Hey Guys,

Well, when I replaced the tie rods on my mustang I discovered the ball joint in my control arm is loose and will need to be replaced.

But before I get into replacing it, I had a few questions.

Is our bushing oil filled? The one on the driver's side had cracks in it and it appeared there was some grey fluid under it. So I don't know if that means it was oil filled leaking or if it was just coincidence.

With that said, if I am going to replace the bushing and ball joint should I replace anything else? the whole arm? It has some surface rust but there doesn't appear to be any other damage. Is there anything else I should check or be aware of that typically accompanies this repair/wear?

Any info would be helpful.

Thank you.

 

The big rear bushings for the front LCAs are filled with some sort of hydraulic fluid. When it leaks out, steering and suspension accuracy is degraded, and you're open to encountering severe tire wear issues that a re-alignment can't really fix. It'll be simpler (not to mention better all around) to just replace the entire LCA which should come with bushings and a new ball joint.


While you're working on the front suspension, it wouldn't hurt to replace your car's strut to knuckle fasteners (they'll be the coarse-thread 148 ft-lb ones) with the uprated ones (fine-thread and torqued to 166 ft-lbs) even though you don't actually have to remove them to replace the front LCAs.


Norm

 

What about the passenger side? Should I replace these too? If one has gone does that usually indicate the other is on its way and just has shown signs yet? Obviously we can't predict the future, but if you would expect the passenger side to go out "soon" I may consider doing both sides and only pay for the alignment once as opposed to doing it twice in a year's time.

 

It's probably worth doing now just to avoid the hassle and expense of a second alignment. If you were doing your own alignments, it'd be a lot easier to justify holding off.


Norm

 

Hey Norm,

I usually buy parts from RockAuto, but this time I am not sure what to get from them. If you look at their control arm selection there are two sets of Moog LCA's to choose from (not including the ones from ACDelco, motorcraft, mevotech, etc).

2 questions:

1.) Do you know which between the moog LCA's I shoudl get? One is about $50 more than the other, but both are "complete with ball joint".

2.) Should I get another brand besides moog? I have been told on here they make good parts when I bought my tie rods.

 

The CK part numbers are better quality - if you click on the 'Info' buttons, the first three items on the CK list are of interest here (the last two are just general marketing talk). I've had good results with Moog steering components over the years on other cars.

I wouldn't be afraid to get Motorcraft, though I'd probably shop at FRPP first.


Norm

 

Don't dink around with the aftermarket replacements for the Control arms, just get the FRPP ones.

Idk if the Motorcraft ones that Rock Auto sells are the same factory ones you have on your car or upgraded ones. The difference is that in mid 07 or early 08, Ford increased the diameter of the ball joint stud to 18 mm (from 17mm) and in late 08 they upgraded the bushing durometer to the same being used in the 09+ GT 500.

If you look around you can find a good deal on the FRPP control arms (basically GT500 ones) They've kinda gone up in price over the last couple years since vendors figured out that most Mustang enthusiasts are looking for them now as upgrades to original pieces.

 

Derf00,

I am not racing my mustang, it is my daily commuter. Unless the Moog ones are bad quality, I don't see the need to spend 400 on control arms. If you feel I am making a mistake, please inform me as to why.

I have spoken with Norm a lot and have read many of his posts. So I have learned to trust his statements. Since yours are different from his in the sense of quality, can you give me some reasons to buy the more expensive brand? And I want to begin our discussion by saying "you get what you pay for" is not a good enough reason for me. There are numerous examples where the generic anything, parts included, are better and cheaper than the standard OEM.

I don't want to come across rude or stuck-up. I just want to be sure to direct the conversation in a way that would help make a decision.

Thank you in advance.

 

I got the frpp ones. They are much beefier than the stock ones and the car feels better even on the street. I thought about getting the moog ones but honestly, even though they were much more to me the frpp ones are a really good value. Plus, I plan to keep this car forever so I figured it was a long term investment.

 

PM sent re: strut to knuckle bolts.


Norm