Fishey

I just want to make sure I am not missing anything that I will need.

2x 86 Aluminum Arms
2x 968 Casterblocks

The Arms have front bushings and rear stud + nut

Anything I am forgetting?

xsboost90

outer swaybar links...i have some if you need.

MAGK944

Take it you are converting from an early offset steel to early offset aluminum control arms. If that is right then you have the parts needed. Just make sure that the replacement control arms have good front bushes or replace them with silicon, PITA to do but worth the effort and good enough for road use. Also check the ball joints or replace with Rennbay rebuild kit. BTW the 'rear stud' is an eccentric bolt. The only other thing that I would replace is the nuts that attach the control arms to the bushes/crossmember, total two at the front and four at the rear.

M

Scootin159

Aluminum != Metal?

nickg

the steel ones are better from a service point...vw ball joints are cheap

Spidey944

True, but if you upgrade the sways to super stiff 30mm etc, the control arms will/could break. Plus, the drop links on the ends of the sway bars dont work on the early steel arms and you end up using late style drops VIA drilling a hole in the control arm to accept them. There's more to the story but that's the short of it.

xsboost90

aluminum is lighter and only reason they brake is aftermarket swaybar setups from what ive seen. MO30 bars may fit the steel arms but they would be tight - i know turbo bars fit them. The bad part is try finding nice castor blocks for the steel arms..

Spidey944

They fit, but I have yet to find a bushing for the OE style early steel arm drops (not the hoop style, the alum bracket style) that works with a bar as big as 30mm. You can open the size of the OE bushing up with some work, but still risk breaking the early/weaker style steel arms with a massive bar. The later 87+ steel arms are much stronger then the early steel arms, but of course wont work with the early offests.

sbyrne

Sorry to highjack, but are you guys saying that I shouldn't upgrade to a M030 front bar with steel control arms on my early car? How large can I go (got the M456 package stock bar on now)?

Spidey944

I would keep it under or equal to 26.8. I have been doing a lot of researd for a customer on this, and this is the best info I have found.

Fishey

I currently am running a 30mm bar up front with the steel arms but want to go to the aluminum not because of weight but because of flex. The steel arms have an amazing amount of deflection under load and its even noticable from the drivers seat after doing a lipstick cam of the arm on a backroad run my mind was instantly made up on going to the aluminum arms when I did this next upgrade.