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Thread: Tubular Upper Control Arms Dakota '97-03

  1. #26


    ScojoDak's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 98Dak408 View Post
    Much appreciated Scott!
    If you haven't lived for something, you'll die for nothing.

  2. #27

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    The Energy Suspension poly upper control arm bushings are supposed to fit the '97-04 Dakota. However, the three new Moog upper control arms I just bought for mock up and to use on my Dakota have a larger shaft and the Energy Suspension bushings won't fit on the shaft. Great!

    Has anyone with the 00-04 Dakota bought new aftermarket upper control arms where the Energy Suspension upper control arm bushings fit? If so, what brand are they?

    I could go broke buying and returning upper control arms to see which ones actually use the OEM specs.

  3. #28

    98Dak408's Avatar
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    Rockauto shows the same bushing part number for the '98 as the 2000. So then why is the Moog upper control arm using something apparently different?

  4. #29

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    Things that make you go WTF....

  5. #30

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    Things that make you go WTF....
    No doubt! lol

    I guess it's off to the bone yard because I can't trust what I am buying new. Ebay has some listings but when you actually check the alternate part numbers the 00-04 aftermarket control arm comes up. They've got a thicker shaft which is nice but replacement bushings probably won't fit because they are sized to the actual OEM specs.

    But then again maybe Moog has things fouled up.

  6. #31

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    Just checked my 04 Dakota as best I could without removing the wheel and it seems to be the same diameter as the '98.

  7. #32

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    Quote Originally Posted by 98Dak408 View Post
    The Energy Suspension poly upper control arm bushings are supposed to fit the '97-04 Dakota. However, the three new Moog upper control arms I just bought for mock up and to use on my Dakota have a larger shaft and the Energy Suspension bushings won't fit on the shaft. Great!

    Has anyone with the 00-04 Dakota bought new aftermarket upper control arms where the Energy Suspension upper control arm bushings fit? If so, what brand are they?

    I could go broke buying and returning upper control arms to see which ones actually use the OEM specs.
    I used Energy Suspension kit 5-3122R on my 2001 with no issues.

  8. #33



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    Now....
    11.27 @ 118.23
    2017 NM Mopar Challenge Series Champion

  9. #34

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    I can’t afford to buy every brand of aftermarket upper control arm to see if any still retain the OEM specs as far as the pivot arm shaft diameter goes. But I guess this is the sign of the times. I was lured in for a 69.95 alignment from Bell Tire earlier last year. This price is to get you in the door so they can charge you to replace other stuff that they can further make money on. And I understand that other things can be bad. The mechanic calls me in to look at a bad ball joint that must be fixed to do a proper job. Instead of just replacing the ball joint, they want to charge me to replace both upper control arms. So, I told them to button it back up and I’ll replace the ball joint and bring it back. After the alignment the manager sort of gave me a piece of his mind that they didn’t make enough money on my job. 3 months later my upper control arm was loose and the alignment shot to hell. Aside from complaining about this, if you need new bushings or ball joints these days, the shop just wants to replace everything to the tune of hundreds of $. So, with this, replacement bushings that fit are no longer necessary to fit the bastard size shaft diameter I guess. Bad bushing or ball joint, just replace the whole freaking thing. So why carry bushings of a different size for them? Later down the road if the consumer decides to just change the bushings of his/her aftermarket control arms, they might be in for a rude awakening.

    Anyway, if anyone has purchased an aftermarket control arm that has the OEM specs I’d like to know which brand it was.

    I’ve thought about just using the Moog upper control arms on my ’04 and taking the OEM control arms off for use on my truck and mock-up. However, if I hold onto the truck long enough and the bushings go bad again, I’ll have to purchase new control arms again just to replace the bushings. A quandary. This unforeseen crap bogs down progress.

  10. #35

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    You are so right about the alignment shops...

    I got into it with the last clowns that I took mine too as well.He tried to tell me mine was worn out,so I told him to show me.He asked if I would even know what I was looking at.Once I informed him I used to do that shit for a living the look on his face soon turned to uh,oh,uh.

    Needlees to say I made him look bad in front of other customers,called his regional,and got it done for free.

