Got my box of suspension components from Figs Engineering with all the mevotech arms for the front end with the bushings available from figs pressed in.

Tie rods - Front Inner - MEVOTECH MS86740 x 2
Tie rod - Front Left Outer - MEVOTECH MS86620
Tie rod - Front Right Outer - MEVOTECH MS86621
Sway bar end link - Rear Left - MEVOTECH MS86860
Sway bar end link - Rear Right - MEVOTECH MS86861
Sway bar end link - Front Left - MEVOTECH MS86858
Sway bar end link - Front Right - MEVOTECH MS86858
Sway bar bushings - Rear - BECK/ARNLEY 1018323
Control Arm - Front left upper forward - MEVOTECH CMS861157
Control Arm - Front left upper rearward - MEVOTECH CMS861078
Control Arm - Front right upper forward - MEVOTECH CMS861158
Control Arm - Front right upper rearward - MEVOTECH CMS861077
Figs front upper control arm bushings (LS460-FRUCABSH-41) pressed into mevotech arms
Control Arm - Front right lower rearward - MEVOTECH CMS861076
Control Arm - Front left lower rearward - MEVOTECH CMS861075
Control Arm - Front left lower forward - MEVOTECH CMS861073
Control Arm - Front right lower forward - MEVOTECH CMS861074
Figs lower forward control arm bushings pressed in to Mevotech arms
Ball joint on front knuckle - Febest 0120-USF40F

Also got in Engine and Transmission mounts.

Engine mount L& R (12361-38160 x 2)
Transmission mount (12371-38050)





















Prior to actually installing all these components I wanted to clean all the old components just to get rid of all the gunk that has build up over the years. Plus a clean area to work on later makes it feel so much better. Also after cleaning everything up I sprayed Seafoam DeepCreep on all the bolts, nuts, ball joints etc to help things come apart easier later.



Before:





After:




A friend of mine is the lead tech at a reputable shop here. He has an LS460 and have done all the arms etc so I asked for his help in getting everything done. He is also one of the few techs I would have work on my car. Thanks Matt and thanks Import Motor Werks for use of the shop! So Matt changed all the arms out and I wanted to run all my air lines and level sensors etc for my future aftermarket air ride setup and stay out of his way.



Removed all the arms.






Supported the motor and dropped lowered subframe to get the motor mounts done.










Old motor mounts were definitively shot.






New motor mounts.









The ball joint on the hub I think took the longest time but wasn't bad. Getting the right length and width of the cups to go over the ball joint was crucial. Luckily he had a couple of different sets to pick cups etc from. Like everything else the right tools and availability makes all the difference.














Arms got a scrub down and looks clean and newer looking!







With everything addressed, he did an alignment and went on a test drive. Everything took about 6 hours primarily because Matt knew what he was doing, had the right tools, he has done it on his car a couple of times and I stayed out of his way. I got all my mounting brackets, and bolts installed for the air ride, ran all my air lines and level sensor wiring safe, tucked away, heat shielded where it needed and ready for the next phase of the install. My goal was to get everything underneath the car done while it was on the lift because. Productive day and glad everything went well. My car drives amazing right now, steering and suspensions feel responsive and no creaking and moaning can be heard. Thanks again Matt and IMW! Also Figs Engineering for all the support!

 

wow...this is the great refresh. I knew you feel driving a new car again.

 

Great to have a friend in high places.

 

Awesome job.

Few questions:

what did all the parts cost?
why did you chose to use mevotech control arms if you were planning to push out the bushings? why not do that with oem?

i just ordered the superpro figs bushing kit for the upper arms and the PSB bushings for the lower but was planning to use the oem arms since the car drives straight... any suggestions?

 

Figs sells a front end refresh kit for $1300, that includes all the super pro bushings pressed in.
https://www.shopfigs.com/v3/by-vehic...REPLUS_REFRESH


I'm not sure factory bushings are available to press in just aftermarket ones. My tech went through 2 sets of PSB bushings on his LS in about 25k miles. The main reason why I went with compete replacement arms is because of the ball joints. The lower control arm where the strut sits is the only one without a ball joint. Also figs has a superpro bushing for the lower forward arm.


This bushing will help the rear lower arm from moving forward under thrust. The main failure of the lower control arm is the bushing where the strut attaches. The bushing collapses because of the weight of the car.



The mevotech arms I got because it has a lifetime warranty and Figs can get me a replacement on failure. Also Figs needed more feedback on what and how the bushings were failing. So I'm running the arms and giving my feedback so he can possibly get a bushing made to address that issue.

The upper control arm has ball joints which I wanted replaced and the superpro bushings helps with the bushing failure for the upper control arm. Also I am lowering the car so I got the camber correcting bushing pressed in to address that. That's why I opted for the mevotech upper and lower forward arms, superpro bushings pressed into them and new ball joints.

The end links and inner and outer tie rods are just wear and tear item so wanted to replace that too. The tie rods were definitely shot.

Those were my reasoning for choosing and going with what I did. Hope that helps.

 

Man I want a friend like that here in Colorado. ☹️
Side note: Are you going to document the air ride install? I'm planning to go the same route, doongadoing it myself, and I would appreciate the preview. 😁

 

I'm lucky in that regards I guess, the only reason why I attempt to do most of the things I do is because I have friends in the industry I can call when I mess things up. I can document it, anything in particular you needed clarifications on? I've done it once already on the LS460 about 8 years ago. Installed the tank, compressor, valve body and ecu in the spare tire wheel well. Ran the air lines and level sensor wires from the wheel well to the rear. For the front I ran it following the frame rail next tot he brake lines etc. I'm going to be using D2 air suspensions with Ridetech air management just like before. The old LS460 was on bags for about 4 or 5 years without any issues and then it got side swiped and totaled. I have documented the air ride install for my SC430 and both my previous GS's. If you have any questions feel free to PM me.

 

Have you noticed a degradation in ride quality / bump absorption with the poly bushings?

I am interested in keeping my 07 SWB with 36k riding as plush as possible, and won't be putting a ton of miles on it, so would poly bushings be the way to go? Or stick with stock since it won't see a lot of miles?

 

Hello there, I recently Installed PSB bushings on the lower fronts and they lasted a full 2 months before a total collapse and failure on both sides.

The guy John, from Armstrong admitted this has been happening often and promised me a new set , this was 4 months ago now, every week he has a new excuse , hes a Dodger , avoider and compulsive liar.

Hes sent out my replacements at least 3 times now , if course when I ask for tracking he starts avoiding again and nothing shows up.

Pls save the trouble and return them and just buy a set of arms from rock auto





I wish I saw all the bad reviews before I wasted all the time and money on PSB bushings

I assumed urethane was stronger and more durable , I was 100% wrong, they are weak and Armstrong bushings ( the dealer/supplier) are even worse then the product itself

To anyone considering these dont do it , you will regret it

 

I don't think I've really felt much of a difference, also I'm on air so it's plush anyway not sure if that is why it's why I'm not feeling a difference. On all my cars and previous cars I have put the bushings from Fig's and had no reason to complain. They were a little stiffer but I had no issues with it. I have only replaced the upper control arm bushings and the lower forward arm bushings on the LS with the bushings from figs. I would get the lower control arm bushings the one that the strut attaches to whenever it becomes available. Everything else I'm not sure I would change.

 

That's the same feedback I've received in regards to the bushings and the dealer so didn't go that route. Mike @ Figs engineering stands behind his products and I've been dealing with him for the past 15 years and never really had any issues.

 

Holly moly. That is such a nice job! You guys in the states have it lucky, here in South Africa we can only get dealer parts and they are expensive. Importing more so. I will go through all of the info here in detail and see what I can arrange for mine. I need new lower arms and I suspect my motor mounts need replacing too #facepalm. I love my car but I don't think I can keep it if this continues.

 

Any reputable suppliers that rebuild some of the control arms with core exchange, vs. throwing all that high quality aluminum away?

 

Not that I know of. You can get the mevotech or Moog arms then if they need to be replaced you can send it back to them for new ones.

 

How is this holding up, I am about to tackle this but figs does not have the super poly bushings for the lowers. Please let me know if this was the way to go. I'm considering figs uppers and oem lowers but it's a lot more money.