- Joined
- Jul 6, 2015
- Messages
- 4,352
- Reaction score
- 210
- Location
- Iowa
- My Car
- 1973 Mustang Grande 351C 2v
Thought I would throw this out there. I am in the process of repairing and updating my front suspension. I did not have the money to go with a tubular system but wanted an upgrade from stock. Based on how the original suspension was designed with stamped steel LCA and UCAs I decided to add plates to the new LCAs to prevent flex under cornering and braking due to the attachment point of the strut rods. First I made a template then cut them out of 1/8" steel plate with a hole drilled for access to the sway bar bolts but cut short of the strut rod bolts. I then marked the plates at two bend points to get the curve of the LCA right. Heated the new plates with my torch and bent then over a piece of pipe to get the curve. This is a trial and error process to get it just right and you need some really good gloves as the heat necessary to get a good curve in 1/8" plate is more than you think. Once they fit properly I cleaned them up and primed and painted both sides to match the LCA as once attached you cannot coat the bottom of the plate easily. I them set in place and used a marker to mark off the weld area on both the plate and LCA. Grind off the new paint. Coat with Weld-Thru II. Weld the plates into place. Be sure to use ice and rags to isolate the ball joint and bushings from heat. The more the better as you don't want to melt them. Also weld in small sections alternating from side to side and end to end to disburse the heat better. Grind down the welds and prime and paint. They are ready to install on the vehicle. Should perform like a tubular LCA for much less.