Front shock mount and control arm question

[dougkirkbride]

I drilled my steel control arm for the shock mount in the suggested location. maybe this is normal but mine does not sit flat, it rocks (see picture) so its final position depends on which side I tighten first.
My donar is a 2006 WRX wagon and yes it is a steel arm (the FFR instructions only state aluminum for the 2006 models, mine must be a fluke. any one else notice this?


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also, I mounted my arm in outermost holes as stated in the manual, wow I nearly pulled the chassis off the jackstands doing it. seems that there are alignment issues with connection points especially on the drivers side. I got everything to go in but all the bushings are going to be under tension because of misalignment. Should i be concerned? i would think the bushings would wear prematurely.


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thanks for the input.

Doug

[Goldwing]

Mounting my LCAs the way the book described with the rear LCA wing-mounts flipped so the smooth side was up didn't work well in my case either. In my case (sedan aluminum LCAs) just flipping the wing-mount so the bulged side was up took away the tension, so I went with it. Hopefully any alignment issues that could cause, can be addressed with the upper control arms. I started out with steel arms. I did beat them a bit trying to separate the ball joints, already having aluminum arms. If it would help you determine where the problem is (front frame mount hole alignment, etc) you are welcome to swing by and pick up my steel sedan arms. I'm not sure if the steering rack is adjustable enough to switch arms or if the sedans/wagons have different steering racks. If you decide they are well enough to use, I guess look into the steering racks first. But, try flipping the wing-mounts first if it helps. I couldn't load your pictures to verify. I'm sure it's just my phone. If you recall, I'm in Medina, OH.

[Goldwing]

Ah, the pics are loading now. The lower shock mount wasn't a perfect fit on the aluminum LCAs either. I ground away a little bit of the surface to even up the mounting surface better. Then, I filled the gap with JB weld to ensure the forces are distributed well. When you tighten it down, does it pull the arm surface flatter? If it gets close, perhaps a similar approach could work for you as well? That gap is starting out kinda big though. If the gap doesn't close up a bit, keep waiting for a better answer, lol.

[dougkirkbride]

Mounting my LCAs the way the book described with the rear LCA wing-mounts flipped so the smooth side was up didn't work well in my case either. In my case (sedan aluminum LCAs) just flipping the wing-mount so the bulged side was up took away the tension, so I went with it. Hopefully any alignment issues that could cause, can be addressed with the upper control arms. I started out with steel arms. I did beat them a bit trying to separate the ball joints, already having aluminum arms. If it would help you determine where the problem is (front frame mount hole alignment, etc) you are welcome to swing by and pick up my steel sedan arms. I'm not sure if the steering rack is adjustable enough to switch arms or if the sedans/wagons have different steering racks. If you decide they are well enough to use, I guess look into the steering racks first. But, try flipping the wing-mounts first if it helps. I couldn't load your pictures to verify. I'm sure it's just my phone. If you recall, I'm in Medina, OH.

thanks goldwing!
I will try flipping them.

I also like the approach of using some JBweld on the gap area of the shock mount. the gap wasnt so bad once i drilled the other side and tightened it up.

where are you in your build?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Mounting my LCAs the way the book described with the rear LCA wing-mounts flipped so the smooth side was up didn't work well in my case either. In my case (sedan aluminum LCAs) just flipping the wing-mount so the bulged side was up took away the tension, so I went with it. .

Flipping the LCA bushings to notch up moves the back of the LCA toward the middle of the car.
This bring the lower ball joint backwards which will give you tire clearance issues.
Bob

[dougkirkbride]

Flipping the LCA bushings to notch up moves the back of the LCA toward the middle of the car.
This bring the lower ball joint backwards which will give you tire clearance issues.
Bob

makes sense.....good old trial and error.. thanks I think i will put a tire on now to see how she looks.

[Goldwing]

Ah, I was afraid of an unforeseen issue with that. Well, I know what to watch for now when I throw a tire on. I didn't go crazy with front tire width, sticking to FFR recommendations. Hopefully it'll work, but at least we're more informed. So, any thoughts on relieving the bushing stress or leaving it?

[Bob_n_Cincy]

Ah, I was afraid of an unforeseen issue with that. Well, I know what to watch for now when I throw a tire on. I didn't go crazy with front tire width, sticking to FFR recommendations. Hopefully it'll work, but at least we're more informed. So, any thoughts on relieving the bushing stress or leaving it?

Here is a quote from an email I got from Jim Schenck back in august:
"The splay in the arms does put a pre-load on the rubber bushing but that is designed into the geometry to give a little more caster than the original frame design. (The steering was much lighter than we anticipated a de-powered rack would be so we increased the available caster) Pulling the lower joint forward also allows for slightly larger tires."

Bob

[dougkirkbride]

great thanks guys!

it seems everything i put on this car i am starting to second guess it and the manual pics.....oh my which ones are good and which are backwards or something else.. i am putting my trailing arms on and the pic on 101 in the manual shows them inside out. picture on 124 shows them flipped. i take it the opening in the trailing arm faces in just like it was on the donor. i think ffr just does that to keep us wondering.........

[Bob_n_Cincy]

great thanks guys!

it seems everything i put on this car i am starting to second guess it and the manual pics.....oh my which ones are good and which are backwards or something else.. i am putting my trailing arms on and the pic on 101 in the manual shows them inside out. picture on 124 shows them flipped. i take it the opening in the trailing arm faces in just like it was on the donor. i think ffr just does that to keep us wondering.........

I have found that, When in doubt, TRUST THE ENGINEERING DRAWINGS, see page 100.
There are a lot of inconsistencies in the manual's pictures.
Bob

[Xusia]

What Bob said. Also, when in doubt, you can always contact FFR. Human souls will be riding in this car - best to get it right!

[Goldwing]

I'm glad I piped in, even if I was wrong, lol. Truly a wealth of info here. Now to flip that stupid wing mount, lol.

[Goldwing]

I guess the doubt left by the manual's mistakes does get some good conversations going. We'll be safer for it.

[RM1SepEx]

I have found that, When in doubt, TRUST THE ENGINEERING DRAWINGS, see page 100.
There are a lot of inconsistencies in the manual's pictures.
Bob

I'm in that same spot, the CAD stuff has to be what they designed... the photos leave you questioning stuff all over the place.

My tires don't contact at full lock, both directions (I did have to extend my rack due to early frame issues) I'm running stock rims and tires from my donor in front for now...

Yes the forum is essential!