Re: Starting to rebuld my frontend, (66 coupe)got loads of questions......
Posted by ultrastang on 8/22/2009, 9:09 pm, in reply to "Starting to rebuld my frontend, (66 coupe)got loads of questions......"
69.150.10.93
Moog & TRW both make very good front end/steering replacement parts.
On the a-arms, Ford used riveted-in ball joints [both upper and lower] in their original installations. Yours may currently be bolted in, but originally, they were probably riveted in. There are many reproduction/replacement ball joints that bolt into the upper A-arms [and lower as well].
For the lower arms, I prefer to get a more modern version that has the pressed in, low-friction lower ball joint. The lower comes as an assembly with the arm, inner bushing, and lower balljoint already installed.
These lower arm stampings also tend to be thicker than the original stampings, so if you want to weld an 1/8th inch plate across the bottom, to box it in to add more strength, there's planty of meat on the arm to do this. Just be sure to pop some access holes in the plate for the sway bar end links and the strut rod bolts.
It's been a good many years since the last time I replaced the front end suspension parts on my '68, but I got the lower arm assemblies I'm speaking of through NAPA.
The lower arm assembly looks like this:
[This one pictured is for a '65/'66]
http://partimages.genpt.com/partimages/478728.jpg
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