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Originally Posted by Formulajones
LOL I found out that's how they are building a lot of the newer vehicles today. Back when I needed upper ball joints on my 05 duramax I found that was a job they didn't recommend attempting. They make the factory control arms so flimsy that pressing the ball joints in and out generally distorts the A-arm to the point it's not safe to use anymore and they sometimes even crack around the ball joint as a result. They are basically considered throw away items. The only alternative are brand new upper control arms complete with bushings and ball joints and just do a complete R&R.  They don't make much you can rebuild these days, just remove and replace. |
There's a documentary called "A Better Horse" about the Mustang that started the S197 generation. There's a lot of behind the scenes filming that takes place and you can see this showing up first hand. Engineers are under the microscope of trying to maintain a weight target on a product while also under the influence of been counters and suppliers.
EPA and NHTSA regulations, combined with the electronic pork that everyone wants has added so much weight to the automobile that they are scrounging everywhere they can in an attempt to make a fuel economy target.