Sleeper_08

I have been thorugh all of the threads related to 05+ suspension mods and am now getting ready to start buyingthe partsincluding the Steeda LCA'a 555-8119 which are weld in.

As the rest of the parts I am going to install are bolt in is it possible to get the weld in LCA's installed first using the existing stock LCAs and then drive it to my brother's garage and put therest of the parts in? Obviously he does not have a welder.

Note the rest of the parts includes springs/struts/sway bars and a lot of other Steeda stuff.

Thanks.

drbobvs

The part you are talking about is not an LCA. It's an LCA relocation bracket. I don't understand why you would use the stock LCA with the new brackets. New LCA's are infinitely more valuable than the bracket itself. I would change the LCA and the bracket at the same time. That being said, yes, you can do the springs, struts and swaybar after. The LCA's don't have to be removed or even unbolted to do that work.

Sleeper_08

drbobvs

Sorry for the confusion - I meant the LCA Relocation Bracket.

The intent is to replace the LCA's along with everything else.

dseid2

Yes you should be able to weld in the LCA relocation brackets first, then drive the car to your brothers garage.

You could also take a look at BMR's bolt in relocation brackets. Unless you are planning 60 foot timesthan 1.5 seconds, bolt in LCA's are fine. Iended up going with BMR's bolt in LCA relocation brackets becauseI did not want to weld anything tomy car so I caneasily take it back to stockin the future.Also, I seriously doubt my car will see 60 foot times less the 1.5 seconds, even with the S/C I am planning to install. Note that mysuspension is set up for road race, not drag race.

Per the picture attached I originally went with Steeda's adjustable LCA's. Unfortunately, the Steeda bushings squeaked bad. Steeda uses solid bushing and only one end of their LCA could accept a grease fitting. But since their bushings are solid grease could not flow around the bushing. I tried for months to get rid of the squeaks but could not. I ended up going with BMR's LCA's because their bushing are fluted which mean grease can flow around them and BMR's LCA's had grease fittings on both end. No more squeaks.



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Sleeper_08

dseid2

Thanks for the confirmation that I can do it the way I planned and the picture really helps.

The car is going to be a combined DD and road course car and after spending several hours reviewing the handling posts it seemed that the Steeda weld in brackets were a better choice for my use.

Not sure whatthe Steeda 445 HP supercharger kit will get my 60 foot times down to.

Putting the car back to stock is not a concern - after doing all this work I'll probably keepthe car forever.

Did you get poly bushings in the Steeda LCAs? Yours isthe first mention of squeaks I've seen in any of the threads - though there are so many I may have missed some!

Philostang

Hi Sleeper_08! Welcome to the Forum.

I picked up the Steeda relocation brackets about a month ago, and I was somewhat surprised that the directions for welding them in require you to have the car on a rear-end alignment rack to do the welding. Actually, they say you should have them on the rack at least to do some quick tack welds to get the correct position, then you can do the finish welding any where you like, so long as you are not driving the car on the road with nothing but tack welds to hold the bracket in place.

If anyone else has real-world experience with installing these, I would love to hear from you. I haven't yet installed them, nor found a shop that has the rack and welder on hand to do the job. To be honest, I was a bit disappointed with the tech-requirements of the procedure, as I was hoping that it would be something I could do on my own (I'm a certified welder, but I have no alignment rack).

I haven't heard from anyone using BMR or other bolt on brackets of the need to have the car on an alignment rack, so I can't see any reason Steeda would have designed theirs to require it. Seems like an easy fix that they chose not to do.

This is just a heads up for you as you are making your plans.

Best,
-j

dseid2

Sleeper_08

Yes, Steeda's adjustable LCA's come with poly bushings. It is well know that poly bushings can and do squeak. It is part of the noise, vibration and harshness one sacrifices for improved handling. The set of LCA's I got from Steeda squeaked reallybad, to the point were I found myself explaining to my passengers what was squeaking.

I see in Philostang's post that to install the Steeda LCA relocation bracket you need to put the car on a rear-end alignment rack. Note that you can also weld in the BMR brackets and one would assume that if you bolt them in first they will be properly aligned. The pro of the Steeda LCA relocation brackets is that they have more adjustment holes. The con is they are harder to install. Also note that I lowered my car with an Eibach Pro Kit and that the top hole on the BMR LCA relocation bracket leveled the LCA's.

Good luck with your build.

RedFire281

Like dseid2, I have had the Steeda LCA's and adjustable UCA for several months and since day one I've tried just about everything to reduce the squeaks. I've retorqued the LCA's and UCA several times and greasing them is an exercise in futility. And it is a bit embarrassing having to explain all the noises in the car. Based on my experience I would not recommend the Steeda lower or upper control arms. I am ordering the BMR arms in the next couple of weeks.

Norm Peterson

Got poly bushing noise?

I'm betting that the lengths of the poly bushing material between their flat ends is greater thanthe lengths of the inner sleeves that run through them, and that the squeaks are coming from the poly moving against the sides of the brackets under the pressure that comes from torquing the bolts. Also possible is that the clamping force against the sides of the poly is enough to force the rotation due to suspension movement to occur between the poly and the LCA's themselves.

Take a belt-sander, grinder, or other similar toolto the flat ends of the bushings until the overall length of the poly bits are a tiny bit shorter than the inner sleeves, lube, and re-install. Losing the clamping force on the poly should get rid of most of the noises.

That should be good enough for most street/strip use. But if you're into lots of hard cornering instead, you'd modify the poly a little differently (and more extensively).


Norm

Sleeper_08

Philostang

Thanks for the instrctions oninstalling the Steeeda LCA Relocation brakets. They aremore complicated than expected so it willrequire finding a qualified local source to do the work.

Norm Peterson

Thanks for the tips on installing the poly bushings. I'll check them out and modify as required before doing the installs.