Can I cut here? (QA1 upper control arm issue)

RustyRatRod said

I would have fixed that a different way and not cut the CAR, but you got it done and that's all that counts.

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MRGTX said

Usually, I agree with this. I go to pretty great lengths to only modify my car in ways that could be put back to stock if I decide to go that way 20 years from now. In this case, it was a tiny piece of sheet metal to trim. There’s no way to safely modify the control arm itself...

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Exactly. The metal trimmed off the car is non-load bearing, it’s a purely cosmetic change to reshape that corner. Changing the control arm to leave that little corner in place, without seriously compromising the strength of the UCA, would be pretty difficult.

I wouldn’t say it’s impossible to modify the UCA safely. Some would be harder to change than others. But you’re messing with a part that can cause a catastrophic failure and loss of control. No thanks.

If a future owner wants the return the car to 100% stock, welding a little chunk of 16 gauge metal onto the car should probably be something they can do. Lot easier than fixing the damage from a failed control arm.