Stock Rear Upper Control Arm vs newer boxed style
March 7th, 2010, 04:31 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Hamilton, ON
Posts: 1,450
Stock Rear Upper Control Arm vs newer boxed style
ok, if I kept my Hotchkis boxed style Rear Upper Trailing Arms (1202) and manged to get the poly bushing out and replace with rubber... is this is a better option than using my stock non-boxed style Rear Upper Arms with rubber bushings?
Reading posts/sites more and more, I want to go rubber all around, except for the front sway bar (Hotchkis 1 3/8")
My stock rear lower arms were not boxed, which is why I ordered some aftermarket Hotchkis ones also (1302).
If my orig. rear upper arms will do though, then I will prob try to find some orig. boxed lowers + braces. FE2 suspension option correct?
EDIT: What about the Hotchkis adj. ctrl arms below? They say they are 'non-binding'.
http://www.hotchkis.net/6872_gm_abod...ling_arms.html
EDIT2: I definitely need to research this stuff more... Global West and their del-a-lum bushings/adj. ctrl arms w/ spherical bearings are looking more and more appealing.
Reading posts/sites more and more, I want to go rubber all around, except for the front sway bar (Hotchkis 1 3/8")
My stock rear lower arms were not boxed, which is why I ordered some aftermarket Hotchkis ones also (1302).
If my orig. rear upper arms will do though, then I will prob try to find some orig. boxed lowers + braces. FE2 suspension option correct?
EDIT: What about the Hotchkis adj. ctrl arms below? They say they are 'non-binding'.
http://www.hotchkis.net/6872_gm_abod...ling_arms.html
EDIT2: I definitely need to research this stuff more... Global West and their del-a-lum bushings/adj. ctrl arms w/ spherical bearings are looking more and more appealing.
Last edited by oldzy; March 7th, 2010 at 09:08 PM.
March 8th, 2010, 09:55 AM
#2
Ben
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Snohomish, WA
Posts: 1,827
From what i've read and heard- most of the binding in the rear suspension comes where the upper rear arms attach to the housing. The Rubber bushings deflect enough to allow it to move freely. Also the non boxed upper arms take up any extra flext that the bushings don't to keep the frame from taking the hit.
My first suggestion would be to re-use your stock original uppers and replace those bushigns & the ones in the diff ears with new rubber- and run the new hotchkis lower arms w/ whatever bushigns they came with.
2nd suggestion would be to run the new hotchis uppers you bought, and just use new rubber bushings in the diff ears.
Honestly, unless you are road racing your car you probably would never have encountered the bind problems that occur with all poly in the rear- but better safe than sorry... My understanding of the issue it causes is that under high cornering loads the rear suspension binds up and causes it to break traction putting the car into a spin
My first suggestion would be to re-use your stock original uppers and replace those bushigns & the ones in the diff ears with new rubber- and run the new hotchkis lower arms w/ whatever bushigns they came with.
2nd suggestion would be to run the new hotchis uppers you bought, and just use new rubber bushings in the diff ears.
Honestly, unless you are road racing your car you probably would never have encountered the bind problems that occur with all poly in the rear- but better safe than sorry... My understanding of the issue it causes is that under high cornering loads the rear suspension binds up and causes it to break traction putting the car into a spin
March 8th, 2010, 10:03 AM
#3
Ben
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Snohomish, WA
Posts: 1,827
You need to seriously ask yourself what your goals for your car are with buying this stuff.
All the fancy aftermarket stuff is pretty expensive compared with buying the $30 LCA boxing kit & new rubber bushings.
If you car is a 99% cruiser- then Stock rubber, and box the lowers and add a swaybar should be Plenty.
Rubber bushings did fine for 35+ years in these cars- putting nice new ones in there will make it night and tight again.
How many new cars, even sports cars come with fancy aluminum bushings or suspension parts with spherical joints?
None-
they all use rubber because it has a much nicer ride to it.
If you are planning to road race your car or drag race it- then there can be some reason for fancy suspension stuff-
but otherwise why reinvent something that GM spent millions of dollars engineering and producing?
All the fancy aftermarket stuff is pretty expensive compared with buying the $30 LCA boxing kit & new rubber bushings.