    They were all butt hurt since they had to do an actual alignment because 90% of the new shit boxes out there are a toe and go job with nothing being adjustable.

    I feel your pain man and appreciate the effort!

  11. #36

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    I can’t speak for all manufacturers but the aftermarket is apparently using thicker shafts for more durability. My driver’s side OEM shaft was bent with no real recollection of hitting anything major. I suppose it could have been damaged by repeated Michigan potholes over the years. I may use the new Moog upper pivot shafts for my truck and just machine the poly inner sleeves to fit. My truck is more of a street toy than dedicated drag truck anyway. And, it will get this show back on the road.

    OEM Pivot Shaft Sleeve Section OD ~.683 Weight 2 lbs

    MOOG Aftermarket Shaft Sleeve Section OD ~.788 Weight 2.4 lbs

    Both OEM shafts alone are ~.8 lbs lighter than both aftermarket MOOG shafts.

  12. #37

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    I just noticed that the MOOG shaft is also longer and has different shoulder dimensions than the OEM. I’ll have to take a few steps back now and go a different route. Too much BS. I’m back to looking for good used OEM units.
    (Now how the hell am I going to return the MOOG part. lol)




  13. #38

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    I notice Mevotech has two grades of upper control arm for the 2000-2004 Dakota 2WD:

    1. GS251021 Original Grade O.E. Like http://partsonline.mevotech.com/details/GS251021

    2. CMS251021 Over-Built…for added endurance and durability. http://partsonline.mevotech.com/details/CMS251021

    I’ll try to call them tomorrow and see if anyone can tell me the difference.

  14. #39
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    You have a lathe and mill?

  15. #40

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    You have a lathe and mill?
    I don't really feel like screwing around with those shafts which may also be hardened. I'd rather use the set-up that other people may be using so I can experience what they may experience.

  16. #41
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    Quote Originally Posted by 98Dak408 View Post
    I don't really feel like screwing around with those shafts which may also be hardened. I'd rather use the set-up that other people may be using so I can experience what they may experience.
    I was thinking more of making the shaft to accept common bushings and sell as a kit with the control arms.

  17. #42

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    I was thinking more of making the shaft to accept common bushings and sell as a kit with the control arms.
    The shafts aren't sold separately. You have to buy the whole control arm if you want the shaft. I don't want to get too complicated for the small number that may sell.

  18. #43

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    Unfortunately, I couldn’t get a clear answer out of Mevotech. All I could gather was that the “Original Grade” was speculated to be closer to OEM spec than the “Over-Built” with no actual details. It’s a crap shoot.

  19. #44

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    Since the Mevotech tech department is unwilling to actually check for me, I ordered one upper to see what I actually get.

    Part no. GS251021 Original Grade O.E. Like http://partsonline.mevotech.com/details/GS251021

  20. #45

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    The control arm wisperer!
    You’re gonna know way more than you ever wanted to about them all LOL

    Still appreciate the effort!

  21. #46

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    The control arm wisperer!
    You’re gonna know way more than you ever wanted to about them all LOL

    Still appreciate the effort!
    No doubt!

  22. #47

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    Just received the new Mevotech upper control arm and it is the same bastard size as the Moog.

  23. #48

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    The only other one I see is Ultra-Power but it has the exact same part number as the Moog but is ~$20 cheaper. I'm starting to think that one company makes the upper control arms now and is rebadged by other companies. People buy this stuff with imperfect information and will be shit out of luck if they want to later just replace the bushings. They'll have to buy a new control arm if that is the case.

  24. #49
    9t9-5.2's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by 98Dak408 View Post
    The only other one I see is Ultra-Power but it has the exact same part number as the Moog but is ~$20 cheaper. I'm starting to think that one company makes the upper control arms now and is rebadged by other companies. People buy this stuff with imperfect information and will be shit out of luck if they want to later just replace the bushings. They'll have to buy a new control arm if that is the case.
    Agreed, that is why I keep the OE parts wherever possible and rebuild them.

    "Excuse me if I have some place in my mind, where I go time to time"

  25. #50
    9t9-5.2's Avatar
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    WTF! Thank you for posting! Your post will not be visible until a moderator has approved it for posting.

    "Excuse me if I have some place in my mind, where I go time to time"

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