CrazyAl

Personally, I prefer having the adjustable LOWER CAs and a solid upper. Here's why:

1) The upper is difficult to get to in order to adjust it. It is much easier to adjust lowers than the upper.

2) Adjustable uppers are weaker than solid uppers. Even the often-lauded Metco, which I have seen many people claim to be the "best adjustable upper", isn't as strong as a solid upper (and is also infamous for making clunking noises). A solid upper + adjustable lower combo is stiffer than the other way around.

...however, a solid lower + adjustable upper will work fine, If you already have the solid lowers, you might as well get the adjustable upper and be done with it. I don't think it would cause you any problems unless you are running some VERY high HP.

praztek

I'm not real excited about the "making clunking noises" part! I have no problem in talking to the Vendor and having them send out a rma for the already sent non adj rears and changing the order? Anyone else have issues with adj fronts & solid rears?

Thanks

CrazyAl

FYI, the only "clunking" I have heard is the METCO adjustable upper. They have a unique design that lets the UCA "rotate". It's this rotating mechanism that is responsible for clunking.

I haven't heard of clunking with any other brand of upper.

praztek

I gotten feedback from one of our sponsers per what to buy. Let me know what you think?

Since I already have the non adj. rear control arms coming in, I should buy a 3rd link and be done with it. My rear wheel clearance from above is not that much out of tolerance, and not to get the panhard bar. Just another possiblity, and doing as much research as possible and taking all considerations into account.

* They were curious as to how much the pinion agle could of changed due to the Roush rear springs, and if the lca's are angled exactly to stock, then this wouldn't have changed it during install.

Thanks

moosestang

What 3rd link? I'm not sure what you're trying to say and let's all agree to use UCA as upper control arm and LCA as lower control arm when speaking about the rear suspension. Praztek mentioned fronts and rears which is getting confusing, there is no fronts and rears on the rear suspension, it's upper and lower.

praztek

This is why I was using the term 3rd link. I'm a little confused, but think this is the same as UCA?

http://www.v8power.com/item--Granate...MSCA0507U.html

CrazyAl

Yes, that is the same thing as a UCA. It's just that 99% of people call them UCAs but Granatelli (for whatever reason) doesn't.


When I installed my Roush rear springs, it put the pinion angle off by about 2 degrees. This is easily corrected with adjustable LCAs (or UCA).

The angle of the LCA (and driveshaft) changes when you install lowering springs. If the "shop" you called told you otherwise, then I would stop asking them for advice, as they obviously have NO CLUE as to how the suspension works on these cars.


Think about it for a sec. The LCAs have two ends. The "Body" end, which is closest to the front of the car, and the "axle" end, which is towards the rear of the car. The angle of the LCA is determined by the difference in height between these two ends. If the heights are the same, then the LCA is level (perfectly horizontal).

Your wheels/tires are what determine the height of the "axle end" of the LCA. When you swap to lowering springs this obviously has no affect on your tire diameter, so the "axle end" of the LCA doesn't move anywhere--it stays the same before and after the spring swap.

However, the body of the car is lowered slightly due to the lower springs--that is, of course, the whole point to installing said springs. This makes the "body" end of the LCAs drop downwards towards the ground, becasue they are bolted to the body. If the body drops down, the "forward end" of the LCA drops down with it.

This means that after installing your lowering springs, the LCA gets lower in the front than it previously was. Personally, I like the LCA to be angled UPWARDS a bit (the "body" end higher up than the axle end), becasue this gives the car a more agressive launch.

Changing the ANGLE of the LCAs is also called an "instant center" adjustment. If you want to do this, you can do it with BMR's LCA relocation brackets. This is not needed on a street ride, though it is an excellent mod to lower your 60' times if you drag race.

praztek

Thanks for clearing that up, then I go ahead and purchase the UCA as well prior to putting all this together.