If you car is a 99% cruiser- then Stock rubber, and box the lowers and add a swaybar should be Plenty.
Rubber bushings did fine for 35+ years in these cars- putting nice new ones in there will make it night and tight again.
How many new cars, even sports cars come with fancy aluminum bushings or suspension parts with spherical joints?
None-
they all use rubber because it has a much nicer ride to it.
If you are planning to road race your car or drag race it- then there can be some reason for fancy suspension stuff-
but otherwise why reinvent something that GM spent millions of dollars engineering and producing?
June 10th, 2010, 10:26 AM
#4
Registered User
Join Date: Aug 2009
Location: Ft. Wayne, IN
Posts: 124
Ok... while we're on the subject of what you really need, let me solicit some opinions.
What route do you go when you have a 500-550hp 455 in a '65 convertible (so it won't see any track time since they won't allow a quick convertible to run without a roll cage), but when I'm out cruising, I'll want the car to hook (hence the drag radials) as much as possible?
With a 425hp version of the motor in the car with street radials, the rear tire would do their best impression of a basketball dribbling down the court. I have factory boxed lowers and uppers with a rear swaybar today.
Do you go the route of the aftermarket (Hotchkis, DMR, etc) upper and lowers, triangulation bars, no-hop bars, etc? Or is there another alternative of equal or better effectiveness?
What route do you go when you have a 500-550hp 455 in a '65 convertible (so it won't see any track time since they won't allow a quick convertible to run without a roll cage), but when I'm out cruising, I'll want the car to hook (hence the drag radials) as much as possible?
With a 425hp version of the motor in the car with street radials, the rear tire would do their best impression of a basketball dribbling down the court. I have factory boxed lowers and uppers with a rear swaybar today.
Do you go the route of the aftermarket (Hotchkis, DMR, etc) upper and lowers, triangulation bars, no-hop bars, etc? Or is there another alternative of equal or better effectiveness?
June 10th, 2010, 12:09 PM
#5
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Hamilton, ON
Posts: 1,450
And on another note... my 1202's are for sale! 
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ms-1202-a.html
I ended up with the complete TVS kit from Hotchkis with dbl adjust. upper rear ctrl arms.
https://classicoldsmobile.com/forums...ms-1202-a.html
I ended up with the complete TVS kit from Hotchkis with dbl adjust. upper rear ctrl arms.
June 12th, 2010, 10:02 AM
#6
Registered User
Join Date: May 2009
Location: USA
Posts: 2,203
Mine are beat to hell and I don't want to put them back in.
If you car is a 99% cruiser- then Stock rubber, and box the lowers and add a swaybar should be Plenty.
Rubber bushings did fine for 35+ years in these cars- putting nice new ones in there will make it night and tight again.
How many new cars, even sports cars come with fancy aluminum bushings or suspension parts with spherical joints?
None-
they all use rubber because it has a much nicer ride to it.
If you are planning to road race your car or drag race it- then there can be some reason for fancy suspension stuff-
but otherwise why reinvent something that GM spent millions of dollars engineering and producing?
Rubber bushings did fine for 35+ years in these cars- putting nice new ones in there will make it night and tight again.
How many new cars, even sports cars come with fancy aluminum bushings or suspension parts with spherical joints?
None-
they all use rubber because it has a much nicer ride to it.
If you are planning to road race your car or drag race it- then there can be some reason for fancy suspension stuff-
but otherwise why reinvent something that GM spent millions of dollars engineering and producing?
I got some UMI Performance Roto-Joint UCA's for my 70 I just put in.
I've been debating the Lower Control Arm options too.
But then I just asked myself, WTF am I doing
I'm not road racing this car.....I'm defiinitely NOT drag racing this car.
I blew thousands on my 78 Pro-touring Camaro for road racing.
This 442 clone won't be doing any of that. It's my family cruiser.
So ther'es no need to blow another $300+ on Lower Control Arms.
It's really just for bling bling at that point......
Last edited by Aceshigh; June 12th, 2010 at 10:21 AM.
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
marxjunk
Parts For Sale
2
July 13th, 2014 08:53 PM
ros6872
Parts Wanted
3
February 12th, 2014 03:20 AM
JOHNNYOLDS442
General Discussion
4
September 12th, 2012 05:52 AM
