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Author Topic: 1973 vs 1974 pinto lower control.arms  (Read 974 times)

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Offline LongTimeFordMan

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1973 vs 1974 pinto lower control.arms
« on: March 03, 2017, 11:10:26 PM »
I have a question specifically about lower control.arms and I am pretty sure other 73 owners would be interested as well.

I have a 73 wagon and want to rebuild my front end but would prefer to find a set of lower control arms and rebuild them (ball joints and bushings) so I can just have them ready to swap in when I do the rebuild.

Ive been reading a  lot and searching for a set of used control arms online to rebuild.

I know that most of the 74-80 pinto and mustang II front suspension is different, but are the lower control arms different as well?

I have also read here that the "74-80" lower ball joints can be modified to fit the 73 by redrilling the mounting holes.

Some folks say that the late model lower arms will fit, others say they wont.

The only "1973" lower arms I cam find online are really pricy, like $275 per set whereas the late model, 74-80 are pretty cheep $60 apiece. And available at wrecking yards.

I compared the photos of the "1973" arms posted by the seller and they look like ones sold as "74-80" by other sellers including the large speed equipment sellers.

Can anyone tell me the specific differences between them if anyone could supply some photos comparing the two.

Thanks
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Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles

Offline oldkayaker

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Re: 1973 vs 1974 pinto lower control.arms
« Reply #1 on: March 04, 2017, 04:20:19 AM »
I have played mainly with 71 & 72 suspensions but believe the 73 lower control arm is the same as the 71-72.  The early 71-73 lower control arms are 12-1/8" long versus 12-3/8" long for the 74-80 models.  The main problem with swapping is the width of the inner pivot bushing which is 3" for the early and 3-3/8" for the later models.  So the late wider lower arm bushing will not physically fit in the early narrow bracket without modification.  These dimensions are at the tape measurement accuracy level.
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Jerry J - Jupiter, Florida

Offline LongTimeFordMan

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Re: 1973 vs 1974 pinto lower control.arms
« Reply #2 on: March 04, 2017, 09:37:48 AM »
Thanks.. that helps a lot....  as I mentioned.. they do look very similar and didnt want to pay a lot of money for a set being sold incorrectly...

Would you perhaps know where i can get a set of rebuildable ones for a 73
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Red 1973 pinto wagon DD, SoCal desert car, Factory 4 speed, 3.40 gears, Stock engine, 14" rims and tires, 60 K original miles
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