EL CAMINO SouthSide Machine rear lower control arms

Dec 31, 2019
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Hey everybody, I've got an 83 el camino that I'm trying to install an old pair of Southside Machine Rear Lower Control arms onto. Seeing as I think GForce acquired them, and they are no longer in business, i have no idea how these are supposed to mount up. I've found instructions on ss396.com, but they are contradictory and have only caused me a great deal of confusion. If anyone has these bolted on your car, I'd greatly appreciate pictures of how the rear brackets are drilled/mounted. I'm at the end of my rope with them, and I have a track rental in a weeks time so I'm running out of options.
 

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carnutjw

G-Body Guru
Sep 17, 2017
621
1,465
93
I'm wondering if there are/were two Southside Machine companies building similar products. I'm aware of the one in Indianapolis, but it seems there was another in Memphis(?) some years ago? Here's the current product from Indy:
 

Rt Jam

G-Body Guru
Mar 30, 2020
594
587
93
Ontario Canada
Thanks for the pic. I now see how the second hole can Hold the rear housing to maintain a pinion angle.(y)

I understand SSM is a company with engineers, fabricators and success and I'm just some guy on the internet but how do you think this will articulate?
I've seen enough broken control arm mounts, bolt holes gone oval and broken bolts to know this garbage should not be sold to people with 2 dimensional thinking.

If the rear is forced to rise in an arc due to being solidly bolted by 2 pairs of bolts on the lower control arm A N D you have a pair of upper control arms forcing a different arc. Bad sh*t will happen.
Same with articulation. You do not need to off road to articulate. Drive over a speed bump with the tire and the rear is articulating. Think of a door, it does not articulate, top moves, bottom moves. These SSM bars with a solid front bushing are doing the same thing. Left moves, right moves but I'm here to tell everyone, that's not the real world.
 
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scoti

Royal Smart Person
Sep 5, 2019
1,979
3,404
113
Texas
Thanks for the pic. I now see how the second hole can Hold the rear housing to maintain a pinion angle.(y)

I understand SSM is a company with engineers, fabricators and success and I'm just some guy on the internet but how do you think this will articulate?
I've seen enough broken control arm mounts, bolt holes gone oval and broken bolts to know this garbage should not be sold to people with 2 dimensional thinking.

If the rear is forced to rise in an arc due to being solidly bolted by 2 pairs of bolts on the lower control arm A N D you have a pair of upper control arms forcing a different arc. Bad sh*t will happen.
Same with articulation. You do not need to off road to articulate. Drive over a speed bump with the tire and the rear is articulating. Think of a door, it does not articulate, top moves, bottom moves. These SSM bars with a solid front bushing are doing the same thing. Left moves, right moves but I'm here to tell everyone, that's not the real world.
100% strip worthy.... The other 90% of the driving experience there will be 'bind'.
 
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