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Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 14:39
by drewcrane
Well I dont think this will work. this is just a mock set up just to see if this will work,

the sway bar mounts on this modern LCA is either not in the right place or I need a shorter sway bar?

I saw someone else with this problem but I never saw there resolution :roll:

I might have to go with stock reinforced LCA,S :|

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 16:20
by Eddie
Drew, are those E-Body lower control arms? They look like B-Body units from 67-69 units. The E-Body unts should all be the same with the sway bar tab located in the middle of the control arm facing parallel to the ground. It wouldnt be to terribly difficult to cut those off then weld them on the tube in the right position. If it's Chrome-Moly tubing you might have to TIG weld them. The stock re-inforced units are what I am using.

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 16:44
by drewcrane
Yes they ARE E body arms, but look at the difference in length, the lowers look longer than stock,so I know they look like they are for another car, I cant even see anybody that sells em any more :shock:

I will probably use stock arms with reinforcement and be done, like you said Eddie :wink:

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 16:58
by Eddie
Oh, OK Bro, yeah, I was going to use them but...I am going to use the Firm Feel tubular uppers. You can get the re-inforcement plates from a variety of sources. Mancini sells them as does Firm Feel. If one of your buds has a plasma cutter you could make them yourself in a matter of seconds! :lol:

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 17:01
by Adrian Worman
Don't QA-1 sell the lca's made by CapAuto under their own name still?
I got a pair of reinforcing plates for my lca's which I think I had from FirmFeel, still ain't fitted em yet :oops:

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 20:51
by Adrian Worman
http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/chucker54_2210_61378840

This pic came from Mancini Racings website for B/E lower control arms, they say they are the same?

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 23:19
by drewcrane
Adrian Worman wrote:http://ep.yimg.com/ca/I/chucker54_2210_61378840

This pic came from Mancini Racings website for B/E lower control arms, they say they are the same?

Yea a Ade those are it :D

Look at them next to a stock arm, the mounting points for the strut rod and sway bar end links are different :roll:

But the arms are the same length as shown in the next pic :|

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 06 May 2012 23:22
by drewcrane
Fabricate some templates for some steel for the stock arms,took a picture/copy of some aftermarket units,

Jim will make em for next to nothing

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 10:28
by Adrian Worman
That looks well strange don't it? The pix show the adjustable strut rods located ok, but the sway bar brackets are way off, yet in the pic from above with them side by side the mounts look not too far out?
Did you buy em with yer hard earned dollar Drew or has someone lent them to you for mockup? That would really piss me off if I'd paid a few hundred to find they dont fit without modifications :roll:
Shame they can't work cos the weight saving alone will help loads :wink:

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 12:39
by dave-r
B and E body up to 71 should be exactly the same so it is not because they are B-body by mistake or something.

I would stick to re-enforcing the stock arms too.

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 12:42
by drewcrane
Yea this is what I get for trying something untested ,,

and Ade I have 400 bucks in em, I will make some calls today, but I am not holding out any hope for a refund I bought these atleast 3 years ago :x

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 13:36
by drewcrane
[quote="drewcrane"]Yea this is what I get for trying something untested ,,

and Ade I have 400 bucks in em, I will make some calls today, but I am not holding out any hope for a refund I bought these atleast 3 years ago :x[/quote

I weighed them and the stock arm is just under 9 lbs and the poorly designed,not tested arm, just under 8 lbs so not a big difference and after further review it also looks a bit flimsey :roll:

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 13:45
by Adrian Worman
Yeah I'd be well f@#ked off at that too mate :evil:
I'd still wanna know what they're supposed to fit tho so you have some chance of selling them, and we get to know what to avoid in future :idea: phone em tho mate you never know they may be more receptive than you think, at least try for some credit on other stuff, don't know till you ask eh?
Still a shame cos I still think they could have given some good handling gains.

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 13:48
by Adrian Worman
I must have missed that last one......... I thought they made big weight savings :shock:
Remember you got the added mass of a plate and welding to add on

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 07 May 2012 14:04
by drewcrane
Ok I just got off the phone with Dave at QA 1 ,and yes they did buy out Cap auto about 6 mos. ago.

They have gone through there tooling and jigs and have redesigned everything and have gotten rid of the coil over set up(good thinking there IMO ),but these arms that I bought are out of warranty which is one year,

I have had them to long to get a refund, but I did ask him if possible to speak with his engineers about this issue and he said he would call me back if there are or were any changes(I bet there is and the person that welded up mine had the jig wrong)

They guy seemed nice, and really guys I am not that upset.

I was ready for this when they showed up,I took to long on this car ,and cant expect them to honor parts that I dont have an invoice for,yes Cap Auto made em wrong and I cant expect a new company to take a return on an item that might 3 or 4 years old from another company ....lesson learned :lol:

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 08 May 2012 20:01
by Eddie
Sell Em on MoParts Drew. Some guys can use that bar and attach the sway to the strut rods with an AR Eng. adaptor. Of course the strut rods have to be beefed to handle the Xtra stress and this mod is for a track car or E-Bay em!!!

Re: Quite the conundrum

PostPosted: 08 May 2012 23:42
by drewcrane
Eddie wrote:Sell Em on MoParts Drew. Some guys can use that bar and attach the sway to the strut rods with an AR Eng. adaptor. Of course the strut rods have to be beefed to handle the Xtra stress and this mod is for a track car or E-Bay em!!!



Yea I will hold on to em for now .................and then e bay em to some poor old sod :wink: