Long story short, I tapped a guardrail on the on ramp near my house. The Mini is ok for the most part, just messed up the plastic trim and put a little scuff on the bumper for the most part. But the bad news. I destroyed a rim and bent the upper rear control arm. I've been looking on realoem, and it seems to me that the upper and lower rear arms are the same part. Is this true, or am I dreaming? Thanks for your help!

 

Same part. Are you looking to upgrade to aftermarket adjustable control arms or merely replace with a stock unit? You can switch one of the lower arms to replace your damaged upper, get two aftermarket lowers and have camber adjustment in the rear.

 

Looks to me that there are two different part numbers. Top arm shows part number 33326769020, and the lower arm shows part number 33326769023.

Look here: http://tinyurl.com/metkd

 

I stand by my comment. I've got all four of my stock rear control arms in front of me now, They look identical, also there are common numbers stamped on them, such as 3/37 and 1490C85.

 

I thought they were the same too. I was doing some reading on the aftermarket ones, and they only come in one kind, not a top or bottom. I read that if you replace only the bottoms, you get camber adjustment, and if you replace tops you get caster and toe adjustment, so I assumed the part was interchangeable.

 

Any other opinions on this matter? I'd be happy with going back to stock, but would aftermarket adjustable ones be worth it to me? The car will probably never see the track (hasn't yet at 41k), though I do like the twisties. I've also considered some springs, but haven't come close to deciding yet.

 

you could probably buy used ones from people who replaced their's w/ adjustable ones

 

While the arms themselves are essentially the same and interchangeable, there are two different part numbers. The lower arms are galvanized to prevent corrosion since they are 'exposed' compared to the uppers, the uppers are simply painted black.

I have a set of H-Sport control arms on my car. They are light, adjustable and have greaseable poly bushings that keep the road noise level about the same as stock, unlike solid heim-jointed arms such as the Alta.

If you are loooking for stock, try the marketplace to see if anyone is selling theirs since going aftermarket.

 

Thanks! I've sent a PM to a member that posted some stocks.