I really only needed a turbo gasket for the GN, but I refuse to spend under $100 at Summit and not get free shipping. There was nothing else I needed for the GN so...
I got new rear control arms for the catfish! I thought about getting the dual threaded, but it didn't seem worth an extra $100. It's pretty cool how many different options are available. After doing my research, poly front and heim rear seemed like the best option.
I like driving this car so I didn't want to get anything too harsh (two heims). However, the rear end needs to be able to articulate appropriately. Two solid poly joints are known to bind the the rear suspension which probably isn't a huge deal. I want this thing to handle well though. Then obviously there are rubber options that will wear out and not really help my traction/vibration issues. So there you have it. Poly/heim seemed like the choice for me.
I almost forgot about how old rusty control arms can be a major bitch to remove. I almost started dreading the job, but I soon found out that I'm not the first person to dig in here.
These bushings look and feel pretty new and the bolts were hardly even rusty. I was really hoping that the bushings would be destroyed and I'd feel a night and day difference in performance, I guess there's still a chance though because the stamped stock arms are dicked.
Oh yeah. When UMI says that their control arms are shipped at stock length and do not require adjustment for stock cars, check it anyway.
Mine were both about a half inch too short.
Old paint jobs seems to be holding up decently. A lot of rust is coming back on the axle housing but I fully expected that and really don't care either.
I feel like a broke drift boi putting $200 tubular control arms on a worthless rusty shell.
I anti-seized the bolts, greased the bushings, torqued the bolts at ride height, went for a spin, and didn't come home for almost 2 hours.
These control arms made launching a lot easier and more consistent. Lots of clunks went away which is kinda odd since the old bushings looked fine, but Im not complaining. This car rules and I can't wait to try more stupid shit. The steering is still sketchy, but with all the rear linkages replaced with UMI stuff I have full confidence in the rear end.
I really want to do coil overs and front suspension work, but I really need to slow down with all the fun car spending. Once again, I'm just going to drive this thing and enjoy it this summer.