**Saftey Check**Check Your Whiteline Uppers

[CPRsm]

According to their site, USA.

It's here for sure. I've ordered enough custom pieces from them and gotten them so fast there is no where else it could come from lol.

 

[Mach2burnout]

The bottom line is, once you change parts, especially suspension parts from stock or OEM to a "racing" part that is fabricated usually from welded tubing, etc. you should take the responsibility to inspect that part often. Especially after every racing event. I put my car on jack stands and spend hours inspecting bolts, parts, etc. after every event. As well as every bolt that i touch is marked with white metal marker so i can easily tell at a glance if it has loosened. This is a practice I learned the hard way. Most race tracks/events have previsions for the "in case something breaks, like sand traps, walls, etc. plus all traffic is going the same direction. Take a cracked suspension part home off the track and put it on the street and the tragedy that could occur from failure is far greater than just car/driver.

If your vehicle is an "R/T" then you need perform proper prep for track and street use!! Inspection should always be part of that prep!


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[Wicked97]

guess ive just always underestimated how much business some of the aftermarket companies do. honestly though its another example where it would be nice if people would just pay alittle more and they could employ people here, not to get off topic

None of these companies are mega multi million dollar operations.

there are very few "big" companies

the only 2 real major deals in the mustang world are American Muscle and Late Model. The rest our like us very small hand full of guys work here. I think you would be very surprised on how small most manufactures are for the aftermarket.

 

[BMR Tech]

where are the bmr pieces made?

According to their site, USA.

It's here for sure. I've ordered enough custom pieces from them and gotten them so fast there is no where else it could come from lol.

We operate out of about 30,000 sqft of American-Made building space, in the Tampa, FL area. We are at the following addresses, and we LOVE for people to come by and check our operation out. We design, test, build, coat, package, and ship suspension components for 17 different platforms, from these two facilities:

BMR Suspension Manufacturing Facility
12581 US Hwy 301 N
Thonotosassa, FL 33592

BMR Suspension Logistics (eventually all operations will be here)
928 Sligh Ave.
Seffner, FL 33584

If you are in the Tampa area, swing on by.

The bottom line is, once you change parts, especially suspension parts from stock or OEM to a "racing" part that is fabricated usually from welded tubing, etc. you should take the responsibility to inspect that part often. Especially after every racing event. I put my car on jack stands and spend hours inspecting bolts, parts, etc. after every event. As well as every bolt that i touch is marked with white metal marker so i can easily tell at a glance if it has loosened. This is a practice I learned the hard way. Most race tracks/events have previsions for the "in case something breaks, like sand traps, walls, etc. plus all traffic is going the same direction. Take a cracked suspension part home off the track and put it on the street and the tragedy that could occur from failure is far greater than just car/driver.

If your vehicle is an "R/T" then you need perform proper prep for track and street use!! Inspection should always be part of that prep!

I could not agree more. Very good post, sir.

 

[fdjizm]

Well here is something I didn't know...

"Its not crushed, it got yanked towards the car pulling the two ends together. That metal is way to thin."

I was saying on the previous page how I thought the rear part was too wide and I thought that it was crushed in from when the bolt was being torqued. but that post cleared it up... metal might be a tad too thin.

I would actually say the Diff got yanked away from the car on a hard launch, which would cause that ugliness.

 

[BMR Tech]

None of these companies are mega multi million dollar operations.

there are very few "big" companies

the only 2 real major deals in the mustang world are American Muscle and Late Model. The rest our like us very small hand full of guys work here. I think you would be very surprised on how small most manufactures are for the aftermarket.

This is true. We are market leaders in both latemodel GM and Ford Suspension, and we have <20 Employees.

 

[Sky Render]

There is some good info in this thread and some bad.

My car is sponsored by Whiteline. Whiteline's bushings are made in Korea. The actual hardware for their S197 Line is made in SoCal. They also have a manufacturing facility in Australia, where their HQ is. Unfortunately, my contact at Whiteline moved on to a different company, so I can't get any insider insight on this issue.

The UCA and Watts linkage are the only two Whiteline parts I don't have on my car.

Also, for the record, Terry Fair at Vorshlag does NOT run a Whiteline UCA...

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[Roadracer350]

There is some good info in this thread and some bad.

My car is sponsored by Whiteline. Whiteline's bushings are made in Korea. The actual hardware for their S197 Line is made in SoCal. They also have a manufacturing facility in Australia, where their HQ is. Unfortunately, my contact at Whiteline moved on to a different company, so I can't get any insider insight on this issue.

The UCA and Watts linkage are the only two Whiteline parts I don't have on my car.

Also, for the record, Terry Fair at Vorshlag does NOT run a Whiteline UCA...

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Thats intresting.... I was under the assumption he ran it all. What is he using? What are you using?

 

[matt06]

None of these companies are mega multi million dollar operations.

there are very few "big" companies

the only 2 real major deals in the mustang world are American Muscle and Late Model. The rest our like us very small hand full of guys work here. I think you would be very surprised on how small most manufactures are for the aftermarket.

yeah thats what id always figured, i guess when people start talking about stuff made overseas it makes an operation sound bigger than it actually is.

bmr- great to know, i currently have your uca/ mount on my car. would be very interesting to see your operation if im ever in florida and have the time.

 

[46Tbird]

Also, for the record, Terry Fair at Vorshlag does NOT run a Whiteline UCA...

Thats intresting.... I was under the assumption he ran it all. What is he using? What are you using?

Terry is running a Spohn UCA.

Damned Upper Control Arm Set-up, Test 4

So we've put 4 or 5 iterations of Rear Upper Control Arms (UCA) in this car and have been happy with none of them. No matter what brand or style we try it always eventually comes loose, then clanks and bangs around on any bump. Very frustrating. The various designs have also taken their toll on the axle-side UCA bushing, that is press-fit into the axle. Our techs noticed that this rubber OEM bushing was cracked and completely shot, so while the axle was being refurb'd they pressed it out and in went a fresh new one. Why not poly, you ask? Well this is one of those "terrible places for a poly bushing"... as it needs to both rotate and twist in 2 axis. Polyurethane rarely has the material properties for this task - it should be rubber or a spherical bushing.



After a quick glance we couldn't find a spherical set-up for the axle-side bushing (yet) so we just went back with the OEM rubber to replace the cracked and failed unit, for now. If you have an aftermarket UCA, especially if it is a poly bushing on the chassis side, check out the OEM rubber bushing in the axle at the top to see if it has cracked and failed. Click the high rez versions of the above two pics to see what to look for.

With that axle-side bushing replaced I wanted to look at the UCA itself. The Whiteline unit was fine but the adjustment method was a bit unusual and it wasn't exactly silent in use. Everything else they make for this car has been perfect, but I dunno.... I really wanted to keep the bushings able to rotate freely on the UCA, as both of these joints need to pivot smoothly when the car is loaded in corners. At first I wanted to attempt to go back to the "Del-sphere" bushed, adjustable length UCA we tried earlier from Spohn. That thing had some of the worst clanking and banging of any UCA we had tried but it did have the right style bushing at the foreward UCA mount... a Delrin-encased metal spehercial end, called "Del-Sphere". This is the right type of joint, I just didn't agree with the execution of the entire arm and mount.



We thought the problem was with the over-sized bushings that came in the Spohn UCA kit. The kit is made to work with the factory UCA bolt, which is a 14mm OD bolt. The ID of the Del-Spehre end is much larger, as were the holes in the UPR fabricated upper mount. It was as if these companies made something without checking the factory bolt diameter. What the...? So we upped the size of the UCA bolt to a 5/8" and made bushings to fit snug around the OD of the bolt and inside the ID of the Del-Sphere bushing. It took a little time on the lathe, some careful drilling, and some drilling of the UCA mount, but it all goes in and out smoothly now. No more slop to the bolt and hopefully no more banging around.



Well, of course I cannot find a picture of this newly configured UCA and joint set-up actually installed. Oh well, will shoot it next time the car is in the air (this Friday). And driving it... well, it is a little quieter now but is far from "noise-free". We checked it after the NASA event and it was all still tight, so at least this isn't getting loose and slipping every time it is inspected. We will keep trying to come up with a proper UCA solution using aftermarket parts or we will have to make something on our own. We purchased a complete Boss 302-S UCA set-up last week and will try that next, in either the 2011 GT or the 2013 GT.

 

[Fullboogie]

Well here is something I didn't know...

"Its not crushed, it got yanked towards the car pulling the two ends together. That metal is way to thin."

I was saying on the previous page how I thought the rear part was too wide and I thought that it was crushed in from when the bolt was being torqued. but that post cleared it up... metal might be a tad too thin.

