Giantman

Something tells me this is not right, especially considering the right side arm is straight. Could this explain why the tire and inside of the fender are sometimes comming into to contact?

Can it be straightened or are we talking replacement here?

Thanks,

Simon.'83 SC Cab

Todsimpson

That's definitely not right.

I wouldn't bother straightening it, a used A arm shouldn't be too expensive.

Once reassembled check the alignment, and if you want to be thorough the corner balance as well.

I wonder how that happened....perhaps a careless tie down during a tow? Is there any sign of accident damage or repair?

Peter Zimmermann

I've seen that kind of thing done during a tow. BUT, there is a chance that the car has suffered damage, the forward weld doesn't look right from the angle your photo was taken. Find a sharp suspension guy who knows 911s and have the car looked at. Of course, bolting on a replacement control arm (a known good one, of course!) will tell you if you have chassis damage.
Pete

911 Rod

I have the same thing. No where near as bad though. A very slight bend down. If you put a straight edge on it it's maybe 1/16". Could this be from a frontal crash?

Giantman

Yeah it's a real worry. Trouble is I don't know if it was there when I bought the car or if I did it myself???

In the first month I had it I drove into some roadworks where there was a large section of the road cut out to be replaced. It was night and there was poor signage so I did not see what was coming. I was doing about 50mph and under heavy breaking when I went in the 'ditch' which was about 3 inches deep and a yard across so the font end went down pretty hard. I scraped some paint from the valance and scratched up the front condenser protective bar pretty bad but did not think I did any real damage as such. Impossilble to know for sure if this was the cause but there is no real scratching on the arm itself so I guess not.

What really peeves me is that I had the car in for new shocks soon after this and the P-car specialists did not point the bend out to me. I find it hard to believe no one on the workshop noticed it while working in such close proximity! Anyway I will look into getting a replacement fitted asap.

Out of interest how would expect this be to be affecting the cars handling?

Thanks guys,

Simon.

Giantman

Quoted from pelican parts:

" Driving over large pot-holes can easily damage your arms, as well as hitting curbs."

911 Rod

I think it was from you hitting the ditch. It is the only thing that makes sense to me.
When I took my car into an alignment shop one shock tower had to be set as far ahead as possible and the other as far back as possible to achieve proper caster. I freaked as I though my car was bent.
Have you had your caster checked?
And yes it was me that saw the bend, but it is very minor compared to yours.

Giantman

When the shocks were done they did an alignment afterwards. There was no mention in the work shop report of any problems with caster etc. I am just very surprised that they either did not notice or did not bother to report the bent arm to me.

The handling however feels excellent, though I have not driven any other 911's recently to compare. I do think however that this is the cause of the tire coming into contact with the inside of the fender occassionally which has caused cuts in the top of the tread. As I am about to replace the tires I really need to get the arm fixed to prevent this happeing to the new rubber.

Thanks Rod.

srf506

I'd have to believe it was from your "4-wheeling" foray in the trench. To get a bend that bad by hitting a curb I'd guess the rim would've been damaged too. I'd definitely replace it and as earlier suggested get the car realigned and balanced. Good luck.

911 Rod

Does anyone know if the a-arms have been upgraded in any way over the years?
A fellow member has a 76 a-arm that he has offered to sell me to put in my 86.
I don't normally like to use parts that are older than my 20 year old car.
I will be replacing the bushings and ball joint.

Giantman

Would it be better to replace both the control arms or is this unnecessary overkill?

Peter Zimmermann

Giant: If you use new arms you should probably replace both, because of bushing wear. If you're planning to use a used arm replacing both would probably be overkill.

Rod: Backdating is usually not a good idea, we never know if Porsche added an internal gusset here, or a stronger spline there. However, if a part number search reveals the same number for both cars, with no supersessions, then you're probably OK. Make sure that you price new units, used ones might not be a good deal!
Pete

911 Rod

Thanks Pete,
The 76 is probably $50. A 86-89 at a used parts dealer is around $150.
I think a new one has to be in the $400 range.
Seeing that i just dropped 2 grand in other suspension parts and the hours it's going to take me I'll go with the used 86-89.
I just need someone to support me with my habit.
Thanks