Alright, just got my frontend kit from PST. Was going to take the control arms in to work tommorow to change out the bushings. Problem is, the kit came with steel bushings, and the car has rubber bushings on the UCAs. I thought they all had steel bushings. WTF?!?! Is this a difference between 6 cyl cars and 8 cyl, or did someone just screw somthing up in the past?
OK, I figured it out. Moog makes a shaft kit that converts it to rubber bushings, and someone must have installed it in the past. This kit supposedly makes it impossible to use steel bushings again, so I'll probably need to get new control arms.
Moog referred to that as the problem solver kit. Solved the common squeaking bushing problem by converting to GM style upper control arm bushings.
http://mustangsunlimited.com/itemdy00.asp?T1=DZ3082A+01 I put those on our '72 daily driver (along with the rest of the rebuild kit, including new lower control arms). Very happy with them. Or you can go junkyard hunting...
Thanks, i'll look into that. There is a yard here, and I think he's got about 100 ford control arms on a rack, but if i cant find ones i like, i'll probably get those.
man, I just encountered the opposite problem haha. I bought the rubber upper arm bushings from moog and now that I've taken it apart I realize that it has the steel ones. I really want the rubber ones but don't want to have to buy two new shafts. Does anyone know if I even have to replace steel upper arm bushings? I only saw the rubber bushings offered on rockauto when I was purchasing so I thought there was no choice...
the rubber bushings are a retro fit to replace the steel bushings. the steel bushings are difficult to lubricate. the way you install them is by pressing the bushings into the threads of the controle arms. this destroys the threads and from then on you can only use the rubber bushings. so you should be ok with the kit you have.
I think I'm going to see if rockauto will let me return the bushings. I'll cancel my order for the ball joints with advanced auto and just order whole new upper arms. I'm pretty novice and can see trying to squeeze them on there presenting more problems than it's worth. I wish rockauto's website had a disclaimer that the rubber bushings were for an aftermarket shaft mod and not for the original shaft if that is all that they sell. Looking at it I can't even figure out how I would screw in the retaining nut and washer into my current shaft if I just squeezed it onto the threads (IF I could squeeze it on)....
