How To Remove 2005-14 Mustang Rear Upper Control Arms

In this article, we will be going over a quick breakdown of removing the upper control arm for all 2005-2014 S197 Mustangs. Removing the upper control arm on a 2005-2014 Mustang is needed to replace a damaged control arm or to upgrade to a performance control arm. This article will give you the step-by-step instructions needed to remove your upper S197 control arm. For this removal, we will be working on Jay's 2012 GT500. This car is nearing 200,000 miles, so it is past due to upgrade and inspect core suspension components. These same general steps can be used on all 2005-2014 Mustangs. Depending on the year and make of Mustang you are working on, some parts and bolt sizing may vary. Overall this one should take you roughly an hour to complete.

Tools Needed

• Lift or a jack and a set of jack stands
• Complete socket set including a 24mm 1/2" socket
• Breaker bar
• 1/2" impact
• Assorted pry bars

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Rear Upper Control Arm Removal Steps

1. To begin the removal, open your doors and slide both of your seats forward. Remove the back seat bottom. This is done by pushing in on the center of each side of the seat bottoms and lifting to release each of the tabs. Once you have these free, you can lift the seat bottom up and out of the vehicle.


2. In the center of the driveshaft tunnel, you will need to locate the 24mm bolt. This one can be extremely tight. Using a 1/2" breaker bar, carefully break this one loose.


3. Once it is loose, you can use your 1/2" impact to remove this from the car.


4. Place the car on a lift or jack stands and get it as high as possible.


5. We also chose to remove the panhard bar and brace. While this isn't 100% necessary it will free up some extra workroom and make the process much easier. Check out both of our panhard bar and panhard brace replacement articles if you would like to learn how.


6. Locate the upper control arm where it attaches to the differential. Using a 13/16" socket, loosen the upper control arm to the axle nut.


7. To make the bolt easier to remove, support the rear end under the center of the diff and slightly raise the diff housing until the bolt is free from the arm. Make sure to keep some slight pressure on the upper arm, there will be a little tension here, and it can swing up towards the chassis.


8. Once this is free, you can remove the (2) 18mm bolts on the upper control arm mount.


9. Lower the differential down to free up some room. In some cases (especially if you have an arm and mount in place), lowering the stock fuel tank may be needed. If you need to go this route, support each side of the fuel tank with a jack and loosen each of the tank strap bolts. Typically, these don't have to be removed entirely.


10. Now that these are out of the way, you can remove the mount and the arm as an assembly out of the car.


11. Now you can take this time to inspect your chassis and associated bushings to see if anything needs to be replaced.

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We hope that this article has helped you and you have a better understanding of how to remove the rear upper control arms and mounts for your S197 Mustang.

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As always, make sure to keep it here with the Real Mustang Enthusiasts at LMR.com.

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