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View Full Version : Which Tubular Front Control Arms for 68-72 GM A Body


rallye455
10-26-2008, 01:15 PM
Who makes the best Tubular Front Control arms for 68-72 GM A Body? I'm looking for something with excellent build quality that is a direct bolt in.

ProdigyCustoms
10-26-2008, 03:05 PM
We just installed a set of Speedtechs brand new A body arms on a 70 Chevelle. Killer pricing and quality as with all other Speedtech parts.

And we are going to have a little special for SEMA on Speedtech this week. So stay tuned.

awr68
10-26-2008, 03:51 PM
I would agree with Frank, Speed Tech is a great choice!

Also, I have heard very good things about Global West and their A-Body parts. Actually, I just left a shop that had two A-Body cars with GW parts on them.

z585
10-26-2008, 07:00 PM
X3
I recently installed Speedtech's uppers and lowers on my 68 and I couldn't be happier. They are really top notch!

kp.touring
10-26-2008, 08:35 PM
Just installed Detroit Speeds upper and lowers into a '69 GTO, totally cool parts.

Kevin

Marcus SC&C
10-27-2008, 07:27 AM
Just about every set of tubular arms on the market looks cool. Almost all of them are good quality.
The big question is what do they do? Will they make your car work better somehow? If they`re supposed to make the car work better how do they do that? It`s pretty darn hard to gain any performance with A arms of any kind. After all they only connect a few of the critical suspension points to each other. They don`t define the location of those points. Oh sure you can change static alignment some (which you can also do with shims, offset cross shafts etc.) but apart from that A arms are incapable of creating any other kind of geometry improvement.

If you do what you`ve always done you`ll get what you always got.

What can they do? Well the upper A arms can allow for serious changes in geometry that the stock arms simply won`t allow because they`ll end up being the wrong length,offset and have the ball joints mounted at the wrong angle. Tall spindles and tall ball joint packages ARE capable of making bigtime improvements in geometry and performance. The proper set of arms (designed to work with those changes) can be an important part of the package. We sell whole geometry improving packages complete with fully adj. tubular upper arms for what many places sell just a set of arms for.
Lower tubular arms are almost always clones of stock arms. No change = heh, no change. They`re almost always much heavier too (I know what the ads say...weight them!). Why spend money on them if they`re not going to give you any return on your investment?
There`s only one lower arm I know of that actually has numerous advantages over the stock ones and that`s SPC`s. I know because I was heavily involved in designing them. :D They have lower seats that will accept either conventional springs OR coil overs. They have adj. ride height with regular springs and shims to adjust coilover travel and installed height if you use those. Greasable delrin bushings std. Optional modern progressive rate jounce bumpers, one of the features that helps new cars drive like new cars. Many aftermarket arms have no bump stops or jounce bumpers at all or they`re simply decorative and non functional. You know the ones that are inches farther away from the frame than the tie rods are... The SPC arms are on average 2lbs. per arm lighter than stock and were designed, strength and fatigue tested on the same computers and equipment used for high dollar Unlimited Class Baja racing trucks. Lastly because they were designed totally clean sheet to work with modernized geometry and alignment settings they will center the front wheels in the wheelwells for maximum tire clearance even with some nose down rake and high + caster settings.
Or you could spend just as much money or a lot more on arms that don`t do anything at all..... Mark SC&C
http://www.scandc.com/images/SPC%20lowerAarms_small.jpg

Blake Foster
10-27-2008, 08:20 AM
There`s only one lower arm I know of that actually has numerous advantages over the stock ones and that`s SPC`s. I know because I was heavily involved in designing them. :D They have lower seats that will accept either conventional springs OR coil overs. They have adj. ride height with regular springs and shims to adjust coilover travel and installed height if you use those. Greasable delrin bushings std. Optional modern progressive rate jounce bumpers, one of the features that helps new cars drive like new cars. Many aftermarket arms have no bump stops or jounce bumpers at all or they`re simply decorative and non functional. You know the ones that are inches farther away from the frame than the tie rods are...

hey that sounds like speed tech arms

BBC71Nova
10-27-2008, 09:19 AM
We just installed a set of Speedtechs brand new A body arms on a 70 Chevelle. Killer pricing and quality as with all other Speedtech parts.

And we are going to have a little special for SEMA on Speedtech this week. So stay tuned.


SEMA special huh :thumbsup:

I think I *need* :unibrow: a set of uppers and lowers for '71 Nova.

So do the Speedtech uppers and lowers have delrin bushings?

John

Blake Foster
10-27-2008, 10:45 AM
SEMA special huh :thumbsup:

I think I *need* :unibrow: a set of uppers and lowers for '71 Nova.

So do the Speedtech uppers and lowers have delrin bushings?

John

yes
and
yes

The WidowMaker
10-27-2008, 04:11 PM
spc's from mark at scandc here. top notch product from a top notch guy. the best part about the upper spc's is the lack of shims. the spc's can be adjusted for the older frames that are off just a little bit without using the unsightly stack of shims.

el-camino
10-28-2008, 11:55 PM
go to Global West, and you will have no problems:thumbsup:
http://www.globalwest.net/

rallye455
11-01-2008, 03:21 PM
ProdigyCustoms How much for a set of uppers and lowers for a 72 442?

Rick