Changing trailing arms on rear axle (recommandations)

[Chabes]

Hey fellas,


my '05 GT has been getting a lot of love lately.
After you guys helped me a lot diagnosing my engine issues (which I was able to fix), I had to do some body and paint work on the rear, as well as fix an oil leak from a blown oil seal — the German TÜV wasn't amused. During that process I found out that my clutch was literally broken in half. Considering it lasted over 180,000 miles on the original clutch, I really can't complain.


I wasn't unhappy with how the car drove before, but now it feels like a completely different car.


Next up will be an underbody coating to keep rust at bay. Before doing that, I want to replace the rear trailing arms, since the rubber bushings are completely shot. I've seen some aftermarket options and it seems like the OEM ones are known to be a weak point. Which ones would you recommend?


That leads to my next question: is this something you can do yourself, or would you recommend having a mechanic handle it? Is there any preload or tension on the arms when replacing them with the car on its wheels?


After that, it'll be time for new wheels next summer — which probably won't be as fun, since TÜV approval is required. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. Right now I kind of like OZ Racing wheels. I don't want to lower the car and I'd like to keep the small rim / big tire look. Ideally I'm looking for a 5-spoke design, but TÜV-approved options seem hard to find.


Looking forward to your recommendations.


Sincerely,
Jens

 

[GriffX]

I have the J&M Extreme Joint Rear Lower Control Arms installed 10 years ago in black so TUV don't get attention to it. The advantage is that the axle has less restriction when one side moves up and the other down. You can change them on jack stands. The axle moves back a bit so I lift it up with a hydraulic jack and pushed the axle together with the jack in place.
NVH will increase a bit. (I ordered them directly from hotpart.com)
For the UCA I bought the 11+ Ford OEM arm, but it is still in my basement. Had no idea of the crazy high torque spec of 475Nm for the 11+ arm. The newer arm is longer and has a bigger bushing.

Biggest mistake I made not to order the 18 inch wheel option, the TUV regulation changed that there is no good way to install bigger Ford OEM wheels without a certificate. So no way to install bigger brakes also.
The TUV approved wheels I have seen were above 3000€ (set of 4) for me it was too much.

 

[86GT351]

Are there any specific buil intentions? UPR Lowers along with the Upper and you should be good.

 

[stkjock]

Steeda
UPR
CHE
BMR (thx JC)

All quality brands

 

[JC SSP]

BMR is what I have on mine.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

I installed the non-adjustable ones from https://www.umiperformance.com/2005-2014-ford-mustang-rear-lower-control-arms/ They're inexpensive and work great.

This is something you can do at home if you have a good jack, jack stands, and a big torque wrench. I used a ratcheting tie strap to line up the LCA with the hole in the bracket.

 

[MasterofDisaster]

BTW, if you're replacing LCAs, you might as well replace the upper control arm and the differential bushing too. You can get bushings for the panhard rod/track bar, but they're a PITA to replace. Probably easier to buy a new track bar with polyurethane bushings. IIRC, the rear sway bar bushings weren't too hard to replace.

At some point you'll want to replace the front control arms and the sway bar bushings. The nice thing about the front is that you can find GT500 control arms fairly cheap, and they're beefier than the stock arms.

 

[Chabes]

Hey guys, thanks for the quick response.
So I guess just picking a branded one from the wide variety available should work.
Based on your recommendations, I'll have a look at which ones are readily available in Germany.

@86GT351
To be honest, I'd actually like to lift the car. Please don't ask why — I'm just really into that look.
Unfortunately, that's pretty much impossible in Germany due to regulations.
The only suspension kit I can legally get approved seems to be the KW setup:
https://store.kwautomotive.de/de/kw...33&c_car=20005&pgs=160&ag=kwv1gewindefahrwerk
It would only lower the car slightly, though.

@GriffX
Since you also seem to be from Germany, maybe you could share where you usually order your parts. I've only just started looking around, so at the moment I'm basically limited to googling and trying random shops.
Regarding the issue with your wheels, I might be wrong, but OEM wheels should be approved even without an ABE if the car was originally sold with them.
You would just need to have the wheel–tire combination listed in your registration certificate.
I'll contact my local TÜV later and can keep you posted on what they say.

 

[GriffX]

For basic parts I look at rockauto first. If I need genuine Ford parts I look at tascaparts, summit is also a good store. Some parts are used for many cars and you can get them at local sellers like a belt, you just need the length. The belt is the same as for some VW. Motorcraft oil filter is very expensive here, Ford wanted 15€. I ordered a Mann now but I don't know if I will use it, it has only 4 small inlet holes.
I have a TUV near by where they have a stack of certificates for Ford OEM wheels so it is easier to get them approved, but afaik they changed the rules 5 years ago and made it harder again. So, I have no general answer.
BTW, take a look at your brake pads, the OEM Ford Akebono have a big overheat problem at high speed braking, because they are ceramic transfer film pads.

 

[brasil]

About the oil filter
RA has OEM Ford Motorcraft and also WIX Oil Filters . They are between 4 and 5 USD each.