bl817

ill put this on here as well...Hey fellow MFers, I was looking on the local CL for parts for my 05 GT and ran across some GT500 rear lower control arms for 75$. I checked AM and LMR for pics and ratings. then I went out to look at my stock arms and they look exactly the same except they are painted black instead of silver. it got me to looking further and all the hardware (bolts,nuts,ect) are the same as the ones that come with the new arms. I also checked out install photos submitted by buyers and one had the stock LCA with only one hole for the park brake cable and it was black without rivets for extra support pieces. I ran across this situation when I purchased the GT500 front strut mounts. I opened the box and noticed that hey were the same as the ones on my car already and shipped them back for a refund. the carfax that I read when I purchased my car just said maintenance work or warranty work or something like that. is there any way I can check the other parts IE front LCA for sure if they have been replaced without removing them. im still chasing the dreaded front end clunk. ive replaced the rear sway bar and links with frpp pieces. from what I can tell, the shocks and struts are still oem. ive found a set of tokico hd shocks and struts NIB for 260. I still have the oem window sticker and it doesn't say anything about suspension package upgrade. any thoughts would be appreciated. thanks

bl817

I was looking at adjustable front sway bars and decided to just drill another 1/2" hole 1-1/2" back from factory and see how that would work. I did notice that the passenger side front sway bar link was loose so after I drilled the new mounting holes I tightened up things and took the car for a drive... no clunk or sloppy steering, feels like a new car. I do need to replace the links. still not sure about front lower control arms. is there a difference between the v6 and v8 suspension pieces? rockauto and the like just suggest same parts either way. anyways, thanks for any advice in advance

Norm Peterson

The springs and sta-bars at least will be different between the V6 and GT models. Shocks & struts - possibly (I never had reason to investigate this). The control arms should be the same (the GT500 differs here by having firmer bushings in at least the rear LCAs).


Norm

bl817

right on, I was thinking along the same lines. im going to get it back up on the ramps soon for an oil change so ill try and find some part numbers to check. I kinda figured that the v6 and v8 springs and sway bars were different but didn't know about the control arms front and back. the pic I saw on one of the sites was of the rear lower control arm and it looked pretty basic like stamped steel with one hole for brake cable and no reinforcements and pressed in rubber bushings. almost like it was for a v6. thanks for the reply

UPRSharad

The GT500 or Track Pack parts are not a significant upgrade over stock. Stick with aftermarket parts for a good upgrade. Good deals are out there.