custom Lower control arms nearly finished

84rzv500r

84rzv500r

Knows just enough to be dangerous!
Joined
Mar 23, 2008
Messages
390
Location
Big Pine Key, FL
After 3 hours down and back to corvettes of carlisle and setting off dozens of car alarms in the new fangled corvettes just idling to a parking place I found some new inspiration (read Time) to work on my last bit of suspension...

Tubular lower control arms and dual adjustable coilovers...

Im gonna weld tabs on for stock sway bar ends as well as rod ends (not in double shear tho) in case I want to upgrade later... :rofl:

Triangulate the long tubes and gusset the top of the bend...

oh and since the plate gusset is 0.125 i am gonna double that around the shock mounting plasma cut a matching hole tig it all together and oh yeah I will put a 90 flange on either side laterally to match...

:smash::smash:

then a trip to the powder coaters... :bounce:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_0938.JPG
    IMG_0938.JPG
    128.7 KB · Views: 80
  • IMG_0939.JPG
    IMG_0939.JPG
    99.5 KB · Views: 92
Sweet!

And, I like the idea of Rumbling through Carlisle. I hope to do the same in a year or so. Seems like my "schedule" puts me on the other side of the planet.

Nice work.

Cheers - Jim
 
Aside from seeing my daughter/hubby and old friends, the only thing I miss about the region is the Carlisle shows, used to rarely miss one, had to have a totally major home remodeling project going on, the vette shows were the BEST!!! Quite by accident, I met Duntov once.....:crutches:
 
Looks good, what material for the tubing? Did you make a jig? Or, just spend time on layout?
 
rtj said:
Looks good, what material for the tubing? Did you make a jig? Or, just spend time on layout?
Click to expand...

No attempt to hi-jack, but I thought I would add the technique I use for the same process. I build "mock-up" control arms out of scrap tubing (even black pipe will work) and weld in cheap ball joints so I can check an modify the fit to get all of the clearances I need throughout the entire suspension travel and wheel turn. The first picture is of one of the mock-ups (without shock or roll bar mounting points). When I get the configuration I want, I then build a jig (reversible left to right) and weld up the final LCA using 1.5 inch, .120 wall CM (screw in ball joints and spherical bearings in the inner pivots.

56 LCA Mock-up.jpg

56 LCA Jig.jpg
 
I only understand the very basics of front suspensions, so the prime question is, .....long as you all using the same tie points front and rear, why not just mod a stock control arm?? adding whatever you want?? I can't see the effort expended on the custom stuff unless for a balls out racer, I fail to see any weight savings, unless aluminum.....

:clobbered:
 
mrvette said:
I only understand the very basics of front suspensions, so the prime question is, .....long as you all using the same tie points front and rear, why not just mod a stock control arm?? adding whatever you want?? I can't see the effort expended on the custom stuff unless for a balls out racer, I fail to see any weight savings, unless aluminum.....

:clobbered:
Click to expand...

In my case, the control arms are longer, have different inboard pick-up points, and have to be "high clearance" for 13 inch wide front wheels with 9 inches of back spacing. All of this was to achieve a modern high travel, low roll suspension with zero scrub radius and the ability to turn the wheels 26 degrees with 4.5 inches of compression. Absolutely nothing is in the stock location. With that said, an earlier suspension I had under the car used boxed C-3 LCAs with the spring pocket modified for coil-overs, an insert to accept a screw-in ball joint, and Herb Adams nyliner inner pivots. The control arms were heavy as hell, but plenty strong.
 
i must confess my sins... in the interest of time I bought a set of upper and lower unfinished arms for a 58-64 impala from a guy that makes them for the hopper cars and then modified them for my use... they are hell for strong A513 type 5 DOM 1" od 0.120 wall tubing mandrel bent with 0.125 plate construction. and tig welded. I am just gonna tack them together with my mig a couple of plug welds for strength then tig the joints with my gussets and mounts as required....

they cost me <$200 for the set and have 5 degrees more positive caster...
 
i am flogging the car regularly at the drag strip, autocross, the occasional laps at WGI and good ole interstate cruisin...

Face it the stock components are 45 years old and I want something that is Completely reliable even with wide stick drag radials at all four corners, big brakes, and when spray a 150 shot to the 502 i dont want any surprises...

I have only had two failures to date and one bent steering arm... I broke the differential pinion mount right off the frame... just rolling on the throttle in 6th gear cruising up the interstate... and the ignition switch went belly up so I bypassed it... i am gonna rewire the whole car to0 with a much simpler harness and aircraft circuit breakers
 
custom lower tubular a-arms for semi coilovers finished

ok here they are... I expect to get them back from powder coat today...

I set them up to use stock or heimjoint sway bar ends...

I will tie the front a-arm mounts to the roll cage and lighten up my crude spreader bar as well...


:twitch::twitch:

thum_16571a69e5c0a71.jpgthum_16571a6a31cf2d9.jpg
 
Those turned out nice.

Details on shocks and springs?
 
Last edited:
rtj said:
Those turned out nice.

Details on shocks and springs?
Click to expand...

Steeroids had the best price I could find on DA semi coilovers (QA1) and the springs are bluecoil 700#/in (i have Viking DA rear shocks and they are phenomenal and a notch better quality than the QA1's)

I took out 750 lbs per inch that were 1 coil shorter than stock and put in 550 LB/in VB&P and used an 11/16 sway bar.... too much body roll even with a shortened daytona based rear spring that Dick Gulstrand built based on my details.

so now i am going to a 1 1/4" front sway bar (No rear).. I will prolly end up at 650#/in on the front...

other mods planned for the downtime... new floating front rotors and Q compound pads as E's are just to harsh for the street, new spreader bar design as my original was crude and heavy, and bracing the shock towers to the roll cage. :smash::smash::smash::smash:
 
wow bigger sway bar is AMAZING

so I put in my new a arm braces and a 1.250 swaybar from Vanstel...

and while I was at it i adjusted my camber on the front to 4 neg from 2 neg

all I can say is WOW...

Im gonna snap some pics of the redesigned upper A arm braces installed as I moved the brace forward to accommodate a Super charger drive belt :suicide:

Next weekend is the front coilover and lower a arm install...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Back
Top