Upper Control Arms

[EngineerDoug]

Hello all,

I am refurbishing my front suspension, and part of this process will involve evaluating my upper control arms/ball joints/bushings. I will definitely install polyurethane bushings, but have yet to determine if the ball joints are tight or sloppy. My real question is, are the tubular upper control arms worth the $350 or so? I will not be doing any sort of road racing or slalom, but I would like to maximize handling characteristics on the street.

Are the stamped stock arms a "weak sister", or would tubular arms be an extravagance?

Your thoughts are appreciated.

 

[mmissile]

Average person.....just bling. [2-cents]

 

['73bird]

Unless your going the full rack and pinion angle its not that much an improvement imo

 

[PRND21]

I put a set of non-adjustable arms on my 65 Belvedere to gain the 3-5 degrees of caster that were advertised. I gained about a degree and a half, so probably not worth the money. They look nice, though.

 

[snakeoil24]

I fyou buy the version with Hemi Joints they will give the additional, but Hemi joints are not in my opinion meant for the street..

 

[AR67GTX]

IMO the forces on the upper arm are not nearly as great on the lower arm. That's why the lower ball joints wear out long before the upper ones. The stock upper arm should be fine for just about anything unless you have a special issue to correct like camber.

 

[WileE]

On a knee-action suspension, there is an arm which is the "load" arm, the other a "follower". On a Mopar torsion bar setup, the lower arm is the load which wears out. IF the upper bushings/ball joint is worn, you may consider the tubular arm for the benefit of increased positive caster. Do not use Heim-joint arms for the street. PST supplies a nice set. Made a big difference in my current car.

 

[Torkmnstr]

Hey Doug I sent you a pm.

 

[Richard Cranium]

Hello all,


Are the stamped stock arms a "weak sister", or would tubular arms be an extravagance?

Your stock ones have lasted 45+ years and I'm sure they have many decades more of life left in them.

 

[Hemirunner]

I, as well as thousands of other car guys, use Heim joint arms on the street. I've logged thousands of miles on them. They do increase NVH, but there are no other reasons that they can't be used on the street. They'll get you all the caster/camber you need.