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Control arms, refurb or replace ?

N

N97746

Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2019
Location
Northeast PA.
Getting ready to replace suspension bushings on my '89 240 and after many years of driving on salted roads the front control arms and rear trailing arms are getting pretty ratty looking.
All four have pretty deep surface rust/pitting.
Not sure if I should scrape and refurbish what I have or just get replacement units. I've looked mainly at Rock Auto and FCP and there seems to be a wide range in prices for new pieces.
Has anybody had good experiences with one brand over the other? Which ones should I stay away from? Cost is a bit of an issue as there are other things that will need attention.
 
I caved and ordered a pair of cheap trailing arms on eBay for $90. Had the same thought process as you: Was replacing bushings and springs and the ones I had were salted to death.

They’re arriving today. I’m not expecting much, but will report back with how they look.
 
i bought new aftermarket control and trailing arms for mine. They seem fine structurally but the "paint" that comes on them was terrible. Doubtful it would hold up very long. I stripped them and put some thick, quality paint on them and am hoping they hold up. They have so far
 
esmth, do you remember what brand control arms you bought? Or who you bought them from?

Greg, keep me posted on how yours look when they come in.
 
Just unboxed ‘em. They’re... alright.

Definitely feel the paint concerns. Doesn’t look like it’ll last long, and there’s some bubbly weirdness in some areas.

Will I still put them on my car? Probably.

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The "bubbly weirdness" appears to be paint decently covering weld splatters. You're only seeing it next to welded areas, right?
 
No brand on the arms themselves, but the box had TRQ tape on it. LMK if you want a link to the eBay ad.

Definitely awesome that they come with bushings, but I’ve gotta press em out for some superpro polys I have sitting around.

And good call on the weld spatter. Definitely what that weirdness is. As far as paint goes, it doesn’t seem particularly durable, but I’m probably just being paranoid because everything here seems to die a rusty death in no time at all.
 
Well bit the bullet and ordered LCAs from Rock Auto and trailing arms from Amazon. All four are Dorman brand. Should be here in a few days and I'll post up how they look. Thanks for everyone's advice and help.

Just a quick note, got a spare axle that I'm cleaning up to go in and used my bushing tool I purchased here from Gregerivn to remove the large trailing arm bushings. Can't say enough about how well it worked. I did soak them in PB for a couple days first, but it took less than five minutes per side to get them out.
Nothing makes a job go easier than the right tool.
 
Unless they are rust free, replace them, I don't know how good the after/market parts are , but they have to be better than some old rusty part.
 
N97746 said:
Well bit the bullet and ordered LCAs from Rock Auto and trailing arms from Amazon. All four are Dorman brand. Should be here in a few days and I'll post up how they look. Thanks for everyone's advice and help.

Just a quick note, got a spare axle that I'm cleaning up to go in and used my bushing tool I purchased here from Gregerivn to remove the large trailing arm bushings. Can't say enough about how well it worked. I did soak them in PB for a couple days first, but it took less than five minutes per side to get them out.
Nothing makes a job go easier than the right tool.
Click to expand...

Had the same experience 2 weeks back. Needed to swap in a new rear end and decided to go poly while I was at it. Gregerivn?s press was worth every penny. Also just a great person to do business with. Highly recommend.
 
Quick update. Received both LCAs and trailing arms, all are Dorman brand. Very happy with the quality. Welds look good, paint is good and they were all made in Taiwan.
Overall glad I purchased new and did not try to refurb the rusty originals.
Now just have to find decent rubber bushings as I'm going to retain certain rubber bushings, as in TA to axle bushing, and go with poly in other areas.
 
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