Got my shiny new complete upper control arm assemblies in the mail today hoping to bolt them on and be done with it. Unfortunately the shafts are not installed equally and need adjusted. Now I'm sure I could figure out the wrong way to do this and strip out the bushing in the process, but I'd prefer to do it the right way. So, what is the right way to adjust shaft position?
Looks like they are half turn from being centered.. I might try and take the bolts out if they get in the way and turn them..
The top one. If you look at the right end of the lower shaft you'll see how much extra is sticking out of the bushing.
if you install the control arm with it off set towards the rear you will get an increased caster angle. our cars can use as much caster as possible. moving the upper ball joint back is very helpful in achieving the better caster. this is just something to consider. sorry it makes your situation more complicated.
From the shop manual... Disconnect the negative ground cable from battery Rotate the inner shaft so that the studs can be removed with a soft mallet. Unscrew the bushings from the shaft and suspension arm and remove the shaft from the arm. Position the shaft in the arm, apply grease to the new bushings and O-rings, and install the bushings loose on the shaft and arm. Turn the bushings so that the shaft is exactly centered. The shaft will be properly centered when dimensions A and B are equal. Fabricate a spacer from a section of 3/4-inch diameter pipe or metal of comparable size and strength. The spacer should be 6 15/16 inches long. Position the spacer parallel with the inner shaft, and force the spacer between the flanges of the upperarm. If the spacer cannot be forced between the arm flanges due to excessive distortion, replace the upper arm assembly. With the spacer positioned in the arm, torque the bushings to 175 ft lbs. Here is a site that explains better http://www.fordsmallblock.com/PDF/Upper-Control-Arm-Bushings.pdf
Very good to know. That will be happening now. Rthomas, thanks for the instructions. Now I have a project for tonight :bananaman Question-When I go to the allignment shop is it going to be an issue that I've essentially built in caster? Can they allign it as normal or do I need to give them specs?
they can align it as normal. i would find a shop that understands old car alignment vs one that just does what the computer tells them to do.
I had my...Rod-N-Custom rack-N pinion...front end aligned yesterday. the guy put in...1973 Ford Maverick, it gave him the factory specs. I then handed him the specs. that came with my front end kit...they were the same... .25 degrees neg. camber 1.5 degrees positive caster 1/8" toe-in ...
