Yes guys! as my drive line issues were no issue at all, I suddenly have to redirect funds to the front of my malibu. I have a lower aframe fixing to rust thru and brake so, all 4 need to be hiv hoed. my question, i see some nice ones on flebay. price range from 300 to 1000 bucks! the set for both sides from the site that wants a gran for them is the place i got my trailing arms from. very happy with them but 1k for a set is out of the question. couple other guys have them as well. one has them for 300 bucks shipped and another dude 400 all 4 . man! they are nice looking tubular a frames. at least on the pictures they are. can I post Ebay links on forum or is that a no no??
what do you guys think, 300-400 bucks for a set of a frames......to good to be true?? they come complete with ball joints, bumper stops and on one link, even the sway bar end links are on them, nice ones too! i wanted to get some input here, you guys are solid!
Sheesh, 300 for a set of arms? That had better be the price for the tubular ones. Folks seem to think everything is made of gold. Hit your local swapmeets and find some originals or ones that interchange. The only differences between factory and tubular is maybe length, better hardware, and perhaps the balljoint angle. Example: To make my firebird corner well enough to keep up with 911RSR's, I would've used a set of tubular arms for roadracing. But at a pricetag of 600 bucks, and the club saying "NO!", I decided to modify the factory units. I changed the balljoint angle, chopped the A-arm towers off, lowered them an inch and moved them outboard an inch. By changing the angle of the balljoint, I effectively shortened the a-arm by 3/8ths, thereby making the length ratio better from top to bottom. I also took two coils out of the front springs. The tubular ones aren't worth the pricetag, unless you are looking for a quick fix with an out-of-the-box solution.
Plenty of OE ones on Flea bay.
A Arms or Control arms as they are called, upper and lower, are still out there. I just looked and dude has 3 sets for sale. Bids start at 100 bucks per pair. Plenty of other sellers selling them also.
Get them, then get them blasted and painted or powdercoated. Put in new bushings all around and new ball joints. Install ....Voila .:thumbup:
Might consider new front springs if you have any issues there also as you will have them out when you change the control arms.
Be sure to check the other steering components for play. Replace as necessary, and get it aligned when done.
Be sure to shop around for a TRUE ALIGNMENT. To many shops just set the toe and let er go. Pisses me off. Im done.
ha ha ha!! Latech thats nice man. yup i heard of them align jobs. you and speedshift are on the Money. i want to stay with the OEM ones, dang sure wont be doing the work that speed did on his tho, wouldn't know where to start! the tube ones are now 280 shipped!! they look a might nice and might be lighter and yes, they seem to be bolt on right off the box. I want a nice tight feeling, cornering malibu but far far from competition caliber. even want to keep the stock height, ain't too crazy about drop jobs. would even prefer a weebit higher stance so i may get BB springs. as for the rest of the front end for sure, every thing will be replaced fellas.
Good deal. Stay away from eurathane bushings as well, unless you like to feel all the bumps in the road.They are harder and are suited more for a road racer, not a driver / Cruiser.
Another thing to remember: when you install your bushings and have the a arms all back in, before you tighten the bushing through bolts , set the car on its own weight, then tighten them.
Reason being is that if you tighten them with the suspension hanging down , with the wheel off the ground, it can tear the bushing sleeve loose and make a groan or squeek every time it hits a bump.
Trust me, I have seen it happen. Setting the car down, moves the arms/bushings to the spot they will run at, thats when you tighten them. You can do it on ramps, or on a drive on rack.
Keep us posted on what you get.
I think 64-66 control arms for A bodys are the same , olds buick chevy pontiac all should fit. 67 up are slightly different.
Cutlass, skylark, chevelle , tempest , Lemans , GTO....all A bodys.:thumbup:
The link posting is purely for information purposes and to solicite comments from you all. I am in no way shape or form advertising for these fellas. just want to clear that up, tho it would be cool if i was cos i proly would get them for free :thumbup:
But i ain't so.......gotta fork up the dough.
will take pics and post as to what i end up with. Latech, i think these are a mild type of Urethane on the frames. i doubt at the price good Ure would be going in to them. no matter tho, i want that tight, feel the road feeling.
got some New springs, tie rods and the likes on way so, this huney will feel good after all that goes in.
