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pic of factory vs spicer idler arm SAFETY ADVISORY

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    pic of factory vs spicer idler arm SAFETY ADVISORY

    Hi,
    Iv'e been away for a while because I got a Subaru BRAT as an additional hobby. I still have my 91 GM, best handling and quickest car I have ever owned.
    Faster that the Torinos (351C 4v) and Mach 1's I owned in the past.

    I have been doing some extreme driving in the GM such as hitting curves at 70 then nailing it in the middle of the curve and riding on rails. I just recently replaced the factory idler arm with the best NAPA could get which is built by Spicer.
    If I would have realized how thin and inferior the factory one is, I would not have pushed so hard in the curves. My philosphy was curves are for speeding up and not slowing down since most of the front end was redone along with adding 245/60/15 T/A radials on 15 x 8 inch plain rims, Bilstein shocks, ES control arm and ES sway bar bushings, new upper and lower ball joints and PI sway bar . I consider myself very lucky the factory idler arm did not snap. In my opinion, if you are going to ride on rails make sure your front end and rear suspension is the best it can be. Its not worth risking your life all in the name of having fun I am gonnal replace both outer tie rod ends, the Pittman arm and install police rear control arms and the rear sway bar this weekend. That leaves only the inner tie rod ends left to replace.


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    90 Colony Park LS with GT 40 heads and intake. HO cam, 65 MM TB, 67 MM EGR spacer. Has a 75 MM Pro Flow mass air sensor. Borla XS mufflers. 3L55. Shift kit, 2000 stall Tq convertor...Bilstein shocks, front and rear sway bars.
    90 Colony Park LS 64,000 miles all original. 3L55 tow package....front and rear sway bars.
    91 Grand Marquis GS....HO motor..Bilstein shocks poly bushings and police swaybars. This one handles the best.
    70 Torino Squire with M code 351 Cleveland 3.00 has Magnaflow mufflers. Hidden headlights and power windows. All original

    #2
    holy CRAP that's beefy. It's hard to tell it's even the same application.

    85 4 door 351 Civi Crown Victoria - Summer daily driver, sleeper in the making, and wildly inappropriate autocross machine
    160KMs 600cfm holley, shorty headers, 2.5" catted exhaust, 255/295 tires, cop shocks, cop swaybars, underdrive pulley, 2.73L gears.
    waiting for install: 3.27's, Poly bushings, boxed rear arms, 2500 stall converter, ported e7's, etc

    06 Mazda 3 hatch 2.3L 5AT (winter beater that cost more than my summer car)

    Comment


      #3
      yea the factory ones sucked, but they lasted 20 yrs.
      only problem with oem ones i have ever had is the bushings wearing out and getting sloppy.

      1986 lincoln towncar signature series. 5.0 HO with thumper performance ported e7 heads, 1.7 roller rockers, warm air intake, 65mm throttle body, 1/2" intake spacer, ported intakes, 3.73 rear with trac lock, 98-02 front brake conversion, 92-97 rear disc conversion, 1" rear swaybar, 1 3/16" front swaybar, 16" wheels and tires, loud ass stereo system, badass cb, best time to date 15.94 at 87 mph. lots of mods in the works 221.8 rwhp 278 rwt
      2006 Lincoln Town Car Signature. Stock for now
      1989 Ford F-250 4x4 much much more to come, sefi converted so far.
      1986 Toyota pickup with LSC wheels and 225/60/16 tires.
      2008 Hyundai Elantra future Revcon toad
      1987 TriBurner and 1986 Alaska stokers keeping me warm. (and some pesky oil heat)

      please be patient, rebuilding an empire!

      Comment


        #4
        yup. the one on my 88 was squishy bushings. other than that, it was fine. Replaced with a greaseable one (grease fittings at both ends... no bushings) and the steering is much tighter.

        Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
        rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
        Originally posted by gadget73
        ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
        Originally posted by dmccaig
        Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

        Comment


          #5
          Honestly the hollow tie rods scare me more than the idler arm does. Those aren't very thick to begin with, and they are usually full of rust. You can collapse those things with a pair of pliers if you put some effort into it.
          86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
          5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

          91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

          1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

          Originally posted by phayzer5
          I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

          Comment


            #6
            I got the Pittman arm on, outer tie rod ends, rear lower control arms and rear PI swaybar. Also had an alignment.
            Now if only this rain and slick roads will go away so I can try the new swaybar.

            I do need to replace the upper control arms in the front at $80.00 labor per side. Any suggestions to manufacture? I want the best since I like to push it in the turns. The person who will do the work said to either replace the whole control arm or if I can't find it, to bring the bushings and ball joints. I'm thinking ES bushings and not sure which ball joint though.
            90 Colony Park LS with GT 40 heads and intake. HO cam, 65 MM TB, 67 MM EGR spacer. Has a 75 MM Pro Flow mass air sensor. Borla XS mufflers. 3L55. Shift kit, 2000 stall Tq convertor...Bilstein shocks, front and rear sway bars.
            90 Colony Park LS 64,000 miles all original. 3L55 tow package....front and rear sway bars.
            91 Grand Marquis GS....HO motor..Bilstein shocks poly bushings and police swaybars. This one handles the best.
            70 Torino Squire with M code 351 Cleveland 3.00 has Magnaflow mufflers. Hidden headlights and power windows. All original

            Comment


              #7
              80 dollars labor per side for control arms? What's the shop rate, 5 an hour?

              85 4 door 351 Civi Crown Victoria - Summer daily driver, sleeper in the making, and wildly inappropriate autocross machine
              160KMs 600cfm holley, shorty headers, 2.5" catted exhaust, 255/295 tires, cop shocks, cop swaybars, underdrive pulley, 2.73L gears.
              waiting for install: 3.27's, Poly bushings, boxed rear arms, 2500 stall converter, ported e7's, etc

              06 Mazda 3 hatch 2.3L 5AT (winter beater that cost more than my summer car)

              Comment


                #8
                bah... uppers are easy to swap. I can do both inside an hour if the ball joints aren't completely rust welded to the spindles. and I don't even have a lift. Now bushings and ball joints take longer to do since you gotta pull more individual items.

                Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -- Albert Einstein
                rides: 93 Crown Vic LX (The Red Velvet Cake), 2000 Crown Vic base model (Sandy), 2003 Expedition (the vacation beast)
                Originally posted by gadget73
                ... and it should all work like magic and unicorns and stuff.
                Originally posted by dmccaig
                Overhead, some poor bastards are flying in airplanes.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Pressing the bushings out blows. Doing poly bushings is cake, but if you're doing rubber its something of a pain in the ass. The annoyance is the rivets on the ball joints. Honestly, if you're this far into it and you want the car to handle, go big brakes. It gives you a forged upper arm instead of that stamped steel thing, there is a much larger range of adjustment to the suspension, and the brakes are significantly better than the stockers. It requires a 16" wheel, but less sidewall also will tend to handle better than more sidewall so theres a performance incentive there too.

                  Another plus, late model upper arms do not rivet the ball joint in.
                  86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
                  5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

                  91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

                  1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

                  Originally posted by phayzer5
                  I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

                  Comment


                    #10
                    If you push it hard often expect to replace idler arms a lot. Mine have play after 5000 miles.
                    1989 Grand Marquis LS
                    flat black, 650 double pumper, random cam, hei, stealth intake, Police front springs, Wagon rear, Police rear bar, wagon front ,exploder wheels, 205/60-15 fronts 275/60-15 rears, 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" offroad x pipe, Eclipse front bucket seats, Custom floor shifter, 4.10 gears, aluminum driveshaft and daily driven. 16.77@83mph

                    Comment


                      #11
                      looks stronger but is it? ya never know
                      Give a man a fish and he will be fed for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will promptly forget that he once did not know, and proceed to call anyone who asks, a n00b and flame them on the boards for being stupid.

                      Comment

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