Hi all,

I've recently been on the market for some replacement front lower control arms, and noticed two OE options - one with a 1-3mm ball joint hole recess, and one with a 4-6mm "deep" ball joint recess, which as far as I understand fits the 03-07 DE models. I've also noticed, however, some cheaper "universal" arms which claim to fit all z33's from 03-09.

So what's the deal? Does this ball joint recess depth matter? Are these interchangeable? Why are they different? Was one built to fit an HR and the other to fit a DE?

Any insight would be appreciated!

 

I know the ball joint on the knuckle has a slight difference, just never did a comparison with the arms

 

Update on this thread. Bought a set of control arms rated for "03-09". The recess for the ball joint castle nut is much deeper than that on my '07 OEM control arms. As a result the slots in the castle nut don't sit at the right height for the cotter pin to slot through the ball joint bolt and hold the nut in place. You will need a spacer/washer stack to raise the seating height of the castle nut. I did some research and I believe this is relevant for '05+ models, but don't quote me on this. Just be prepared to do some DIY if you're swapping out control arms in the future!