The write up looks pretty positive. I would imagine they are eurathane bushings . They may not feel as soft when you drive but will stiffen the suspension up for a more responsive steering feel, like on a road course, where the OE would feel soft, and spongy, less responsive.
The price is good. Pretty much a good alternative to the used ones that need bushings,ball joints, paint/powdercoating etc.
Ok fellas, here is where i am at on this, got the a frames and they look a might good for being made in china somewheres. Tho, i'm a bit puzzled and concerned with the upper a frames, cross shaft's thickness where the bushings reside. they seem a bit thin!
Will post a picsy of that perticular area here soon. other then that, they seem NICE!!!
They was black and I, sprayed them the heck down with Red caliper paint. tho some has come off as these on the right side was a bear to fit in, at least the lower one was....damned they look nice Red! the upper one at first had me concerned then i realise, i can turn the cross shaft a round and then it fit but, heck of a tight fit. before i realised that tho, i thought i had gotten a bum fitting upper a frame.......sobered up real quick on that deal!!
The other area of concern is at the lowers with the sway bar end links that are built in and are of a ball socket type thing at the bottom and normal where they meet the sway bar at the top. the mount system at bottom seems so flimsy. I'm predicting trouble at this area rather quick cos my 1- 1/4 inch sway bar is gonna put them links thru their paces. and as yet, i have not found replacements for them. i can't find that style of sway bar end link here on earth!!
anyway, the tear down has begun and i have dry fitted the right side w/out the spring in it to get a feel for things. left side is next. lower a frame was a hell of a job to fit in and, its tight as heck, i mean real tight!! don't think i'm gonna leave it that way. gotta maybe pull it out again and spread them mounting ears a bit or something, i can see my new bushings outside getting tore up so, think i need to fix this.
anyway fellas, progress thus far and more to come!
oh ya! I have been thinking, i should have gone with SS springs for a higher stance. got the BASE Malibu ones. i may have to throw in a spacer under theirs somewheres to cure this...:thumbup:
Speedshift, latech! Hope you guys are still there.
Encountered my 1st problem thus far. first of all, Latech you was on the money, these bushings are damn near solid! proly gonna feel every bump in the road LMAO!!!
Speed mentioned he cut off his springs.......man! My issue is the shock. it wont fit/ reach now. The upper inner bushing will not come up to meet the frame, a good 1" off.
The stock set up with the car up on jackstands at the frame and suspension hanging, unsuported i could slip the shock in and out with no issue.
so now, on the left side with the car supported by jackstands at the frames and new Arms, plus new coilspring in. I start the shock placement and realised, not much of the upper shaft of the shock, sticks out on top to put the bushing, washer and nut.
so i throw the jack under the lower a frame and loaded the suspension till the car came off the stands, figuring this would surely bring the A frames up and allow the shock to seat properly. well, only enough stud came thru the frame at the top to barely start the top nut on the shock. ( with bushing and washer in ) i mean the shock is strecthed out to its limit and the upper,lower/inner bushing just will not come up enough to seat. I put some pictures up, man! I'll be damned if i ain't in a pickle here. i would say, seems as tho springs are taller but, they was the same lenght as the old ones.
Ok, just wanted to post this update, Almost done!! minor issues here and there.........Lots of doubt! as to how these will feel and wether or not, they'll last. alls left is to drop the mali on the ground, let it settle then, tighten the whole thing up as, latech reminded me off. hmmm! how will it feel? I'll soon find out, hopefully this weekend:thumbup:
If you look at the one block i had the stand on, it is a solid wall block. No way in heck was i gonna trust the cinder block on the right...no sir!!:nono:
In addition, whilst i was tugging, pulling, kicking and saying every cuz word in the book, trying to get the old bolts out, There were 3 floor jacks and like 5 jack stands under the Mali.
What a PITA!!!:smash:
Having said that, LATECH Was on the money with the hard Bushings on the A frames. LOL man, what a Hard ride!!!
But i love it, Car feels planted even tho i feel every bump on the road. My style of driving tho and won't be looking back to softer bushings.:thumbup:
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Hot Rod Forum
2.2M posts
175.7K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to hot rod owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about restoration, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, maintenance, and more!