Hey All,

i am here to point out some differences between the supra and SC front lower control arms. Specifically, the bushings are slightly different.

i started out my project car by switching every bushing i could with poly, and the first issue i ran into was that the stock control arm was seized on and i had to cut through one of the bushings. i figured at 185k the ball joints are well worn too and got the supra front lower control arms, which are a popular replacement to the 2x as expensive lexus units.

lets start by burning out the stock bushings.


the rear bushing turns out very similar to the SC bushing, the steel insert is the same.


the problem i ran into, is that the supra insert has a 4mm washer built into one end, while my stock sc lower control arm has no such thing, and actually the steel insert is smaller diameter than the poly bushing, so i can't use that either.


time to find some inserts or somehow machine this lip off the supra ones.

the front bushings are very different, once i got the center burnt out, i had to press it out, since it has a bulge in the middle.


then the next issue is the lip that it has:


i cut some slots into the lip and broke the tabs off and ground the edge flat.


after some measuring, the front poly bushing for the SC fits perfectly, so this takes care of the front bushing. the front bushing kit came with an aluminum insert also.


now i need to figure out what size the inserts are and where i can get them for the rear..

cheers,
Marko

 

You can order the tubing from metric metals.com.
I did the same thing and just ended up turning my own on the lathe.

 

damn. do you have a lathe? can you make another set? You should sell them so people who run into similar issues can be supported

 

the tube, for anyone elses interest, needs to be 25.5mm outer diameter, 71.3mm long, and 16.3mm inner diameter, from my measurements. do any bushing manufacturers sell these inserts with the bushings? I wonder if i could get the insert from someplace that way too.

 

what year is your SC?

I just replaced my lowers with supra arms and uppers with SC arms.

 

my car is a 1992 sc400. and i was able to get the supra inserts to work by cutting the 4mm spacers off with an angle grinder, and not shortening the length of the insert.


The problem i am running into now, is that the supra control arms i think are about 1/4" wider than the SC arms i have! They don't appear to fit down into the control arm holders. Were some early SC400 control arms different? Because the first red flag was that the bushing inserts didn't fit the poly bushings (which i bought for a 92 sc400)... this is becoming a nightmare quickly.



i guess the issue could be that i am using SC bushings in the Supra control arm, but would anyone here with supra lower front arms mind measuring the outer metal edge to metal edge of their control arm and confirm if its 15 or 15.25 inches? because looking at the stock pictures, the bushing placement is identical with the supra bushings and the sc poly bushings that are in there now.

thanks in advance,
Marko

 

looking at the arms with a clear head this morning, the source of the extra width in the supra lower arms appears to be this lip (red arrow):


it seems that the poly bushing would be hanging over the inside edge quite a bit if i remove this lip (as it would with sc control arms too). did anyone else here remove it? or did you just insert the bushing from inside rather than outside on the control arm. that seems like it might solve the problem also.

 

^^^Yup. That lip is supposed to be cut or grinded off according to the Prothane instructions. I also said that in my thread. But with a help of a jack, you can force it in the crossmember, and it will slice off a little bit of the bushing, but will not make any difference since the bushing is one solid thing. Good luck.

 

thanks for confirming, i just was in the garage angle grinding that bit off. now the bushing sits in there and fits in the subframe like it was supposed to. WHEW!!! finally the car will roll out today and i can clean the mess in the garage that has built up around this beast.

 

So did you end up cutting this off? Is this metal or bushing?

 

yes i ended up cutting that off with an angle grinder. it is metal. you have to leave the rest of the sleeve in there for the poly bushing.

 

Hey I'm interested in the fitment issues you had with your Supra LCA. I've got a 99 SC (136k miles) with a bad LCA ball-joint and I want to replace both of them. OEM's are stupid expensive so it's definitely worth looking into replacing them with Supra LCA's, but I'm hearing conflicting info. on various forums as to whether or not the Supra LCA's will fit a 96-00 sc300 without any modifications (YES or NO?). I'm not interested in changing the bushings as this will have no effect on the actual problem (bad ball-joint).
Computer parts software programs for both my mechanic, and a friend who is an insurance claims adjuster, show no after-market LCA's and no compatible Supra parts for these LCA's. This may be due to other factors besides the fitment of the actual part however, so I'm trying to find out either way before I pony up the dough.

96-00 SC-300 LCA's =
RF - 48068-29215
LF - 48069-29215
($834.42 EA) -Seriously, WTF!?

97-98 Supra LCA's =
RF - 48068-14090
LF - 48069-14090
($563.17 EA) - A little better

93-96 Supra LCA's =
RF - 48068-14080
LF - 48069-14080
($352.43 EA) - Waaaaay better

 

Confirmed, with pics and feedback, Supra LCA's will fit on Lexus SC-300. Here's the Thread.

 

bumping this thread, because guess what, iam in the market