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’70-81 Camaro Parts

The tubular control arms for the Classic ’70-81 Camaro and ’75-79 Nova are a real nice way to improve the looks and handling. They are available in stock or 1" narrowed per side versions for more tire clearance. This is especially helpful for street rodders who installed a subframe in a car and then found out it was too wide to get the tires under their fenders. We supply the bushings, ball joints, and shafts installed, using top quality components. The upper shafts have a 3/16" offset built into them, an improvement pioneered by MOOG. Doing so allows you to change the length of the upper arm 3/8" to allow a larger “window” for your alignmnent expert to deal with. The unfortunate fact is that these fine cars were not always precisely built, and may have suffered some dimensional changes with years of service. The offset allows you to get the alignment specs you want without excessive shim stacks, or running out of space. The shaft can simple be rotated within the bushing to dial in the proper length for your car. We suggest ½" toe in, zero to ½° positive camber, and 3-4° positive caster with power steering, 2° positive with manual steering.

The info on the catalog page does a good job of detailing the features and benefits of our GM tubular control arms. We have been producing these since 1991, with hundreds of sets installed and proven. In fact, our ’70 Chevelle ran them in the in the 2008 Super Chevy Suspension challenge, putting in times consistent with a new production Corvette…and with an iron Big Block and street compound tires! We feel that urethane bushings can provide more precise handling due to less compliance than seen with OEM rubber bushings, but with that same advantage creating a harsher ride n the real world of patched pavement! We use urethane bushings on top for the greater control, but normally supply OEM rubber bushings on the bottom to make the ride more livable. Lower urethane bushings are a no charge option if you prefer them. Our molded urethane lower spring seat is also an advantage in transferring less noise and harshness than OEM and competitors arms which mount the springs in a steel to steel fashion. That seat is bolted in place and is easily removed for the use of Coilover and Airride conversions.

Speaking very frankly, the major advantages of tubular control arms are a better cosmetic appearance, an optional narrower track width for tire clearance, and the use of better alignment to match modern speeds, radial tires, and power steering. Tubular arms are not appreciably lighter than stock stamped arms, although they do deform less under heavy cornering loads, which can lead to more predictable handling. The narrower arms were first produced for street rods that had a too wide subframe installed, and need extra tire clearance. The Pro Mod guys then started using them for the same reasons on their cars with the OEM suspensions.

All our tubular upper control arms have modified upper ball joint positions which arrived at by testing on multiple cars. We typically move the ball joint to the rear to allow more positive caster settings than are available with OEM stamped arms. Ball joint angles are optimized for lowered cars, and in some cases we have altered the control arms length for better camber settings. We also make our billet steel upper control arms shafts with a 3/16” offset, as pioneered by the MOOG company “Problem Solver” line of upper arms shafts. The GM frames seem massive, but have proven to sag in normal use. The 3/16” offset in the shaft allows the alignment technician to effectively alter the length of the upper arms by 3/8” (3/16” times 2, since the offset reverses to double the effect). This allows modern caster and camber settings without huge shim stacks that can slip. Since we know we are dealing with custom cars, we can build customs arms to solve ball joint angle, alignment, and wheelbase problems…usually at no extra cost!

We have stayed with 1” x .188 wall DOM steel tubing, rather than the larger OD tubes seen in competitors control arms. The engineering fact is that a larger OD, but thinner wall tube is not any stronger. And the larger diameter makes some of the necessary clearances more difficult, requiring those larger tubes to be mashed flat to be welded to the bushing and ball joint bosses. We would rather use the size tubing that allows an undamaged tube to be welded to those critical areas.

We normally coat our control arms with a lacquer primer, which readily accepts acrylic enamel finish paint. The acrylic enamel is one of the more impact resistance type paints and will resist chipping quite well. And it can be sprayed in a color that complements the paint scheme of your entire project car. We do offer a powder coating option which is unique in that we offer a wide choice of colors. It is often difficult to truly match a powder coat color to normal paint, so we would suggest a coating color that is an accent color instead.

Our 2" dropped spindles will accept all your stock steering, brakes, and control arms, as well as our tubular arms. Note that the ’70-78 cars have a .75" inside diameter outer bearing, enlarged to .844 ’89-81. If you aren’t 100% sure of the year of your subframe, check that out. We also offer an aluminum caliper by Wilwood that bolts directly in place of the stock iron unit for a weight savings and nicer style. New brake hoses will be required.

Upgraded shocks are probably the best kept secret in hot rodding. Changing from a standard parts store gas shock to a premium aftermarket unit is as much an improvement as going from bias ply to radial tires! A Saturday morning a couple hundred bucks will pay dividends you can’t imagine. The same shocks form the basis for the coilover conversions. Coilovers allow you to tune the ride height and spring rate easily for a no compromise combination. Take the ultimate step to a single or double adjustable shock and allow tuning the damping of your spring action for amazing handling without a harsh ride. They really come in handy too allowing you to have soft shocks for normal driving, and then tighten them up for harder driving or a big load in the trunk when traveling. Imagine changing the characteristics of your suspension at the turn of a button! Sway bars are highly recommended to improve handling. Tabs are provided for front sway bars on our tubular control arms in stock or narrowed length configuration. These bars really help keep the body level for better handling and comfort.

Our 2" dropped spindles will accept all your stock steering, brakes, and control arms, as well as our tubular arms. Note that the ’70-78 cars have a .75" inside diameter outer bearing, enlarged to .844 ’89-81. If you aren’t 100% sure of the year of your subframe, check that out. We also offer an aluminum caliper by Wilwood that bolts directly in place of the stock iron unit for a weight savings and nicer style. New brake hoses will be required.

Upgraded shocks are probably the best kept secret in hot rodding. Changing from a standard parts store gas shock to a premium aftermarket unit is as much an improvement as going from bias ply to radial tires! A Saturday morning a couple hundred bucks will pay dividends you can’t imagine. The same shocks form the basis for the coilover conversions. Coilovers allow you to tune the ride height and spring rate easily for a no compromise combination. Take the ultimate step to a single or double adjustable shock and allow tuning the damping of your spring action for amazing handling without a harsh ride. They really come in handy too allowing you to have soft shocks for normal driving, and then tighten them up for harder driving or a big load in the trunk when traveling. Imagine changing the characteristics of your suspension at the turn of a button!

Sway bars are highly recommended to improve handling. Tabs are provided for front sway bars on our tubular control arms in stock or narrowed length configuration. These bars really help keep the body level for better handling and greater comfort.