TA_Freak

A few weeks ago I swapped out my single adjustable panhard bar with an on car one that I had laying around. Obviously it a lot easier to center that axle with that one!
That one has rod ends (heim) on each end. That and the poly rear LCAs felt a bit squirrely on an 80 mile drive yesterday.

That said, I'm thinking about replacing the panhard bar's rod end (on the body side) with poly. Also, while I'm there, replace those LCAs with the stockers, which are rubber.

Any thoughts or advice on this?

Y2K_Frenzy

Check out these rear control arms. I have these on my Camaro and I have an identical set on a Mustang but they are sold under a different name whcich is J&M. The bushings are a three piece deal. They have soft rubber outer “shells” cupping a hard poly ball. The design is suppsosed to give a best of both worlds deal. It’s supposed to be able aid in launching while still being able to articulate in the corners so there isn’t any binding. I think it works. In both vehicles there isn’t any wheel hop and the rear end goes where I want it when cornering. They are also plenty strong I guess because I curbed it pretty hard in the rear once and they stayed straight and true. The Camaro has a non adjustable Founders Performance panhard (stock springs w/ modified rear isolators), and the Mustang is four link suspension with no panhard. I kinda want one for it though. I opted for the black pair but here they are in red. LCA’s
The J&M’s have been on the mustang for nearly ten years now and it used to make 1/8 mile drag runs with them on. There was a nite and day difference in the launch for the better after they were installed and cornering was improved quit a bit as well. Don’t let the price tag fool you. The J&M’s were a little more expensive than theyb Founders but both look to be of the same design.
*Edit*
They are not loud at all. They sound the same as the oem.

Biebs

Agree with Y2K.

I put the founders LCA on my Camaro recently and they give a better then stock ride.. Also replace panhard bar with Founders non- adjustable bar.
Well worth the money and better feel/ride of the rear end.



My stock LCA and Panhard bar were in good condition.

Y2K_Frenzy

Mine were too. My Mustang is a little bit more rowdy than my Camaro. Launching it can be a handful. After those control arms it was a lot easier to get out of the hole at the drags.

TA_Freak

Interesting. I have the Founders poly-poly LCAs. I love the tubular design, but not the bind. I remember contacting Founders a few years ago about removing those bushings and pressing in some rubber and they said it couldn't be done with what I have.

I ordered a set of those LCAs along with the poly bushings to replace the rod-ends on my on car adjustable Founders panhard bar.

Y2K_Frenzy

Good luck Maddog.

TA_Freak

Thanks and I also appreciate the info on those control arms. I'm looking forward to some better cornering and less noise from that panhard bar. I had to crank the Rockford Fosgate higher than normal after replacing that PHB -LOL.

Y2K_Frenzy

Lemme ask you this. How could you tell that the LCA’s with the poly bushings were binding? Sound? Feel? If I’ve ever expirenced it I’ve never noticed or didn’t know.

wannafbody

iTrader: (2)

I have the Founders 3 piece bushing control arms and they aren't harsh over bumps.

TA_Freak

I guess I don't really know if they're binding as nothing is broken or snapped. High speed cornering has some oversteer that you don't get with the stock and you know those stockers aren't binding with it's rubber.

Catmaigne

iTrader: (6)

Not sure what kind of driving you're into, but I had those 3pc Founders arms on my [road course] track car and swapped them out after a couple years. The outer cups were soft at first, but they eventually hardened with time and felt about as hard as regular poly. The spherical ***** also swelled a bit and were no longer spherical, they had a flattened strip down the center and didn't articulate well. They were OK for a couple years but started to cause snap oversteer as time went on so I swapped to rod ended LCAs. They're fine for a street car, but I wouldn't recommend them if you're going to drive at 10/10ths on a track.

Side note: rod ended LCAs are really harsh on the street, but I don't think a rod ended panhard bar is that bad at all

TA_Freak

I'm going to just put my stock LCAs back on. I started the install the 3 piece LCAs and there is just no way that they are going to fit. Doesn't appear to need to be pressed.



I

Biebs

I had the same problem. Bought some large washers and had the new hardware bolted them together overnight made them compress. Still on install I used a grinder with sanding disc to remove some of the rubber bushing to make it fit.

TA_Freak

I wondered who else was having that issue. I put it in a press and could tell that it wasn't compressing any. I'm just glad that I didn't take off my current LCAs before finding out that these were not manufactured properly.

I'm sending them back. To hell with sanding and cutting and pressing and beating!!!! The stockers will be just fine for me.

TA_Freak

You know what .... once I lubed everything up first they seem to compress much better, It'll be tight, but I think they'll work.