Benefits to boxing rear control arms

[patmckinneyracing]

Basically what the title says. Want to know if there is a noticeable difference with boxed control arms. I can't do it to my lower control arms cause I a stock sway bar. If anyone has done their lower control arms with a stock sway bar, let me know how you did it.

 

[turbo78]

it is very simple. just weld the spacer supports for the sway bar in the control arm and then plate your arms...
and yes, there are advantages, just not as much advantage as swapping them out for a set of adjustable ones with poly bushings.

 

[patmckinneyracing]

I just don't have the money for the adjustable tube ones. Making do with what I have

 

[85GPLef41]

I hear you on that! :lol: You boxing both uppers and lowers?

 

[patmckinneyracing]

I'm going to box the uppers. My thought with the lowers is that the stock bracket that goes into the lower control arm for the sway bar kinda acts as a type of reinforcement. I got lucky at one point and found a monte carlo aerocoupe in the local yard right after one of the hurricanes and pulled the sway bar and front braces that run from the center k-frame to the frame itself.

 

[pontiacgp]

for the front sway bar look for a WS6 bar from a Trans Am GTA....they are 1.41 diameter and quite a noticeable difference from an F41 bar...

 

[shotgun]

If the car is used on the street at all Do Not box the uppers.

Also the upper should have atleast one set of "loose" bushings, rubber, bearing or hiem.

Boxing the lowers is easy and helps with wheel hop/handling.

Here are mine. I had an aftermarket mount for the sway bar that made it a little harder to do then stock. Notice the stock bolts were used to keep them true while welding.


viewtopic.php?f=14&t=8166&start=0&hilit=boxed+lowers

 

[Bonnewagon]

I needed them for towing. The rear twists all over backing up. Speedway sells a reasoablly priced set for about $200 and they come with poly boshings. I had to weld tubes in to mount the sway bar, not a problem.

 

[Phoenyx]

I would box both uppers and lowers. Then new bushings. Poly on the axle side, and rubber on the frame side.

 

[MD13ailey]

I bought tubular non adjustable control arms and I think they work great on the street and i really noticed a difference when cornering hard, its way more stable i would guess would be that the rear end is less likely to move around since the control arms are way more stiff. the factory arms you can flex by standing on them. and i would bet that there is more than a couple hundred punds force when cornering hard