Upper Control Arm bushings are bad, what to do?

Hi all,

I believe my upper control arm bushings are bad. Other then they have 180k miles on them, I have been getting a clunk under the drivers area which feels to be right at my feet. This is what led me to my dilemma and my question for you all...

For my setup, RE 3.5" (actual 4.25" all around) and 31" tires, what would you go with? Keeping in mind I will go with long arms next summer.

Fixed uppers like a set from Andy at Ironman 4x4? http://www.ironman4x4fab.com/Jeep_XJ_Control_Arms/XJ_FFUCA.html

Adjustable uppers?

Or OEM control with bushings? Or just replace the bushings?

Thanks, :cheers:

if you have stock uppers, you should really replace with aftermarket.
i run RE fixed arms upper and flex lower's, at 3.5"

you can sell them when you upgrade, or move them to another xj, whatever. i dont like fixing oem suspension parts, remove and replace works well here. especially sinse the removing process isnt fun on stock uppers, might as well get rid of stock while you're there.


it all comes down to your budget.

Cool, thanks for the input. I do like the idea of upgrades, just didnt want it to be a total waste of cash. Andy has fixed uppers for only $60, which is not a bad deal. I could not find RE's fixed uppers, only the adjustable ones.

What issues did you have with removing the stock uppers? Is it worse then leaf spring bolts?

Edit: Yes, they ones on now are stock uppers.

the flag bolt that goes into the frame can be a major pain in the ass... ive also had issues with the axle rotating once the first upper is removed. i had to get a large pipe wrench, and put a jack under it, to rotate the axle back into place. its a lot better now with better arms, the stockers suck!

nothing major, but i imagine it only gets worse with salted roads (im from socal, and mine was seized somewhat badly) My leaf spring bolts have allways been nice to me, i havent had issues, so i cant comment on that.

those arms look like a good compromise, great price. a lot of people love his stuff.

Rust... Oh what fun it is. Im a MI noob, born and raised in So Cal myself. Which is also the reason I get a kick out of your avatar. Used to race Score 5/1600 in the early 90's.

Thanks for the help. I will look at the bolts tonight. If I can find some fixed RE uppers I will go with those, if not Andy will be getting a call.

it's allways nice to have old school racers around.
as for the avatar.... yup, i shouldve gotten a ranger/yota. now im in too deep, cant turn back!

I would go with Andy's arms. I ran his adjustable uppers and the bushings are much better than normal poly bushings and offer more flexibility. He also overbuilds his stuff for cheap!

Just go ahead and pull the trigger on the long arms. Thats what VISA is for. :yelclap: