What Tubular UCA's do I have?

[challengergary]

Picked up a k-member (modified for modern hemi), manual gear box, front sway bar, lower control arms, Baer disc brakes (with 5 on 4-1/2" bolt pattern), plus tubular upper control arms this weekend. Came out of a restomod 70 Dart that got the rear end destroyed. Car was used for autocross and weekend warrior duty. I don't plan on autocrossing but want a car that handles better than factory. Duster already has the USCT inner fender bracing and lower radiator bracing installed and will have the subframe connectors welded in soon.

The question that I have is what UCA's are these? Pretty sure the front sway bar is Hellwig and I think the UCA"s may be Hotchkis but would like some confirmation..

FWIW - my plan is to mount the engine on the k-frame along with the transmission on a dolly/cart and install from the bottom. This way I can keep the factory suspension on the car and keep it a roller until I am ready for the swap.

 

[racerjoe]

Picked up a k-member (modified for modern hemi), manual gear box, front sway bar, lower control arms, Baer disc brakes (with 5 on 4-1/2" bolt pattern), plus tubular upper control arms this weekend. Came out of a restomod 70 Dart that got the rear end destroyed. Car was used for autocross and weekend warrior duty. I don't plan on autocrossing but want a car that handles better than factory. Duster already has the USCT inner fender bracing and lower radiator bracing installed and will have the subframe connectors welded in soon.

The question that I have is what UCA's are these? Pretty sure the front sway bar is Hellwig and I think the UCA"s may be Hotchkis but would like some confirmation..

FWIW - my plan is to mount the engine on the k-frame along with the transmission on a dolly/cart and install from the bottom. This way I can keep the factory suspension on the car and keep it a roller until I am ready for the swap.

View attachment 1716446333

View attachment 1716446334

They look like Hotchkis.

 

[72bluNblu]

Definitely Hotchkis

 

[autoxcuda]

Looks like a mustang PBR? 2 piston caliper. I think Dr Diff sold/sales that?

The sway bar tab looks Hellwig. And the color of the sway bar in background looks like Hellwig's color.

LCA bushing are polys. Check if the inner shells were left in LCA's as they are supposed to. Can't tell if bushings are sitting in there loose or not and hard to see if the thin shell flange is still in there.

I think those spindles could be 73-76 large drum A-body. hard to see. If so, those have the same large inner bearing at the 73-76 A-body disk spindles.

Can't think of shock brand that would say Deutsch on it?


Was that stored outside and got rusty like that? Or drove though winter salt? I'd think the rod ends are toast since there's rust on the surface of the inner spherical bearing.

 

[challengergary]

Yes, after it was removed it was stored outside. Florida car so no salt on the road at all

 

[autoxcuda]

Re-read you original post. If that's a Baer disk setup, I think it's probably based of a small bolt 10" A-body drum spindle. I think they use a mustang rotor.

One thing I leaned from having Hotchkis A-body UCA's...

Be very observant of the Caliper to UCA leg clearance at full turn lock-to-lock at ride height. I tried to run pin type calipers on 11.75 rotors mounted in the rear like you have pictured and it hit at full lockup. Not all Caliper combinations were checked out. There's a ton of them out there. And the Hotchkis A-body UCA legs take a wider that factory path. Those calipers look very wide to me and I think they are floating type. So if you hit the caliper at full lock it could add braking to that inside wheel.

@challengergary Please, please check that for your safety!!

 

[Kern Dog]

Are you the "Challenger Gary" that used to make stripe kits for these cars? Did you really retire from that?

 

[challengergary]

Are you the "Challenger Gary" that used to make stripe kits for these cars? Did you really retire from that?

Yes and yes.

 

[challengergary]

Re-read you original post. If that's a Baer disk setup, I think it's probably based of a small bolt 10" A-body drum spindle. I think they use a mustang rotor.

One thing I leaned from having Hotchkis A-body UCA's...

Be very observant of the Caliper to UCA leg clearance at full turn at ride height. I tried to run pin type caliper mounted in the rear like you have pictured and it hit at full lockup. Not all Caliper combinations were checked out. There's a ton of them out there. And the Hotchkis A-body UCA legs take a wider that factory path. Those calipers look very wide to me and I think they are floating type. So if you hit the caliper at full lock it could add braking to that inside wheel.

@challengergary Please, please check that for your safety!!

I will look into but since this came off a car that had a few thousand miles on it before it was wrecked, it should be ok. Luckily, my next door neighbor happens to be a race car chassis builder and he has offered any help I may need. He is kind of a wizard when it comes to this sort of stuff. He recommended I buy the set up when I showed it to him.

 

[72bluNblu]

I will look into but since this came off a car that had a few thousand miles on it before it was wrecked, it should be ok.

I would definitely still check that caliper to UCA clearance, and that needs to be checked for the full range of suspension travel. That clearance is ride height dependent, so just because is cleared on the last car doesn't necessarily mean it will clear on yours. This is even more true if the previous car was set up for autoX, because its ride height and range of suspension travel may have been quite different from factory.

Now, it's also an aftermarket brake set up so the caliper position itself may also be quite different than what @autoxcuda has, but it's definitely something you should check. Definitely don't want to put hard parts together out on the street when you hit a pot hole or something.

 

[autoxcuda]

Even if that person drove it 1000 miles doesn't mean it was right. Never know. Just need to check.

Happens so much that two aftermarket performance components don't work right together. And it's in ways you just would not normally think off.