Was wondering if anyone has experience or knowledge about using these 2" drop "tall" spindles on thier car. I guess it raises the upper ball joint by about 1 1/2"'s to change the geometry of the upper control arm, & is supposed to make quite a difference in the handling of the old "A"-bodys. Anyways just curious if anybody has tried them.
I know they make both an after market spindle with proper geometry for the a bodies and a "tall upper ball joint. I don't remember the sources at all. a search or post on the team Chevelle site will find it. they have had some VERY lengthly discussions about it. If I knew were it was I'd throw ya a link.
Global West explains it pretty well: WWW.GLOBALWEST.NET I've done the conversion many times on A body cars along with the fast ratio steering box. You will be amazed at the difference in road feel, response, and roll control. Think you were in a Beemer!:TU:
how was the bump steer/ toe affected ? I have a set of b body spindle s for the arm swap and had worried about that.
Bill, I was wondering/hoping that stock upper control arms could be used, guess not, Globalwest does have a lot of usable info on thier site, Thanks for that. Rob, I keep forgetting about the team Chevelle website, LOTS of good info on there, Thanks!
John, Unfortunately, to really make the conversion worth the effort you need to use upper arms made for the conversion. Another point I should make is to use either later A body spindles or aftermarket. Most times this conversion was in addition to a disc brake conversion too. With the discs, control arms, and fast ratio steering box the average $$$ value was about $1200. You would really need to drive a converted GS or other A body to appreciate the difference in drivability. I feel it is worth the investment if it is for a car that will be driven often. As to the bump steer issue. There is a noticeable improvement but it does not totally eliminate.
I put a 2" drop on my 65 Lark...I had alot of problems .....top of tires leaned way in at first ......settled later , pulled alignment shims out etc , I had to install 2 sets of springs to get the height - rate - rebound just right etc...if I had to do it all over again I wouldnt have gone as radical with the 2" maybe just a 1 inch drop spindle or to be perfectly honest with you I think I just may have cut a coil or coil and a half out of the stock springs and been done with it......just my opinion...it was alot of work , time and $$$ in the end I could have spent elsewhere...ps I wasnt after ultimate handling like you maybe - I just wanted the cooler lowered stance .... J
Arn't drop spindles and tall balljoint spindles different. I heard of them on S10's and they say there awsome. No clue to buicks though.
I'm in no hurry, just "planning ahead" for my convertable project, I plan on this car seeing ALOT of road time, and was more interested in the improved geometry of the taller spindle, then I was about the 2" drop(it will be lowered anyway) but being the tight ass that I am I really was hoping new upper control arms wouldn't have to be bought, now after checking out the Globelwest site(thanks again Bill), I may use B-car spindles(I already have them) its seems good for a 1" drop anyway, but then I can put on the 12" ft. brakes, from a Camaro. Still have to change the apper control arms though, along with a different lower ball joint, & outer tie rod. Also on the team Chevelle site they are talking about using the quicker ratio steering boxes from police Impalas, or even Jeep Cherokees? Bill, ever done/heard about anyone doing this? Do you use the upper control arms from Globlewest? Thanks for the info! :TU: Between the Globelwest site, the team Chevelle site, and protouring .com, there seems to be lots of options & combinations, LOTS more reading for me to do, like I said I'm in no hurry(haven't yet begun the rebuild/restoration process)just planning ahead & trying not to spend a fortune! ray:
John, See post 9 and 10 in this thread: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=150538&highlight=Global+West I did this years ago with a 72 Skylark. The handling difference is night and day. Back then , I used the HO Enterprises kit to convert over to F body spindles. There were some problems I had having to do with abnormal upper ball joint angle, and alignment issues (had to use a lot of shims). The Global West upper arms address all of that. Read the 3 page article I posted.
Steve I think that the first time I ever took my car to the track I lined up against your green and white car. That was at the 100th Buick aniversery. Steering box thread http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=55808 I found that if you go with Global West upper control arms and their springs you will be as low as you want to go. I really work on getting my suspension as free as possible to get good ride as well as handling. Get a list of parts handy for when you go to the yard. I find that the best parts for A-bodies come from trucks and Blazers. The Chevy truck rag joint is a critical find (70-80's 2 wheel drive trucks) so you can use the newer steering box. Also have to get the pressure valve from a newer pump. Any Blazer, s-10 box should be a good source.
Using globalwest upper and lower control arms with coilovers,then go with caprice or impala spindles from a taxi you get the right amount of negative camber and the coilovers help with the ride height.
