Alignment & Replacing Heim joints on cheap Chinese eBay suspension arms?

[blkvrtswp]

Over the past year I have managed to collect up a full S13 rear suspension arm setup - RUA, RLCA, RToe & RTraction. All eBay ultra-cheap ones, mostly sniped for silly low prices. For example, I got Rear Toe Arms plus Rear Traction Arms for $45 shipped from an auction with very few bids.

I'm considering replacing the Heim Joints with better ones before installing them. Heim joints seem to be the weak point on cheap Chinese arms. I found the "High Quality" RUA Heim joint for sale on AliBaba for $1 each (http://gzhearing.en.alibaba.com/product ... aring.html). I have found an exact size replacement here: http://www.midwestcontrol.com/part.php?id=3002 for $8 each.

Question 1: $1 each vs $8 each - hmmmm, is this really enough of an upgrade? I'm thinking yes.

Question 2: The original aftermarket RUA joint has a brass race (the others are steel) so should I use brass, steel or teflon-coated for the replacements? Teflon is recommended by many online.

A little background: S13 1993 Convertible 110k miles, TEIN FLEX Coilovers, new OEM FLCAs with new ball joints & Whiteline bushings, new front swaybar links, adjustable front Tension Rods with Heim joint no bushings. Rear is 100% stock except for the coilovers. Lowered a medium amount, still has about 3/4 inch space between tire and fenders. I do not race the car, just spirited road driving - no drifting.

I had a steering wheel / whole car wobble the other day when I really hammered on it and shifted violently. The wobble went away but I thought for a second I was losing a wheel from loose lugnuts. All wheels were plenty tight, so now is the time to do something about the rear suspension - a full inspection reveals absolutely nothing visibly wrong - all bushings 100%, nothing visibly bent, nothing moves when I try to shake it.

I have always had a slightly visible issue with my rear passenger side wheel alignment. I had an alignment done but the shop was not very interested in anything but taking my money. They fixed the front toe (I had replaced tie rod ends) but literally did nothing to the rear at all despite me telling them I had a visible issue and wanted the readings to be centered in the green range.

Here are the numbers from the alignment sheet:

Measurement / Before / After

FL caster / 6.2 / 6.2
FR caster / 7.0 / 7.0
FL camber / -0.3 / -0.4
FR camber / +0.4 / +0.4
FL toe / -0.80 / 0.05
FR toe / -0.05 / 0.05

RL camber / -1.9 / -1.9
RR camber / -2.6 / -2.6
RL toe / 0.70 / 0.70
RR toe / -0.05 / -0.05

I have found an alignment shop that is willing to adjust the arms (mostly because they are brand-new!) and set them where I want them not just to spec.

I have the following target settings in mind:
F camber -2.0 degrees
F toe 0.0 mm
R camber -1.75 to -2.0 degrees
R toe 0.5 mm in

Thanks in advance for your thoughts or advice here!

[blkvrtswp]

Answering my own questions in case someone else wants the info!

I had one of the RUA pillow-ball joints binding a tiny bit (the middle one in the pic below), so I ordered a pair of replacements with Teflon linings for $8 each.
http://www.midwestcontrol.com/part.php?id=3001



The others on the upper arms and the RLCA are pretty good. Zero play, beefy threads, smooth action.



I also found cheap rubber boots, 6 medium for the arms and 2 large for the RLCA. $3 to $7 each depending on how many / size you buy.
https://www.midwestcontrol.com/series.php?id=613



Total cost including shipping for 3 new rear upper arms, new sway bar links, lower control arms, and replacement pillow-balls plus boots is $250.00.

[Hijacker]

One thing I've found with the cheaper Chinese stuff is that they use odd sized bearings. I think the guys on NRR have tackled stuff like this before. They've had to re-ream the races to fit higher quality sphericals, and I'm sure if you were replacing the entire endlink (say on a RUCA), a simple rethreading of the arm, or trying to find a good high quality heim link with the proper threading would be your best bet. I personally love FK and QA1 bearings. Both are really high quality bearings and I tend to gravitate towards them when I'm shopping for parts or are buying pre-made stuff.

[blkvrtswp]

You are right - I found the RUA joint because it had a part number stamped on it. No such luck on the others. I would have gone down to the local Fastener Store to discover the thread pitches for the toe & traction joints but they seem fine for my non-drifting, not super low use.

The RLCA joint has a bend to it that I also did not see in the Midwest Control catalog. Luckily those are nice and tight and beefy.

Threads seem to be the other weak point on Chinese arms. The replacement joints I bought have deeper thread cuts than the $1 originals.

I could have searched for & replaced the RUA double threaded insert too, but I think I have the right combination now.

Thanks for your input!

Now I just have to bite the bullet - I want to change the spindle/hub bushings the arms attach to for ES ones I have here but it seems like a rough task especially while still on the car.