA, lower CA's and panhard. My car was effectively turned into a supremely PERFORMING, old dump truck SOUNDING vehicle. If I cranked the radio up it was heaven, otherwise it was hell. I still have all my rod-end stuff just in case I want to ever turn my car into a weekend track car etc but for daily driving uh-uh.
And like Arogonaut mentioned, hard durometer poly is not the best bushing type for full ariticulation of the rear axle. So I now have a BMR adjustable upper CA (with poly bushing), BMR relocation brackets and J&M "poly-ball" lower LCA's. J&M also makes an upper "poly-ball" type upper CA but I'm fine with my BMR upper CA. The poly-ball is interesting because it has a hard-durometer inner "ball" type bushing surrounded by much softer outer durometer bushings for compliance. They're not expensive and from what I've heard, everyone has been really happy with them. And they're livable for DD.
http://www.hotpart.com/shop/index.ph...ct_detail&p=45
And like Arogonaut mentioned, hard durometer poly is not the best bushing type for full ariticulation of the rear axle. So I now have a BMR adjustable upper CA (with poly bushing), BMR relocation brackets and J&M "poly-ball" lower LCA's. J&M also makes an upper "poly-ball" type upper CA but I'm fine with my BMR upper CA. The poly-ball is interesting because it has a hard-durometer inner "ball" type bushing surrounded by much softer outer durometer bushings for compliance. They're not expensive and from what I've heard, everyone has been really happy with them. And they're livable for DD.
http://www.hotpart.com/shop/index.ph...ct_detail&p=45
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