19again Posted April 7, 2014 Report Share Posted April 7, 2014 Stopped at my local mechanics this afternoon to make sure all is well for the trip to Charlotte and they found both lower balls were starting to go. So tomorrow they will get replaced. I requested they use ones with zerks in them for greasing. Do I have to worry about different wheel alignment specs for the car or just OEM specs? I haven't noticed any front end change since I have owned the Shelby Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 Stopped at my local mechanics this afternoon to make sure all is well for the trip to Charlotte and they found both lower balls were starting to go. So tomorrow they will get replaced. I requested they use ones with zerks in them for greasing. Do I have to worry about different wheel alignment specs for the car or just OEM specs? I haven't noticed any front end change since I have owned the Shelby What did you experience that indicated the lower ball joints were failing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19again Posted April 8, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 What did you experience that indicated the lower ball joints were failing? Maybe it's come on gradually but in the last year I have noticed the steering wheel off center to the left. Not much but in a straight line it wasn't right. My mech said the lower balls would do that. If you can lift the car grab the wheel and shake it from the top and bottom. If you hear or feel anything then it's the lowers. Hope this helps Harald. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITHERTZ66 Posted April 8, 2014 Report Share Posted April 8, 2014 http://www.teamshelby.com/forums/index.php/topic/74699-lower-control-arms-fail-33k-miles/ Make sure they are inspected the PROPER WAY (read post #9 carefully) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
19again Posted April 9, 2014 Author Report Share Posted April 9, 2014 Stopped at my local mechanics this afternoon to make sure all is well for the trip to Charlotte and they found both lower balls were starting to go. So tomorrow they will get replaced. I requested they use ones with zerks in them for greasing. Do I have to worry about different wheel alignment specs for the car or just OEM specs? I haven't noticed any front end change since I have owned the Shelby After watching the mech press both the lower balls out I checked them for play. Both had some movement but no metal to metal sound. The alignment was off in toe. Both sides were off by a large amount but brought back to specs. The rest of the numbers were all close to specs and needed no changes. The parts replaced have grease fittings and both were manufactured by Moog. Total cost was $355. So next week will tell in driving to Charlotte. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1967_fastback Posted April 21, 2014 Report Share Posted April 21, 2014 A friend of mine has a 07 Mustang GT. On hers the ball joints were complete junk with 30k on them. Factory replacements were the entire control arm assembly as the factory ball joints are non replaceable. Carquest sells new control arms with replaceable ball joints. She had an extended warranty. We ran it thru the shop I was working for at the time. She paid the deductable and paid a extra $100-$150 and got her set up with some BMR aftermarket control arms with poly bushings and replaceable ball joints. The really firmed up the steering response in her car. Having ball joints go that early is a joke in a car and shows poor design. just my opinion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene64cobra Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 so I have noticed a lot of clanking in 209. my friend had an 08 he just replace control arms and ball joints (69k miles) complained the same clanking noise. so I am going to probably just go ahead and replace. 1967 fastback is correct the stock arms have non replaceable ball joints. my friend said the same I haven't called ford yet. any suggestions on what control arms to go with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITHERTZ66 Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 GT500 LCAs should do the trick. That's what I went with. It's a beefier and better design than the stock Mustang GT which our cars came equipped with originally. When I pulled mine this summer, I could move the ball joint around with my pinky finger they were so shot. I went ahead and did the outer tie rods, too. The hardest part is dropping the steering rack. http://shelbygth.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/lca-failure/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 GT500 LCAs should do the trick. That's what I went with. It's a beefier and better design than the stock Mustang GT which our cars came equipped with originally. When I pulled mine this summer, I could move the ball joint around with my pinky finger they were so shot. I went ahead and did the outer tie rods, too. The hardest part is dropping the steering rack. http://shelbygth.wordpress.com/2014/05/21/lca-failure/ Good info. No issues yet but I am sure someday. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene64cobra Posted November 29, 2014 Report Share Posted November 29, 2014 thanks troy..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted February 7, 2015 Report Share Posted February 7, 2015 Gene I also replaced my 06 GTH lower control arms with the GT500 units at 26,500 miles. The upper strut mount was broken on one side ( a clunking sound ) so both were upgraded to the 500 units as well. The new GT500 lower units do not have a grease fitting in the ball joint. Parts were about $400.00 from buy ford racing. I also went with the camber bolts to fix the alignment problem. The new strut bolts and nuts are now fine thread with a higher torque value. The bolts are not too badly priced, but the nuts are almost $10.00 each. Total upgrade about $475.00 with camber bolts if you do it yourself, plus the cost of a alignment. You better start selling more of the 40th decals, I love mine, it looks nice on the car, and I don't have to worry about it disappearing on it's own some time. The 07 will be the next one to get the control arms along with the Shelby caster camber plates. Harley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene64cobra Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 excellent Harley I will start putting the parts together been sitting in garage for the winter. its starting to warm up here. but last year we had snow in the first part of march Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 When someone does this project, can you post progress pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old man Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 For the Ford Racing lower control arm upgrade instructions. Go to the C J Pony parts web site under the 2005- 2009 parts section, and click on the GT 500 control arm upgrade. At the bottom of the listing, it gives instructions on the install process with photos. If you want to buy the parts they are cheaper on Buy Ford Racing .com as well as the GT 500 upper strut mounts My clunk came from a broken upper mount at 26,000 miles When removed from the strut it came apart in two pieces with bearings falling out. Tip. The steering rack bolt mounts call for a metric size. Don't look for a wench that size like I tried to do, and could not find, it is the same as a 13/16. The steering rack 2 bolts are the hardest part to remove, One can be reached on the drivers side from the rear of the frame. The passenger side from the front, by the radiator with a end wrench. Good luck trying to torque them. The drivers side can be torqued from the rear, but the passenger side does not have enough room unless you remove radiator parts for clearance in the front for the torque wrench. Mine is just wrench tight with lock tight on all bolts. I am sure there are other articles on this but, this one is quite good, I hope this helps to answer some questions. Good luck, and don't be afraid to do it yourself. I am 65, and I know you younger guys can crawl under there better than I. I plan on doing my 07 next so it can't be that bad, it just takes time. Harley (old man) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 For the Ford Racing lower control arm upgrade instructions. Go to the C J Pony parts web site under the 2005- 2009 parts section, and click on the GT 500 control arm upgrade. At the bottom of the listing, it gives instructions on the install process with photos. If you want to buy the parts they are cheaper on Buy Ford Racing .com as well as the GT 500 upper strut mounts My clunk came from a broken upper mount at 26,000 miles When removed from the strut it came apart in two pieces with bearings falling out. Tip. The steering rack bolt mounts call for a metric size. Don't look for a wench that size like I tried to do, and could not find, it is the same as a 13/16. The steering rack 2 bolts are the hardest part to remove, One can be reached on the drivers side from the rear of the frame. The passenger side from the front, by the radiator with a end wrench. Good luck trying to torque them. The drivers side can be torqued from the rear, but the passenger side does not have enough room unless you remove radiator parts for clearance in the front for the torque wrench. Mine is just wrench tight with lock tight on all bolts. I am sure there are other articles on this but, this one is quite good, I hope this helps to answer some questions. Good luck, and don't be afraid to do it yourself. I am 65, and I know you younger guys can crawl under there better than I. I plan on doing my 07 next so it can't be that bad, it just takes time. Harley (old man) Thanks for the input and words of encouragement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ITHERTZ66 Posted February 9, 2015 Report Share Posted February 9, 2015 Yep, the steering rack is a bitch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene64cobra Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 yes thank you Harley for the tips and encouragement.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Actually you do not have to unbolt the rack to do the lower ball joints/lower control arms. If you jack up the front end and pull your wheels then loosen your outer tie rod end nuts, then break loose the tapered stud so that you can remove the outer tie rod ends from the steering knuckle, next unbolt the pinch bolt which holds the lower ball joint stud in the spindle and separate the LCA from the spindle, remove the 2 bolts from the rear bushings @ the front subframe mount, then go up and put the key in the ignition and just unlock the steering, turn the steering wheel to full lock. Once at full lock and you have the inner tie rod assembly pulled into the rack housing as far as it will go, lift up the tie rod assembly and put a deep socket on the front LCA front bushing bolt and loosen it as much as needed to disengage the bolt from the threads. Lift the back of the LCA up or put a 2x4 between the rear bushing and where it mounts to the subframe and pull the bolt out (remembering that you have to keep the tie rod assembly held up). It's tight by the inner rack boot but it will pull out and then the LCA just falls out. You will have to turn the steering to full lock in the other direction to do the other side. When going back together remember to raise the back of the arm as you go to put the front bushing bolt back in place - once it is past the rack boot you will need to remove the 2x4 from under the rear bushing in order to align the front bolt with its threads. Put your bolts back in the rear bushings, push the ball joint stud back in the knuckle - put the pinch bolt back in, then torque down your front inner LCA bolt. Next torque your rear bushing bolts, then the pinch bolt, then reconnect your outer tie rod to the knuckle and torque the nuts down. Note: you will probably want to start this whole thing off with disconnecting the battery cables from the battery. For what it's worth, I've done it both ways ( unbolting the rack and not unbolting the rack ). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 Actually you do not have to unbolt the rack to do the lower ball joints/lower control arms. If you jack up the front end and pull your wheels then loosen your outer tie rod end nuts, then break loose the tapered stud so that you can remove the outer tie rod ends from the steering knuckle, next unbolt the pinch bolt which holds the lower ball joint stud in the spindle and separate the LCA from the spindle, remove the 2 bolts from the rear bushings @ the front subframe mount, then go up and put the key in the ignition and just unlock the steering, turn the steering wheel to full lock. Once at full lock and you have the inner tie rod assembly pulled into the rack housing as far as it will go, lift up the tie rod assembly and put a deep socket on the front LCA front bushing bolt and loosen it as much as needed to disengage the bolt from the threads. Lift the back of the LCA up or put a 2x4 between the rear bushing and where it mounts to the subframe and pull the bolt out (remembering that you have to keep the tie rod assembly held up). It's tight by the inner rack boot but it will pull out and then the LCA just falls out. You will have to turn the steering to full lock in the other direction to do the other side. When going back together remember to raise the back of the arm as you go to put the front bushing bolt back in place - once it is past the rack boot you will need to remove the 2x4 from under the rear bushing in order to align the front bolt with its threads. Put your bolts back in the rear bushings, push the ball joint stud back in the knuckle - put the pinch bolt back in, then torque down your front inner LCA bolt. Next torque your rear bushing bolts, then the pinch bolt, then reconnect your outer tie rod to the knuckle and torque the nuts down. Note: you will probably want to start this whole thing off with disconnecting the battery cables from the battery. For what it's worth, I've done it both ways ( unbolting the rack and not unbolting the rack ). Interesting. Thanks for the info. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordicShelby Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 On my 08 SGT vert I can hear a loud clunk when I apply the brakes. The sound is only on the drivers side and I hear it only once, if I let up on the brakes and drive some more and then reapply the brakes I will hear the same clunk. I have always assumed it was the Bear Pro Plus brakes and that the caliper is sticking. I was reading through this thread and started to think maybe its the lower ball joint. I called Steeda up and described what I hear and they said that they see alot of control arm bushings that go bad. He said they offer a complete kit for the control arm that includes the ball joints and bushings. The cost is $499 with free shipping. http://www.steeda.co...hings-777-4902/ He said that its cheaper to have a mechanic replace the entire control arms than it is to replace the bushings. Did any of you have a clunk noise when applying the brakes? Has anybody installed this Steeda control arm assembly? If you have what do you think of it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhite1967 Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 excellent Harley I will start putting the parts together been sitting in garage for the winter. its starting to warm up here. but last year we had snow in the first part of march Gene, you can practice on mine before you do yours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gene64cobra Posted February 10, 2015 Report Share Posted February 10, 2015 john, guess we need to clean out a garage and get to work...LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 On my 08 SGT vert I can hear a loud clunk when I apply the brakes. The sound is only on the drivers side and I hear it only once, if I let up on the brakes and drive some more and then reapply the brakes I will hear the same clunk. I have always assumed it was the Bear Pro Plus brakes and that the caliper is sticking. I was reading through this thread and started to think maybe its the lower ball joint. I called Steeda up and described what I hear and they said that they see alot of control arm bushings that go bad. He said they offer a complete kit for the control arm that includes the ball joints and bushings. The cost is $499 with free shipping. http://www.steeda.co...hings-777-4902/ He said that its cheaper to have a mechanic replace the entire control arms than it is to replace the bushings. Did any of you have a clunk noise when applying the brakes? Has anybody installed this Steeda control arm assembly? If you have what do you think of it? Read the fine print on these arms - they come with Steeda X11 ball joints which are the 19MM stud diameter and on 2005 - 2010 S197 cars you will need to drill out your spindles to be able to fit the larger ball joint stud into the spindle. I've done these on coupes but I don't recommend them on convertibles because it can induce cowl shudder. JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Read the fine print on these arms - they come with Steeda X11 ball joints which are the 19MM stud diameter and on 2005 - 2010 S197 cars you will need to drill out your spindles to be able to fit the larger ball joint stud into the spindle. I've done these on coupes but I don't recommend them on convertibles because it can induce cowl shudder. JMO You da man! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NordicShelby Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Read the fine print on these arms - they come with Steeda X11 ball joints which are the 19MM stud diameter and on 2005 - 2010 S197 cars you will need to drill out your spindles to be able to fit the larger ball joint stud into the spindle. I've done these on coupes but I don't recommend them on convertibles because it can induce cowl shudder. JMO Thanks for the feedback. This is something I will mention to the Steeda and see if they have had many complaints from convertible owners who may have done this. I installed the ford racing shocks and struts on my convertible and didn't notice any negative effects. Shelby used the Ford racing springs and sway bars on the convertibles but kept the stock struts and shocks because they felt that most convertible owners wouldn't track their verts and wouldn't like the rougher ride. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 JMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted February 11, 2015 Report Share Posted February 11, 2015 Basically - it's the use of the polyurethane bushing in the rear position of the front LCA that is the main contributor to the issues of cowl shutter. Mostly due to the lack of compliance, they cause an increase in steering feedback and due to the stiffness of the convertibles (along with no top structure) it's there where the "cowl shutter" issues come into play. If you look at the convertible from the side view, you will see that the front end (windshield and forward) is a cube shape structure plus a lower strut brace @ the back of the front subframe/rear control arm mounts, then the center section is a flat plane with NO "B" pillar or roof, finally the rear section of the vehicle is again a cube structure with NO "C" pillar but, a full bulkhead between the passenger compartment and trunk area. Here again the rear section has reinforcement braces under the floor pan. Since the passengers reside in the center section they are subjected to what is described as a springboard effect when additional suspension stiffness is applied. Also the spacing on the uni-body spot welds were placed closer together beginning with the 2007 model S197s making them stiffer in comparison to the 2005 - 2006 models. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
03 DSG Snake Posted November 29, 2015 Report Share Posted November 29, 2015 Basically - it's the use of the polyurethane bushing in the rear position of the front LCA that is the main contributor to the issues of cowl shutter. Mostly due to the lack of compliance, they cause an increase in steering feedback and due to the stiffness of the convertibles (along with no top structure) it's there where the "cowl shutter" issues come into play. If you look at the convertible from the side view, you will see that the front end (windshield and forward) is a cube shape structure plus a lower strut brace @ the back of the front subframe/rear control arm mounts, then the center section is a flat plane with NO "B" pillar or roof, finally the rear section of the vehicle is again a cube structure with NO "C" pillar but, a full bulkhead between the passenger compartment and trunk area. Here again the rear section has reinforcement braces under the floor pan. Since the passengers reside in the center section they are subjected to what is described as a springboard effect when additional suspension stiffness is applied. Also the spacing on the uni-body spot welds were placed closer together beginning with the 2007 model S197s making them stiffer in comparison to the 2005 - 2006 models.Is the Steeda a worthwhile kit? I have been wan ing to upgrade from the 18mm to 19mm balljoints and these arms seem to be complete. The only thing I am not the biggest fan of is urethane over delrin, but they still should be better than the factory hydra bushings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Patten Posted November 30, 2015 Report Share Posted November 30, 2015 Is the Steeda a worthwhile kit? I have been wan ing to upgrade from the 18mm to 19mm balljoints and these arms seem to be complete. The only thing I am not the biggest fan of is urethane over delrin, but they still should be better than the factory hydra bushings. If you are going to do the upgrade from the 18mm to the 19mm ball joint then I'd just suggest that you get the FRPP M-3075-RA lower arms and buy the Whiteline KCA433 bushing kit. The FRPP bushings are delrin but they cost $$. JMO Poly bushings will pound out over time (we found this out in racing applications - but we're going up to 1.4g's in corners). Either way with poly or delrin bushings - they are not bonded to the arm like the factory bushings are so, they are free of bind during suspension motion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HARALD KELLEY Posted April 14, 2016 Report Share Posted April 14, 2016 Well it's time for new front tires so I think I will be doing the GT500 front control arm upgrade (M-3075-E) to avoid the ball joint issue. Along with the camber bolts to improve the alignment issue and tire wear. Anyone know the part number for the camber bolts ( are they Ford racing M-3B236-A) that would be needed and best place to buy these parts? I did find the LCA's for $275.00 and $86.00 for the bolts. Not sure if there is a better source. Thanks in advance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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