deal of the century ...factory G body swaybar

[carnutjw]

My solution- 1" round aluminum, 1-1/4" long, 7/16" hole. I'm using a Blazer rear bar currently so M10 x 60 mm bolts (70-80mm? with factory bar), nuts, washers. 3/8" bolts would work too. There are actually six holes in factory control arms, so you could make six pieces and stiffen the arms a little at the front hole location also.

 

[Cuse99]

My solution- 1" round aluminum, 1-1/4" long, 7/16" hole. I'm using a Blazer rear bar currently so M10 x 60 mm bolts (70-80mm? with factory bar), nuts, washers. 3/8" bolts would work too. There are actually six holes in factory control arms, so you could make six pieces and stiffen the arms a little at the front hole location also.
View attachment 170013

This is my plan B. I'll see what the OEM parts look like when I get them. I'm just glad I saw this post before I simply installed my rear sway bar.

 

[Cuse99]

Another $50 and you could have just bought these.

MSS Control Arms Lower LCA 78-88 GM G Body Metric Malibu GN Cutlass SS Rear | eBay

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I'm not convinced but I appreciate the response. I just did a search and I can't find these parts anywhere except for EBAY. No parts stores I could find cary these.

 

[Gwarren79]

The SBC lower alternator "spacer" works perfect when cut down to the proper size.

 

[69hurstolds]

If you have a STOCK suspension, you do NOT need those fancy LCAs. If you're using a reputable company, then I say it's a good mod if you're going to finish the handling package by starting with new LCAs like that. But if you're just going to bolt up new trailing arms just to bolt a stock sway bar to it and go no further, you're just pi$$ing up a rope, IMO.

You can make your stock non-braced trailing arms stronger if you weld up some spacers for the bolts, AND then weld a plate on the bottom of each LCA to box it in and use some poly bushings. Should be plenty strong for the street that way. As always- set your goal, then plan how to get there. Just don't start throwing money and parts at it. You'll be unhappy unless you're very lucky. If you start modding the suspension with all the cool kid parts, I'd get an LCA lowering kit for the axle-end hookup, too.

Although the thread is kinda old, it's all good. Still good info in the thread to bring to the top every now and again.

 

[Bonnewagon]

Old thread, still good info. I used boxed control arms and still found they crushed with the sway bar bolts. So I drilled big holes and fitted some steel tubing that the bolts could pass through. Welded that into the LCA's and now it as stiff as can be. Overkill? Maybe, but my butt meter says it helped a lot.

 

[69hurstolds]

If they were boxed without the spacers installed, yeah, they're going to crush regarldless. The older A-bodies used a spacer trapped inside the boxed arms. They don't crush.