hello guy's i've seen that on my 75 century the lower control arms on the ftont are rusted tru, So i figured it might be better to upgrade to tubular arms instead of buying second hand originals and fixing them up ( car is in resto at the moment ) but is it worth it in terms of handeling over the stock ones ? how much does it improves the handeling in combination with some good bushings and good shocks ( koni ) and a decent set of swat bars ( and boxed arms at the back ) Greetz Lennard
I have tubulars on the GSX and it performs a ton better than the orginal equipment. It actually drives like a modern car. I think if you can afford it and want the better handling it is worth the money. I actually autocrossed with mine. I also did upgraded springs and shocks which I feel played a big part. The front stock springs are too soft for heavy cornering. Mark
DITTO. I installed upper and lowers on my 67 442. It's a completely different car. I used CPP which come with ball joints and bushings. They are cheaper than any others on the market. But for the "cherry on the top", switch to a quick ratio steering box to get the most out of your new suspension. Harvey
The lowers do only little for handling. Just stronger and lighter. Changing the uppers and the spindles is the key. That changes the suspension geometry. The lowers are nice if you have the money.
http://www.scandc.com/ these with the tall ball joints you get the correct geometory and keep oem spindels for no bumpsteer or weird tie rod agnel problems that most custom a arms present with uppers and lowers you dont get the tie rod issues but the scandc ones do the same using your oem lowers and there uppers and tall ball joints. these are the ones that most pro touring guys recomend.
Good site. Their suspension philosophy is very good. Back to the original question. Are the tubular control arms worth it? Mark and I both use Global West stuff and love it. It was the 1st of the modifications I made to my car. I would not think that it is worth changing just the lower control arms. The only advantages to that are strength, weight, and looks. You will not be able to feel the difference between stock and tubular lower control arms. Now going with the whole tall spindle package, upper and lower control arms, new springs, shocks, bushings and fast ratio steering box is a whole different ball game. That type of change will make you think you are in a totally different car. Mine is a joy to drive. On the other hand it is not cheap. Between front and rear suspension upgrades I have over $4000 (includes 12 bolt rear end) and I do a lot of junkyard scrounging. I would bet that Mark is closer to $8K on his.
just a question what is it about tall spindels ? and doesn't my car already have them ? ( 75 buick century ) and i've been looking for tubular control arms for my type of car but there aren't many around het make them for these cars and i don't think pre '73 ones will work on my car ( even though it's still an A-body ) Greetz Lennard
It's not just the spindles but the combination of 64-72 A body control arms and the taller F or B body spindles. It changes the front end geometry in a turn. I explained it in the last post in this thread: http://www.v8buick.com/showthread.php?t=149678 And yes, 73 and up is different than the 64-72 A body.
I dug up an old article from the December 1987 issue of Musclecar Classics. The article is about the HO Enterprises spindle swap. The Global West Tubular control arms address all the issues with the outdated HO swap. This can make a huge difference in the way the stock 64-72 A body handles.
i'm still in doubt . . . since my lower arms are rusted tru it would make sense to change them but it still is a hell of a load of money ( not the price itself but shipping primairly ) but how much differance is there between the stock suspension on my 75 A-body and of a 64-72 a body like tall spindles and stuff ? I like my cars to handel well but i'm also considering poly graphite bushings ( although they dont change the suspension geometry ) Greetz Lennard Who can't dicide p
I think you should put a notice in our parts wanted. Someone here must have a parts car for that year. If you were in the US a salvage yard would get you a pair for less than $50. I know nothing about the shipping, that could be real killer. Nothing wrong with tubulars, just hoping to save you some money. Don't waste your money on poly bushings. It's a really poor, over hyped, and over priced material that does not belong in a suspensions. You will never get great handling on these old cars. To get good handling you need the following: 1. all bushings, ball joints, and links in perfect shape 2. upgrade, springs, shocks, tires and sway bars 3. upgrade steering box to a stock quick ratio ( I use jeep Grand Cherekee boxes 4. get a front end alignment with as much caster as you can get, 1/8 inch toe in, 0 to -1 camber if you can get it. If possible use 1/2 degree less caster on the left side (if you take a trip to Englund reverse that :laugh: )
