Rear Control Arm

Rear Control Arm – Essential to Suspension

If you've spent a lot of time wishing and hoping for the day when you could start restoring your own classic car, then you probably focused on all of the fun parts, like repainting and restoring the interior. Unless you are a true car buff at heart, you probably didn't lie awake at night wondering what it would be like to refurbish the entire suspension system so that the car would be drivable again, but this is most often what takes the most time and effort in the restoration process. If you have never seen or attempted a repair on a rear control arm before, the best place to start is at the beginning.

First of all, you have to know what the signal signs are that will indicate you need to take a look at the rear control arm. Common signs are a knocking or thudding when you turn the wheel to the right or to the left. Usually, this sound will originate from one side or the other, and will typically either be in the front or the back. There are control arms on every wheel of the vehicle when it employs a double wishbone system.

If you hear these tell tale sounds, you'll want to get under your car and take a look at the rear control arm, or you'll want to have a mechanic look at it. When you get under the car, you'll likely see an A shaped element that is connected to the car at three different points. First of all, the top of the A, or the single point will be connected to the spindle, while the two lower points of the A will be connected to the wheel itself. This design will likely be duplicated above or below by another A shaped element.

The rear control arm is one of the more expensive elements on the car, both to remove and to replace. If you are not doing the work yourself, you should be prepared for it to cost you a pretty decent chunk of change. This is why most car experts will recommend that when you notice one is wearing or broken, you take the opportunity to replace all of them at once. This will make it easier for the mechanic doing the work, and will also ensure that the arms will wear together instead of out of sync. Even wear and newer parts will make for a smoother ride.