Yeah, I agree with phil about the pulling the box when I tighten them down. Another thing also is that the bushings in the control arms are the kind where the center tube gets clamped down tight and the bushing rotates around the center tube. Right? If I bolt it down with the gap then that center tube in the bushing is gonna push real hard against the box and want to bend into the gap. So, I think I will weld a piece of metal onto the H-brace to take up the gap. I should have just made one myself. I saw it on ebay and figured, ah what the heck that way I wouldn't have to measure and then get the metal, weld, etc.
I know people say that the H-brace stiffens up the rear box but even though it is made of thin sheetmetal, I think that factory box is very sturdy. The way it's stamped and welded to the car makes it a very sturdy box, so I wonder if the H-brace really does that much at all?
I am even of the opinion that the factory arms coming off the box might be stronger than the GM arms. Now I haven't seen or felt the GM arms in person but it is a thin tube. Those ford factory arms are in effect a stamped I-beam and extremely strong in the direction that forces are generated on them. One of mine is bent and I tried to straighten it. Let me tell you.... I have a huge vise bolted to a huge wooden work table and I clamped the ford arm in it sideways and tried to rebend it. I bent it, but it took all I had to pull it a little bit. So, I don't think they are weak at all, just not very adjustable.
<small>[ May 04, 2003, 08:08 AM: Message edited by: FAST4DR ]</small>
The sad thing is a will probably continue to use it as a jack point doh
