Lower rear control arm measurements

[cstamper]

A couple of my stamped steel rear control arms are bent and I recently grabbed some adjustable ones from a GM. What I need to know is what the nominal measurement is from center-to-center of the mount points for these control arms. I don't have adjustable strut plates so any of you out there who have a recent alignment and DON'T have adjustable strut plates would be the best ones to have the correct measurement so that my camber and toe is not too far out when I install the control arms. Right now, my measurements are all over the place. (I guess I would also need both front and rear measurements).

Thanks.

 

[Shoaz]

Install them and then take it to an alignment shop. Even if you try measuring an existing set or someone else's setup, it's still unlikely to give a proper alignment on your car.

You can set toe and camber -reasonably- well by eyeball, and some strings work pretty well for setting toe. If it were me I'd just get it reasonably close by eyeball and then take it to an alignment shop. Elsewise, you can do it yourself with a few tools and some time.

 

[cstamper]

Right - was just trying to ballpark it so if I didn't get to the alignment shop *immediately*, I wouldn't be scrubbing off rubber, etc.

 

[zak]

Set toe to zero using tape measure. Good luck if the GM arms have seen salt (I happen to have some new GM ones oif needed). Are you using the SHOnut install kit?

 

[cstamper]

Yep, they're "challenging" to get apart and cleaned up. Heat works well to get them apart although it took me a while to try that method and much cursing and sweating preceded that discovery. And yes, I'm using the install kit (or will be when I get around to installing the control arms).

 

[ManySHOs]

I'll be removing my GM arms soon to install the Ingalls arms that I just bought from SHOsource. For $160ish, you can't go wrong.

Plug n' play and much beefier.

Ian