Why Do You Need Welding With Your TorqueArm vs Not Welding With Cortex?

The quick answer:  Experience dictated our design.

The long answer:

We believe that over time the loads imposed through the TorqueArm mount will fatigue the area surrounding the bolt holes on the OE structure. Years ago this was our original idea to mount it as a bolt on in the manner the competition does. I even shared this idea with Cortex when they were still a distributor of our parts. But subsequent evaluation has deterred us from going forward with that design.

It is a pretext to our design philosophy that never should a loaded attachment point of a loaded suspension member be designed with potential of a more expensive repair to the body of the car, or where it could someday prove injurious to an occupant.

• Reliability: Generally, welded joints spread loads over larger areas distributing loads through more material that bolted units. Bolt on parts have these loads localized to small areas where around the bolt holes. Over time working loads can weaken the metal in the area of the bolted attachment points. Even if the mount does not dislodge, the repair to the car will likely be expensive. In our current design, with hundreds of these units in use over nearly a decade, we are aware of no such problem nor such repair needed from our TorqueArm mounting system.
• Safety: In the advent of a serious impact from the rear that pushes the rear axle forward and at an angle, the potential for the TorqueArm acting like a spear and penetrating the passenger compartment and causing injury should be negated by all possible means. Our design does that by having the large plate of the cross member act as a deflector should such an event occur.

We have always taken safety seriously, and while it has not been officially crash tested, with several thousand of our TorqueArms in use in various model cars for over 30 years, never have we heard of an injury due to our TorqueArm mountings. But, we have heard of serious injury from a competitor's bolt in design for earlier model Mustangs (though not as of yet from the competitor you mention). Time will tell whose logic is correct.

Is the elastomer bushing easy to replace at the front end?

We offer a replacement cushion service kit, Part # MTA 6350. But it needs to be said that with several hundred of these TorqueArms in use over the span of a decade we have sold only one of these service kits. We determined that this failure, which was soon after installation, was because contrary to the instructions the TorqueArm was installed with the axle at full droop, so the cushion was preloaded at ride height, and over therefore extended beyond limit in use.

However, besides basic wrench, changing the cushion does require 1) a hand grinder, 2) a small press such as used to replace conventional automotive control arm bushings, 3) a small weld must be made, and 4) repaint of a small area. If the person possesses the ability to properly install the TorqueArm correctly, he has the ability to change the cushion should the need arise.