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Thread: My new aluminium lower arms!

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Gateshead,UK
    Posts
    926

    Default My new aluminium lower arms!

    Well I hope these ebay bargains last a while. They seem to be good quality, with nice tight bushes etc, oh and are as light as a feather too. Not bad for £50 uk .

    Cheers,

    Shaun M


  2. #2
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Location
    West Portland, OR
    Posts
    1,435

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by E34-520iSE
    Well I hope these ebay bargains last a while. They seem to be good quality, with nice tight bushes etc, oh and are as light as a feather too. Not bad for £50 uk .

    Cheers,

    Shaun M

    Cool! I've got a whole sachs kit and the 16 piece meyle kit sitting in my feaking car right now waiting tog et put in!
    oh the angst lollol
    EuroLux:. Private Detail
    E34 1/'89 ///M20 2.5i: Lachsilber

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Gateshead,UK
    Posts
    926

    Default

    Buy a pair of these too and get the whole install done in one go! Here's a link to a similar auction on ebay, from the same seller that I bought them from:-
    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/BMW-E34-B-New-...QQcmdZViewItem

    Cheers,

    Shaun M

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Sydney, Australia
    Posts
    104

    Default

    You should be able to fit these in about 1 hour per side. You need to undo the 3 strut bolts to get to the top of the joint. They are in real tight so find an extension bar to attach to your breaker bar. You will also need some thread goo when you put them back in. The bentley manual has the correct product.


    i just fitted a set from BMA. i can't say if they improved the handling much as a changed the upper and lower arms, steering arms, idler arm, drag link, sway bar links, springs (from HIOP to Zender) and new Bilstien sport stut inserts. Then some new Dunlop 235*17's the next day during the wheel alignment.

    In one day work it transformed the car.

    john

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    454

    Default

    Good luck - please report back on their life....
    1995 BMW 525i w/139K miles, EAT Chip - (Gone)
    07 525i 22K, 07 328xi (41K)
    1982 Mazda RX-7 w/147K miles (Back again!)

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Gateshead,UK
    Posts
    926

    Default

    lol, I will do!

    Cheers,

    Shaun M

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Posts
    618

    Default

    I bought these same arms off ebay! So far so good, I still have a wobble (suspect wheel balancing) but the clunking over bumps has gone, they seemed fine and yes they are really light!

    Before you start this job as mentioned make sure you have good quality sockets and a breaker bar for the steering plate nuts AND MOST IMPORTANTLY (and I can't stress this enough as I found out to my cost and frustration!) a good ball joint separator. I read up well on this and I heard all sorts of ways of getting these off but none of them worked for me. I had a ball joint separator:



    it kept slipping off the nut - the trick here is to leave the nut on by a few threads and feed the separator bolt into it so it can't slip off. I got one off like this but the other wouldn't budge as I had already made a mess of the nut on the arm. i then had to get one of these:

    http://www.abbeypowertools.co.uk/car...568-13914.aspx

    Known as a scissor type ball joint separator (got it off ebay - just do a search) and that finally got it off.

    If you've got the separator and you're down there you may as well replace tie tie rods and tie rod ends, they are cheap from GSF (i think around £20 pair) and they are Lemfodder (however you spell it) but you need to get the car tracked after if you do these as well.

    Good Luck
    UK 1997 e34 540iA Touring, 1989 535i Sport - now sold, 1998 Mercedes CLK 200 Coupe


  8. #8
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Gateshead,UK
    Posts
    926

    Default

    Thanks for the helpful advice Leicesterboy. I'll fit mine on Tuesday morning and report back with my experiences ( hopefully with 8 fingers and 2 thumbs). This is my ball joint separator:-


    Cheers,

    Shaun M

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Location
    Behind the wheel of My Car
    Posts
    1,097

    Default

    just got some polyurethane control arm bushings in and it got rid of that 50-60 shudder...but of course I can't say if they made any other changes because my end links are shot and the car clunks all the time. I think I'll put in an RD sway bar whill I'm up there.

    How much lighter are the aluminum CA's then the stock ones?
    -Mike

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Posts
    454

    Default

    Quote Originally Posted by E34-520iSE
    Well I hope these ebay bargains last a while. They seem to be good quality, with nice tight bushes etc, oh and are as light as a feather too. Not bad for £50 uk .

    Cheers,

    Shaun M

    Double check the quality of the rubber boots. The main reason my Meyle failed was the boot basically decomposed within 1 1/2 years. I think they would have lasted if that had not occurred. I know some sites sell the poly boots, might be worth checking.
    Scott
    1995 BMW 525i w/139K miles, EAT Chip - (Gone)
    07 525i 22K, 07 328xi (41K)
    1982 Mazda RX-7 w/147K miles (Back again!)

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