A local tire/repair shop is willing to replace the upper control arms and ball joints, etc. on my 67 Cutlass for the cost of labor and I supply the parts.
Does anyone have a good source to go to on-line? I've searched around on-line, but all I seem to see is tubular arms and poly bushings. I want to stay with parts as close to OEM as possible. Any help is greatly appreciated! Thanks, Jim

 

If there something wrong with the ones you have? If not just replace the bushings and ball joints and you should be good to go.

 

X2. The reason you don't see OEM replacement arms is because typically they do not require replacement unless bent or broken due to an accident. The wear items (ball joints and bushings) are replaceable in the original arms and are readily available.

Replacement control arms, with new bushings, used to be available simply as a way to reduce labor on a suspension rebuild job, but given the limited number of these cars still on the road, I have not seen those items in years.

 

If yours are heavily rusted/pitted, etc like they get up in the "snow/salt belt" then source some clean ones from down here. Rebuild/restore those while keeping your car running/driving. Then, when you are ready you (or the shop) can change them out.

Where are you located and as already asked..why do you want/need replacement arms??

I think the later 68 and up arms are repro'd but a repro would still be my last choice. Get the real thing...good clean original GM arms and you know they'll fit right, etc. I don't know if earlier arms are different or not.

 

Thanks for all the advice! First, the control arms now in my car look OK, with no rust or pitting and I have no reason to believe they're bent or warped. The car came from California and has been garaged since, and has not seen any winter driving out here in Mass. I figured I'd buy new with the ball joints factory installed to save on labor, especially if the shop determines the old ones do need to be replaced. At least this way the car won't tie up space in the shop while we locate new/used parts. The shop is going to check out the overall condition of all the front-end parts, after which time I'll find replacements as needed. This is the main reason I was asking around for a good parts source. I may just end up having the bushings and ball joints pressed in as you guys advised. It looks like even with the shop doing all the labor & using the old arms, it may be about the same cost and a faster turn-around ! I guess my next question is: which on-line or catalog source have you guys had the best luck with in regards to bushing kits and ball joints? I have Summit and PST catalogs, but I'd really like to go with the "voices of experience"! Thanks again!!! Jim

 

Try rockauto.com they carry many parts for our cars with original replacement items.

 

X2. I use Moog or TRW suspention parts exclusively.

 

RockAuto carries Moog and their prices and shipping costs are excellent....extremely competitive and you know what brand you are getting when you order from them. Some of the "suspension only" type repro parts vendors sell for cheap also but I'm not real sure on who is making their parts. Go with a good name brand and pay a little more if it comes down to that.

 

Thanks! I'll give rockauto a try right now. Also, I'll take your advice on the Moog or TRW parts, whatever the cost difference may be. I'm not going to split hairs over a few bucks saved vs. a good quality job. I'll post my results. Take care, Jim

 

Just checked out rockauto and saw another option: AC Delco is also listed and costs a bit more than Moog. Any opinions on Delco bushings, etc. ?

 

The older AC Delco stuff was really top notch.

The newer stuff may be made offshore.

PST and Kanter get their parts from India, Bangladesh, or someother low cost region.

MOOG is 100% USA stuff, and so is McQuay-Norris.

BTW - you need to do this stuff yourself. Save money and learn about your car.

 

Hey Jim--

As Richard says, I highly doubt you have to replace your upper control arms. If they say you absolutely have to, I'd find another shop.

I guess my post is a little more in line with how you plan on keeping your car. When I got my first classic car, I had shops work on the car that really had no business working on a classic car. Radiator went bad? Just threw away the original and got me a crappy reproduction. A-arms bad? Bought some new unoriginal ones. My point is, if you'd like to keep your car as stock/original as possible, it's best to try and salvage or restore the original parts in many cases. Or, at the least, scour the parts yards, 442.com want ads, or ask here on the boards about nice used original parts. Even if you don't care about that, it's best to keep the original parts, as it might make a difference when you go to sell the car (should you ever have to).

And most shops don't give a rat's a$$ about keeping your car original (or at least most don't). Most just want to do it cheaply and quickly as possible to keep the turnover going.

If you need new springs, I'd check with Fusick. They'll special make you the correct coil springs to factor specifications. This way, the ride heigth will be as it was originally. Often, stores such as RockAuto simply sell "general application" parts--in other words, a certain part will fit all GM A-body cars, even though it really isn't correct to your make and model.

Anyway, just a thought I learned the hard way.

 

Correction: Not all the Moog stuff is "Hecho en USA"....it's common to see their bushings labeled "Hecho en Mexico" but that wouldn't keep me from using their bushings. I recently rebuilt/restored a set of front AArms for a guy here and we went with RockAuto-sourced Moog components. The Mexico bushings have the same construction (ie same metal thickness, etc) as the older USA made Moog bushings. Plus....some other brands don't have the original looking finish like the Moog bushings still do.

The Moog stuff is fine.... no need to pay extra for ACDelco. It's the generic/vendor-doesn't-list-the-name-of/cheaply priced parts I would avoid.