Upper control arm question

[nhall80 10]

Just put new upper and lower control arms on and noticed that the upper arms are very stiff. Should they be free moving or have some stiffness? I installed them as they were when I received them from CJ Pony...assuming there was no adjustment to make. Now my car is sitting up about 1 or 2 inches higher than stock (and I have a Shelby Drop)

 

Is the stiff uppers my problem? Can I adjust them and how should they feel?

 

Thanks guys.

[jmlay 80]

The "caps" where the grease fittings would screw in can be tightened & loosened but do not go too far. When you reinstalled the springs did you put them in facing the same way they came out? You could try rotating them 180 degrees but I am not sure that is going to make 1-2" of diff.

[Wycked69 20]

If your car is sitting 1 or 2" higher becuase you feel the new control arms are to stiff, I'd say you have a serious bind. The force of the coil springs alone would overcome any stiffness in the UCA.

 

With that being said, I suspect your problem may be a simple one. If you just made this change and lowered your car back down off the jack stands, try rolling your car 15 - 20 feet forward then back again. When you raise the front of these old classics with the wheels off the ground, the front suspension (control arms) pivot downward (as they should) allowing the front wheel to "sag". When you lower the car back onto the wheel, the front suspension cannot pivot outward due to the wheel contacting the ground surface.

 

Roll it forward and then back and then look at the height.

[nhall80 10]

The height I mentioned is after driving around the block. I too expected it to drop some after driving, but it didn't very much. I put new coil springs on as well and so expected it to be somewhat higher but not as high as it is. As I said, I have done The Shelby drop and so it's always been an inch or so lower than stock.

 

Can I try loosing the upper's end caps while its on the car? If so, how much is too much? I guess I just don't understand how the cap threads and shaft threads work together.

[Jimjific 23]

The upper control caps have little to do with suspension height. Like suggested already, check your springs and how they are in the perches.

 

Jim

[nhall80 10]

The force of the coil springs alone would overcome any stiffness in the UCA.

 

 

Yes, but would the weight of the engine alone overcome stiffness in the UCA? When i installed the UCA, it did not drop on its own. It was so stiff that it stayed up by itself. Should it have been loose enough to fall under it's own weight?

[nhall80 10]

The upper control caps have little to do with suspension height. Like suggested already, check your springs and how they are in the perches.

 

As far as I know, there is only one way to mount the springs on the perches: the tab on the perch goes to the inside, and the end of the spring butts up against it. Am I wrong on this?

[RPM 1,190]

Your problem is usually caused by tightening the lower arms while the car is raised. MustangSteve has a neat way to attach the upper arm cap nuts which keeps them from loosening. Check out his site.

 

Bob

Edited March 5, 2013 by RPM

[frankenstang 11]

nhall80,

 

I had a similar issue on my '68 coupe. Turned out the springs CJ Pony sent me were the wrong ones. As a result my front was a solid 2" higher than it should have been. I went on the NPD site, looked at the chart and ordered a correct set from them, problem solved!

 

Steve.

[PaleRider 12]

New springs will defintiely raise your car. The old ones are 40 years old and have major sag. I ended up cutting a 1/2 coil to get height I wanted. Raised my car at least 1 to 2 inches when I put them firts on.

[nhall80 10]

I'll check the springs. Anybody know what I should look for to make sure it's right? Length? Number of coils?

 

So I'm gathering that no one is concerned that the UCA was so stiff when I put it on? As far as the comment about tightening the LCA when the car is raised - it was definitely raised and also very stiff. I didn't consider that and will check it out.

[frankenstang 11]

Not sure if the number of coils varies or if you can visually see a difference. I would call NPD and see if they can giude you. I don't think I would worry all that much about the control arms assuming that you greased the upper sufficiently. When you tightened the lower, were you careful not to pinch the mounts together? With the spring and shocks out there should be firm but smooth movement. I know it's a pain in the ass but you may have to take it all apart, check all of the parts, inspect the area and reassemble. However I would look deeper into the springs.

[RPM 1,190]

Springs and lower arm are the usual suspects when the front end is too high. I've never heard of the upper arm being the culprit.

 

Bob

[nhall80 10]

The comments about the LCA make sense. I tightened them REALLY well and can see who they'd be in a bind. I assume that I can just loosen them while the car is lowered so that they relax some? I'm going to take it to the alignment shop soon, and I know they'll adjust the LCA, but I'd love to see if it lowers some when I loosen it (just to confirm that as the problem).

 

As far as the springs; I'm pretty sure CJ Pony sent me the right ones. Thanks for comments.