front lower control arm positioning

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002
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Joined: 14 Feb 2009 13:25
Location: Utah

front lower control arm positioning

Post by 002 »

Hey fellaz, wondering if someone might be able to steer me in the right direction. I bought a 510 and the front crossmember was in backwards (cuz they had put a ka in) and the control arms were semi bolted to the rear side of the x-member. Are they supposed to be bolted to the rear side or do they mount inside the x-member? I turned the x-member around (cuz i'm putting a L20 in it) and on the rear side there are some what look like ball joint conical mounting points on it. What the hell kind of bolt goes there, and where can i get a set? I ordered a manual but i'm impatient and want to get this piece rolling.
Q: #2 Where is the vin plate under the hood, and is there any other place where they might have stamped the vin?
the dude i heisted it from didn't have the pink slip
thanks
002
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defdes
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Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by defdes »

You cant just turn the xmember around, they cut out the center "C" section and flipped it.
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thisismatt
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Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by thisismatt »

The frame rails in the engine bay are not parallel, as in they angle inward as they head toward the firewall. The crossmember to frame rail bolt holes are thus also slightly offset (rear holes closer together than front holes) so if you physically turn the crossmember 180 degrees around it won't bolt up properly without slotting holes. Also, the stock control arm bolts have different diameters from one end to the next. The end that attaches the control arm is large and then has a conical shape fitting into the crossmember which gets smaller in diameter as it goes into the crossmember, and the bolt comes out the other side smaller in diameter than the control arm side. For that reason as well you cannot simply turn the crossmember around, since the control arm bolts will not fit correctly, and if you did fit them this way their strength would be severely diminished because the conical section would not be seated into the crossmember, making the control arms rely on the narrower diameter section of bolt which is much weaker.
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002
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Location: Utah

Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by 002 »

coo so they do mount on the backside of the cross member. The holes on the cross member looked opened up when i pulled it off. The ka swap wasn't finished it looks as if they flipped the cross member and set the motor in. I chcecked for any mods to the x-member after i got it out. Either it is stock or the guy was really good at the mod. There were no mounts holding it in. I was able to rock the motor back and forth while it was sitting there helpless. I just hooked up my chains and yanked it out.
where can i get those bolts?
What years did they mount on the inside of the x-member?
Where is the vin plate rivited and are there any other vin stamps on the car?
510Martinez
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Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by 510Martinez »

VIN is in 3 places - left strut tower has a plate, the left door/B pillar has a plate, and the dash has only the VIN.
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510ER
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Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by 510ER »

i think pictures of what your working with will rid some of the confusion on both sides of the internet
Spokane, Washington
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thisismatt
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Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by thisismatt »

I meant to answer your other questions too. There is a plate on the driver side strut tower facing forward, as seen here on the far right side:

http://objext.com/510/images/IMG_2132.jpg

The plate is just screwed on, though, so it could be missing. Also, it's stamped into the firewall immediately left of the hood support bracket. You can just barely see it in the above photo in the black spray painted section to the left of the missing hood support bracket (below the brown paper bag).

The bolts may be available from nissan. They're very specific so you won't find them anywhere else. The part number is:

54436-21001 up to 4/69
54436-A0800 from 5/69-07/71
54436-U0101 from 8/71
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thisismatt
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Re: front lower control arm positioning

Post by thisismatt »

510Martinez wrote:VIN is in 3 places - left strut tower has a plate, the left door/B pillar has a plate, and the dash has only the VIN.
And it's stamped into the firewall next to the hood support bracket, passenger side.
I'm your huckleberry.
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