Front Upper Control arm hardware

[neller840]

Hey guys I have a question, I recently purchased new bushings for my upper and lower control arms. The upper control arm's cross shaft is fine, but the serrated washer(with teeth) is serrated no more.. I have looked everywhere for a place to pick these washers up. All I can find is complete hardware kits with the cross shaft, washers, bushings, and nuts. Funny thing is Moog sells one of these kits with the serrated washer I need, which is also the brand of bushings I purchased. I just think it's dumb to not sell the washers separately, or make you purchase a shaft you don't even need. Anyone run into this or have any input?? I was going to try Moog and see what they have to say, or just return the bushings and buy a complete kit. :shock:

 

[neller840]

Anyone know why the replacement cross shaft is offset?

 

[pontiacgp]

some frames fold in after many years so they have offset shafts to compensate so you get the proper camber and caster specs on a wheel alignment. I had to get one for my 74 GP when I had it. It wasn't a replacement shaft tho, I had to special order it

 

[neller840]

Seems like someone welded around my upper and lower control arm mounts.. Some welds look factory, some are a little sloppy with rod pieces still stuck in a weld puddle. Wonder if someone was correcting this frame bending issue. I'll post a picture later.

I purchased a Hotchkis TVS system for the car, but I wanted to use the original control arms. I have new Moog bushings, but when I took off the old washers that cup the bushings, the teeth had worn off the washers. I've been taking pictures and I'll post information as I go, in a new post on the installation and restoration.. It was my uncles car who past away, and my brother and I have taken on the task of making the car what my uncle would have wanted.

I love the Grand Prix, it has a better dash, and seats. I'd love to do a dash/seat swap into the Caballero! Thanks for the help

 

[pontiacgp]

if the brackets on the frame have been changed it's to change the geometry so you can get better handling. It's done on circle track cars but it's usually against the rules

 

[neller840]

Not sure why there are welds on the mounts.. I'll take pics tomorrow and post them. I was wondering if they possibly were trying to lower the vehicle somehow.. The springs were cut, and looks like they were heated, as the paint was peeling off the metal. This is my first G-Body vehicle, so I figured i'd join the party here, seeing I'm a noob. Thanks again for the help!

 

[pontiacgp]

the think with the brackets on the frame they are sitting on an angle, if you straighten them out the camber and caster settings going around the corner are more consistent and it's easier to set up the car. If you look at a 2nd gen camaro front clip you'll notice the brackets are parallel to the front tire and the upper control arms have identical length in each arm, one of the reasons they handle better than a G body

 

[neller840]

Here are some pics of the Control Arm mounts, and the welds I was talking about.

 

[neller840]

Also I noticed the fuel line runs inside frame on the driverside.. It goes in right where the front part of the frame meets the middle, and comes out of the hole that the spring and shock run through. Thought it was strange to have that run next to moving suspension parts..??

 

[pontiacgp]

it looks like someone has changed the upper brackets to get rid of the angle it use to sit on. I'll take a picture of mine later to show you how it's set up from factory. What upper control arms were on it?