Upper 3rd Link ?

[Bizzyb0nes]

Alright, im into the twisties, but I also have a daily driver...and this whole modding thing is way to slow of a process. I lowered my car about 1.5inches, my lca's and phb are adjustable w/ spherical bushings. Is a upper 3rd link going to be beneficial for a car that corners, or is it mainly a drag racer mod? I know its capable of fixing the pinion angle, but no time soon do I plan on going to a 1pc driveshaft, so it'd seem to not be worth it. Can someone please school me on the pros/cons of the upper 3rd link?

 

[Rangersfan]

It's not just a drag racer thing. The upper 3rd works in conjunction with the panhard bar to keep the axle located on center. Any additional strength added to the rear suspension helps with these cars.

 

[silverstangz]

my question to add to this is do you REALLY neeed the upper to be adj ?

 

[SoundGuyDave]

Need it? No. The OP has adjustable lowers. Does it make sense? Probably, 1-piece shaft or no. When I did my rear suspension, I opted for adjustable everything, and as a result, I was able to dial in my pinion angle perfectly, center the axle in the wheelwells longitudinally, AND center the axle under the chassis laterally. All at the same time, too! Adjustability is awesome if you know what to do with it. Not so much if you don't. The Mustang 3-link rear is so simple, though, that you might as well get the adjustables.

 

[ZmanM3]

I went with the adjustable UCA and non-adjustable lowers, both from BMR. I also have the LCA relocation brackets.

 

[Bingo]

I think I might have to get an adjustable upper control arm after putting new LCAs and panhard bar in. The stock piece now clunks when I let off the gas...I guess all the stiff bushings are putting the load/movement onto the soft piece (UCA). Bah.

 

[SD07GT]

I think I might have to get an adjustable upper control arm after putting new LCAs and panhard bar in. The stock piece now clunks when I let off the gas...I guess all the stiff bushings are putting the load/movement onto the soft piece (UCA). Bah.

No ! It clunks because the LCA are installed wrong ....There should be no clunking with your set up .

Was your car over a pit or on jack stands when you torqued the LCA to 129 foot pounds ? If not you did it wrong and it would of helped if you used new hardware but people have reused the bolts before ?

I run poly/rod ends on my LCA and poly/rod end also on my Panhard bar and still using the stock UCA . My car has no pops,clunks or creaks !

 

[Bingo]

No ! It clunks because the LCA are installed wrong ....There should be no clunking with your set up .

Was your car over a pit or on jack stands when you torqued the LCA to 129 foot pounds ? If not you did it wrong and it would of helped if you used new hardware but people have reused the bolts before ?

I run poly/rod ends on my LCA and poly/rod end also on my Panhard bar and still using the stock UCA . My car has no pops,clunks or creaks !

Then that's probably it...I had the stands under the body, not the axle.

 

[SD07GT]

go back and load the rear of the car by putting the axle ends under some jack stands making sure the car is safely in place before tq the bolts to 129 lbs ft.

 

[Bingo]

go back and load the rear of the car by putting the axle ends under some jack stands making sure the car is safely in place before tq the bolts to 129 lbs ft.

Of course I just gave back the torque wrench I borrowed...figured I was done with it. Baaahhh....

 

[SoundGuyDave]

+1 to torquing to spec with the suspension loaded... Unless you have rod ends everywhere... Just saying...

Another problem that can crop up is that the UCA body-side bolt is significantly smaller than the bolt hole in the mount bracket. The harder you drive the car, and especially if you also reduce bushing compliance (like to zero, with Heim joints), you put so much load on that point that the bolt slips back and forth in the mount. Steeda sells reducer bushings that eliminate that issue. Just don't ask me how I know that!

 

[bigwilly43729]

Something I'm finding out is that the forwardmost nut for the LCA can actually wear out and lose it's ability to keep the bolt torqued. I had a clunking noise from the LCA a couple of months ago and realized that bolt had come loose. Retightened and the clunk went away only to come back just a couple of weeks later. New hardware is in hand and ready to go as soon as I get the car back. I replaced the bolts the first time, but not the flag nuts. Live and learn.

Just something to think about for anyone installing these things.

 

[ZmanM3]

Something I'm finding out is that the forwardmost nut for the LCA can actually wear out and lose it's ability to keep the bolt torqued. I had a clunking noise from the LCA a couple of months ago and realized that bolt had come loose. Retightened and the clunk went away only to come back just a couple of weeks later. New hardware is in hand and ready to go as soon as I get the car back. I replaced the bolts the first time, but not the flag nuts. Live and learn.

Just something to think about for anyone installing these things.

Stuff like that is why I like to use lock-tight when I can.

 

[bigwilly43729]

Stuff like that is why I like to use lock-tight when I can.

That's the worst part. I used RED and it still came loose. I should have known it was going to happen though. The nylon looked like it had eroded over the past couple of years.

 

[ZmanM3]

You could have always used the white or blue.

 

[pcdrj]

Of course I just gave back the torque wrench I borrowed...figured I was done with it. Baaahhh....

John,

If you need a hand let me know. We can do it here in 10 minutes.

 

[UMI Performance]

The upper control arm is a very flimsy and can flex under hard side loads. Also with the vehicle being lowered it would be a good idea to check and adjust your pinion angle. I would recommend an adjustable upper with spherical rod end. The rod end will prevent any type of bind and will work nicely in conjunction with your rod end control arms and panhard bar. Here is a link to the item we offer- www.umiperformance.com/1047

If you have any questions please ask. Thank you!

Ryan

 

[Bizzyb0nes]

thats a really good price on the upper 3rd link, and they look like great pieces...when the finances allow, i'll be giving you guys a ring

 

[mustangflanagan]

i have a upr upper third link and trz adj lower control arms with rod end on one side and it clunks like a mother f^&ker every little crack or bump on the road, i cant fig out what it is the only thing i can think of is changing the lower arms to something with bushings on both ends

 

[SoundGuyDave]

If it's clunking, then something is loose. I have NO bushings in my rear suspension, and no clunks either. Heim joints will transmit every noise and vibration into the chassis, like whines, roars, rumbles, and squeeks, but they will not clunk at all. I would recheck all my torques, and also take the UCA out and look on the mount bracket for witness marks that would indicate movement. Ford, in their infinite wisdom, cut the holes on the arm side of the bracket larger than the bolt diameter, by quite a bit. If the bolt isn't torqued to spec, or if there is sufficient load, the upper arm will slide around every time you hit a bump, thus creating a clunk. If that's the problem you're having, give Steve a call at Steeda and ask for the "anti-clunk bushings" for the upper control arm. They're like $10 or so, and they take up all the slop.