97-02 FORD EXPEDITION/ NAVIGATOR REAR TRAILING ARMS :eBay Motors (item 270506272418 end time Jan-24-10 10:25:23 PST)

97-02 FORD EXPEDITION/ NAVIGATOR REAR TRAILING ARMS :eBay Motors (item 280440589005 end time Jan-17-10 15:52:22 PST)

need to replace on wife's 98 exp
a little cheaper without hardware or is it because there red

 

i believe the difference in the price is the hardware. they don't charge any extra for colors, just hardware. i bought the first set you have listed and had them do them in silver with red bushings with new hardware. best upgrade i have ever made to mine...hands down!!! like i said before, we are very happy with them. they are custom made so you will need to allow them a couple days to get them out unless it is a stock color. much cheaper to replace before everything breaks, that's for sure!!

 

adding picture from my 98'

 

just spoke with ford customer service about my 98 expedition and they want everyone that has rusted through to call in and possible for a recall on them, and if you had already replaced them, keep your receipt for reimbursement.

here is the number to ford customer relation: 1-800-392-3673

 

What info do they require? I want to make sure I'm ready.

 

I just called the number listed; 1-800-392-3673 and there is no recall at this time. There may be in the future. I advised the C/S agent that they should visit this site and see some of the pics posted as well as read some of the posts regarding this problem. It might be a good idea for other owners to do the same.

 

Hello,
I want to replace the trailing arms on my navigator but something I don't know is...after that, is it OK to drive it the distance to get it alligned? I'm a learning do-it-yourselfer.

 

I don't believe that an alignment is needed on your truck after the installation as it's all the way it came from the factory again.

 

I just had the same problem on my '97. The lower control arms have been rusting for years, but this time they didn't pass inspection and I see why. There was a hole as big as a golf ball rusted through each arm. The dealer wanted 707$ to replace them. Each arm was 179$, plus 349$ for labor. Holy crap.

Not wanting to pay all that $ for the same rusty junk, I made a set of control arms myself out of 304 stainless steel, and good urethane bushings. Total cost to make both: 150$, and they're stonger than the original parts. If anyone is interested in a set, send me a PM. I'll post pics when I can figure out how. But I can send pics to you via email.

I just can't stand getting forced into spending big $ for not-so-hot solutions to stuff like this.

 

Unfortunately for me, I had to change them after the rear axle fell out during a stop when they snapped where rusted. So, too late to get your custom ones which sound great.

The only good thing is that the replacements are slightly different to change the angle of the universals to reduce the infamous highway vibration.

 

Figured out the pics, theres more in my "album".

 

It's my understanding that 304 SS has less tensile strength than regular steel, so I don't see how they can be stronger than the originals. You also could've bought a set for $145.00 with free shipping.
1997 FORD EXPEDITION LOWER REAR CONTROL ARMS | eBay

Aside from all that, it does look like you did a great job making that set in the picture.

 

304 SS has an ultimate tensile strength of about 72,000 psi, and a yield strength of about 35,000 psi. It's true that in general "steel" has a greater yield/tensile strength ratio, as high as 80-90%. However "steel" is non-specific. There are hundreds of alloys, with all different strengths and properties. Assuming the original arms are made of a medium carbon steel, tensile strength is probably 60-70k psi, and yield is 60% of that.

Anyway, I calculated the cross-sectional area of my stainless steel arms at .875 sq/in for the center tube and .59675 sq/in for the bearing shells. So the bearing shells have a yield of a little more than 20,000 lbs and tensile about double that. So add a safety factor of 2, means the arms will take at least 10,000 lbs pulling force before the bearing shells start to deform. And there's 2 of them. I pull a boat trailer with this vehicle, and cart my family around in it. I wouldn't do that if I wasn't comfortable with the arms. But I regularly give the arms a look, and so far, no issues.

The factory arms cross section is less in both the bars and bearing shells, and they only have 2 welds down the sides. But of course the factory arms are obviously strong enough, I'm not bashing their construction, it's just the rust that I hate. Plus, shiny SS is just cool, eh?

 

We can only guess on the reason Ford made the arms in the design used instead of being more substantial. I think the design is to reduce weight as much as possible, where-ever possible as well as to keep manufacturing costs down. The federal emissions and fuel economy regulations are the cause of what many of us consider to be under engineered parts on our trucks. If they were built heavier they would cost more to build, buy and operate and that would make them hard to sell while still making a profit for the manufacturer. It's a tough situation that the manufacturers are in, trying to please both the government and the buying public.

That's a very nice job of making the arms and if you decide to make some to sell I would be interested in a set of uppers and lowers.

 

I'm on vacation next week, but the week after, I'll send you a PM about the trailing arms and we can talk.