I would actually say the Diff got yanked away from the car on a hard launch, which would cause that ugliness.

Yes, that was the point of my prior post. The deformation gives the illusion that it was bent inwards from bolt torque, but in fact it was from being pulled.

 

[Roadracer350]

For the UCA's coming loose, why not safety wire them once you get it adjusted? It wouldn't come loose after that. He also stated the WL unit was fine it just made noise and was a PITA to adjust. Nothing about it breaking or bending.

 

[Sky Render]

What are you using?

Whiteline Strut tower brace, front and rear bars, panhard brace, panhard bar, LCAs and anti-squat (relocation) brackets.

Only issue I've had is forgetting to tighten the jam nuts on the adjustable LCAs, which made one bar lengthen and cause my car to crab walk down the highway for a little while.

 

[Roadracer350]

I have everything that Whiteline sales but haven't had a chance to put it on since I found out the tub is bent. I have to get a DD before I can do the swap over. The only thing I am questioning right now is the UCA. Do I use the WL piece? Do I cut the bracket off and make my own out of 4130? Do I just buy a Multimatic? I am really wanting to see what WL finds is the cause of the failure.

 

[BMR Tech]

I have everything that Whiteline sales but haven't had a chance to put it on since I found out the tub is bent. I have to get a DD before I can do the swap over. The only thing I am questioning right now is the UCA. Do I use the WL piece? Do I cut the bracket off and make my own out of 4130? Do I just buy a Multimatic? I am really wanting to see what WL finds is the cause of the failure.

Why don't you just use a nice beefy adjustable UCA, with a spherical bearing, from one of the many companies out there who offer them?

Apparently, handling is your cup-of-tea....so go with a bearing on the axle or chassis side, and go have some success.

Another approach is to use something like the Steeda Diff Bearing, with the Roush UCA System. That is a very nice combo, that will perform just as good or better than the Boss 302 UCA.

All of that said, I rarely feel good about recommend a non-adjustable UCA, so do yourself a favor and atleast get one that is adjustable.

 

[Roadracer350]

Why don't you just use a nice beefy adjustable UCA, with a spherical bearing, from one of the many companies out there who offer them?

Apparently, handling is your cup-of-tea....so go with a bearing on the axle or chassis side, and go have some success.

Another approach is to use something like the Steeda Diff Bearing, with the Roush UCA System. That is a very nice combo, that will perform just as good or better than the Boss 302 UCA.

All of that said, I rarely feel good about recommend a non-adjustable UCA, so do yourself a favor and atleast get one that is adjustable.

Oh I'm going to do adj. I already have the bearing for the Steeda Bearing ready to go in I am just waiting to see about the WL unit. If it is just a thickness problem will the warranty it since its not installed and if not how I want to proceed. I know BMR has a good product but I want to look at the Multimatic unit but I REALLY don't like the price. Has anyone on this forum had any problems with the WL UCA?

 

[Roadracer350]

Whiteline has pulled their UCA off of their website for now.

http://www.whiteline.com.au/do_segue4.php?make=FORD&model=MUSTANG&model_final=MUSTANG+COUPE+S197+INCL+GT+%26+SHELBY+GT500&vehicle=2005-10

 

[Sky Render]

Like I said, I'm sponsored by Whiteline. I'm not going to defend their original UCA. They themselves have admitted that their UCA is a flawed design. Bolting a defective part on your car is never a good idea. Either wait for Whiteline's redesign (which they said is forthcoming), or put a different UCA on there. BMR makes some nice products if you don't want to wait.

 

[Roadracer350]

Like I said, I'm sponsored by Whiteline. I'm not going to defend their original UCA. They themselves have admitted that their UCA is a flawed design. Bolting a defective part on your car is never a good idea. Either wait for Whiteline's redesign (which they said is forthcoming), or put a different UCA on there. BMR makes some nice products if you don't want to wait.

I wish I was sponserd! I have spent a damn fortune!!

 

[BMR Tech]

Like I said, I'm sponsored by Whiteline. I'm not going to defend their original UCA. They themselves have admitted that their UCA is a flawed design. Bolting a defective part on your car is never a good idea. Either wait for Whiteline's redesign (which they said is forthcoming), or put a different UCA on there. BMR makes some nice products if you don't want to wait.

Thank you for the recommendation/compliment sir, we really do appreciate that. As you know, we do everything within our power to provide great parts and service.