[Neal_DePape]

Okay guys I need some help. I have a 68 Mercury Cougar Xr7. I redid my front suspension with new upper and lower control arms and strut rods and just got the car to the alignment shop. Apparently the upper control arms right at the ball joint are rubbing on the tire.

The shop thinks I have the wrong wheel or the wrong arm. They won't even try to align it, because they don't think it will help. The tires are the 14" styled steel wheel that came on a Cougar and are the originals I think. I got the arms from Mustangs Unlimited Cougar division and I think they are correct as well.

What could be causing the arms to run on the tire? I think it could be just because the alignment is way off, but the shop won't hear of it. Any ideas or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[OC_Cougar]

Maybe they're 67 Arms? I hear they're different...

Anyone???

Robert

 

[handsome]

Hey Neal,
I'm new to this game with the front end, but if you think that the arms could possibly be wrong, here's what I think is the right info. I think the uppers from 67 to 70 are all the same with the exception of either 3 or 4 bolts or rivets on the ball joint. I think the lower arm is different on the 68-73. Good Luck!




Matt

 

[republik a.d.]

Are they rubbing the tire itself or the rim? Had you adjusted the camber when you put the lower control arms in? Just tossing out ideas... could also just be that the wheels dont have the correct backspacing.

 

[modifiedmark]

Neal, you dont say what size tire you have on it. Alignment will not change the problem you have. I assume you didnt have the problem before you changed the control arms?? mm

 

[zhat]

I know what your problem is exactly...

I bought the same kit from Mustangs Unlimited about 4 years ago and they totally pissed me off. It seems that they still don't warn customers that the bolt holes for where the struts bolt in are an 1/8th of an inch off from the mustangs. Even though you bought the kit for a cougar the kit is made for a stang. I had to get to a junkyard and measure the difference while my car was in the shop on the lift. A trip to the local Ford dealership's microfiche files confirm that the control arms are a different part #. Everything is identical on the stangs/cougars except for this slight difference. You can have your shop redrill the holes or order strut rods for a mustang. The cougars struts are jointed whereas the stangs are a solid one piece unit. This is what causes the difference.

 

[zhat]

Also...

If you have a shop redrill the holes...because of their close proximity to the originals...the new holes are going to be slotted. This of course could lead to a sloppy front end over time. I would order the new struts. I don't think you can get the jointed ones. Mercury made them jointed so that the cougar would have a nicer ride than the mustang...after all it's a "man's car..."

 

[republik a.d.]

The "jointed" strut arms were only used in '67. The solid strut arms were 68 and up. When replacing it's a good idea to make sure the lower control arms and strut arms are both 68-73 Mustang parts as there are no replacement 67 Cougar specific lower control arms or strut arms.