tjj13401

I just ordered 2 rear Lower Control Arms from Carson Toyota. Price? $91.32 each... I even asked the guy if that was right, because it sounded low... anyway, I now have in my possession 1 set of Toyota Supra front LCA's ($420 from Carson), 1 set of front UCA bushings (4) and 1 pair of steering rack bushings courtesy of Mr. Vlamos ($315), 1 set of rear LCA's en route from Carson, and by the middle of September, it will, by the grace of God, finally be installed.

Oh... throw in a tensioner pulley and idler pulley too at about $50 each.....

And there's more.... My Leatherseats interior arrives today. That's going in too....

Then I'm officially out of moola, and I'm going to live with it for a while....

I'll let everyone know how the suspension makeover turns out.

TJ

Cloud9

iTrader: (2)

whoa $100 each for the rear LCA?! Are you sure it's not just the bushings?

Your price is correct for the front Supra LCA's but I've seen dealers charge $700-800 for EACH rear LCA. And the cheapest I saw was on ebay for $400 each.

Do you have a part #?

abdul10000

Congratulations man, I hope you will enjoy the improved ride after you install all those parts. Please let us know more about the rear LCA, as $91 sounds a bit low and if that is the correct control arm I would like to buy it too. Thanks

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

The rear suspension is made up of several parts. There are 2 lower control arms in the rear setup for each side, front and rear. If you paid $90 each, then likely they are the rear lower fronts. You'll also need the rear lower rears which is the main part that the struts attach to. Also to my understanding, the rear uppers are the ones that usually go (they actually looks like miniature front LCAs). I know its all a bit confusing. Also, for the complete restore, there are also strut rods that go for $80 each that also wear out.

So for the rear suspension there are Upper arms($225 each), Lower front arms ($90 each), Lower rear arms ($150-$190 depending on either left or right side, I don't know why the difference), and the strut rod ($70 each). Lots of $.

As for the Supra LCA, the cheaper ones are for MY 93-96 (about $200 each). The 97+ Supra LCAs are the same price as the Lexus ones ($400-$500 each), but are made of aluminum. The Lexus ones are steel and are expensive. So for replacements I would just stick with the early Supra arms. Go with Supra 97+ for additional weight savings.

abdul10000

I was thinking about the same thing, however I wasn't sure. Thanks for the info. I thought if he got lower control arm 2, as its labeled in the Lexus repair manual, for $92 then that is really cheap. However, as you point out thats the price for lower control arm 1, which is much smaller.

I am still interested to hear from tijj, we will have to see what he got to be sure.

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

If he was able to get the lower rears for $92 (LCA2) then he made a steal. However, everyplace I've looked, their is a price difference between left and right sides for the LCA2. My hunch is that he got a pair of the Lower fronts (LCA1).

tjj13401

I haven't received the rear LCA's yet.... I'll let you all know when they arrive. The guy from Carson Toyota said it was the LCA which included the ball joint; however, it sounded too good to be true, so it probably is! So assuming this is not the "whole package" what else do I need to complete the picture?

More importantly - - does anyone know how many labor hours are involved in this operation, including the stuff I mentioned in my original posting? ( front LCA's, front UCA bushings, steering bushings, rear LCA's)???

TJ

T0ked

iTrader: (2)

The steering rack bushings should take you 1 hour if you do it yourself. I don't know how long it would take to replace the bushings in the front UCA. It depends whether the shop has done this before. The difficult part to redoing the suspension is getting off all those bolts which may have seized from years of exposure to the elements.

The guy from Carson is correct. The LCA1 is the smaller of the 2 components that makes up the LCAs for the rear suspension and it is the one that has the ball joint. From what I have read, in the rear it is usually the uppers that go. It is shaped like a miniature version of the front LCA and also has a ball joint. What you'll need depends on the condition of the bushings. If you are looking to completely redo the rear suspension, I have listed all the parts above.

tjj13401

Thanks for the good input. My head is spinning. I think I'll replace what I've gotten so far. Between that, the tensioner pulley, the idler pulley, and the install of the leatherseats.com goodies, I passed my budget some time ago. I'll still let you know how it all turns out. I figure if a new car payment is at least $400 a month, and I sink that much into this thing every year for the next few years, I might wind up with a good end result... It's my favorite money pit!

TJ