Homemade Adjustable Rear Control Arms
After lowering my car with Ground Control Coilovers, I had never bothered to have an alignment done, however when I purchased new tires, I decided that I should get an alignment, which meant that it was very likely that I would need adjustable control arms for the rear. I happened to stumble across a thread on 3SI that explained how to make adjustable rear control arms, and so I built my own based on those directions and part numbers. The link to that thread is here. The instructions for assembly can be found here. To install these, it requires that the rear wheels be removed. Once the rear wheels are removed, unbolt the factory control arms, and install the new ones. These can only be installed in one direction, so it is pretty straightforward. Also, be sure to grease the fittings on the control arms.
Driver Side
Passenger Side
Alignment
Once I had the new tires installed and the adjustable rear control arms installed, I had an alignment performed. Most alignment shops should know how to perform an alignment, however instructions are available here. The important/special thing about performing an alignment on a 3/S is that for models with all wheel steering, the 4WS tie rod ends must be disconnected on the rear before adjustment. On vehicles without 4WS, the assist links need to be disconnected from the trailing arms before adjustment. The shop said that they were able to get all readings within range, however it would not have been possible without the adjustable rear control arms. The results of the alignment are listed below.
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