Firm Feel upper control arm interference problem

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lilcuda

lilcuda

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Yesterday I did a test fit of my Firm Feel upper control arms on my 66 Barracuda and there is an interference problem with the frame brackets on both sides. See the attached photos. I guesstimated how much I would have to remove and marked it with a Sharpie. Anybody dealt with this? FF says to trim the bracket for clearance. I'm concerned about weakening the bracket.
 

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While I don't like the idea of removing anything from an area like this I think you should be okay. You'll still have the complete weld at the attachment point & most of the stiffness of the bracket comes from the bend & you're also keeping that portion. JMO
 
yes, it is perfectly okay to trim that area with a die grinder. Many, if not all, tubular A-arms require this little modification...I did it to both my cars, 68 barracuda and 70 dart. I have used the RMS tubular uppers AND the Firm Feel tubular uppers. You'll be fine. carry on. :)
 
mopardude318 said:
yes, it is perfectly okay to trim that area with a die grinder. Many, if not all, tubular a-arms require this little modification...i did it to both my cars, 68 barracuda and 70 dart. I have used the rms tubular uppers and the firm feel tubular uppers. You'll be fine. Carry on. :)
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Ya your good to go,after the cut is done polish the edges real smooth so there is no chance of stress cracksssss.
 
I seem to remember a long time ago when I did some Magnum Force arms that you cut those gussets out and made new ones that went the other way. I don't see a problem with a mild trim, though.
 
I did it for my Duster as well and that little of metal will not have any effect on the structure of the vehicle.
 
Thanks for the replies, guys. Good to know other people have done it the same way. I asked Richard Ehrenberg what he thought about trimming material away. He suggested gusseting the brackets like this:
 

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thats not a bad idea. i broke the welds on my car without trimming anything.
 
hellion_locdogg said:
This is good to know, I just ordered FFI UCA's for my '63 Dart yesterday...
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Another thing to look out for on early a's - measure the width of the control arm and the frame brackets. The FF control arms were 9 1/2" wide while the frame brackets were only 9 3/8". I had to send my arms back to FF to get them "adjusted". Basically, they tweaked them a bit to make them fit. Dick Ross assures me that the strength was not compromised at all.
 

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Have you tried bouncing the car to see if it rubs? Majority of the time suspension travel would have the arms moving above that lip anyway right? Guess it depends on your front end lift on hard acceleration or slant six bars.
 
Hey lilcuda thanks for the tip man. I should be getting my arms today and trying to install tomorrow. I have basicly the entire suspension, UCA, LCA greasable pin, tie rods,
.940 T-bars and rear spring hangers with KYB's for now. Should be a busy day if my arms come in.

,Cliff
 
65Valiant310 said:
Have you tried bouncing the car to see if it rubs? Majority of the time suspension travel would have the arms moving above that lip anyway right? Guess it depends on your front end lift on hard acceleration or slant six bars.
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Good point. I was just following the instructions that came with the arms. They say run run the arms up and down to make sure they have clearance. I will take a closer look. But you wouldn't want to gouge the arms when the front of the car is jacked up. Over time, you might create a weak spot. the k member is out of the car right now, so I can't really say where the range of travel will be.

Anyway, my car will have 1.00" FF t-bars & my existing 1 1/8" sway bar, so there won't be a lot of lift.
 
hellion_locdogg said:
Hey lilcuda thanks for the tip man. I should be getting my arms today and trying to install tomorrow. I have basicly the entire suspension, UCA, LCA greasable pin, tie rods,
.940 T-bars and rear spring hangers with KYB's for now. Should be a busy day if my arms come in.

,Cliff
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You're welcome. Good luck with your project. Take some photos and start a thread about your front end rebuild!
 
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