Pretty sure they will not 'snap' but he box looks like it goes to far to the rear on the lower/rear portion of the upper arm that is open to clear the casting/mount for the upper control bushing of the rear end housing. Also, weld a washer on the outside, upper rear bolt hole, it takes the most abuse, pushing the whole car forward. Look around a few junk yards/salvages and score rear sway bar and mounts that go inside the lower control arms BEFORE you box them.
Thanks for the tips! Makes perfect sense, I will definitely add some steel to the bolt hole, weather it be a washer or plate.
michaelhealy said:
That's a pretty nice looking car except for that fender. I recently bought a new front left panel fender for my 1980 regal from an auto ranch in Texas. Otherwise the car looks immaculate for having sat in the woods so long. Thankfully when we took my buick out, it's was from a garage.
Ok, I know that area. Say, which motor was that in your car? The 301 or the (Yuck!) 265? Some Pontiac guys could be interested in it if its the 301. Maybe the 265 for parts. Lol.
Dropping in a chevy 350 is a good plan. You won't have to change the mounts unless they are dry rotted. Then just get them new from the parts store. But make sure the 350 chevy has the G body style mount cups. They are not all the same with chevy. It was a PITA in my '81 Monte Carlo because it came with the chevy V6 and the mounts wouldn't line up. I think I used the B body mounts. I had my Monte in '89, so I don't really recall where I got those mounts from. Ask the Chevy guys here, they should know. Also the wiring won't be right either. The Pontiac starter and battery hook ups are on the drivers side like Oldsmobile. Chevy and Buick are on the passenger side. You just need to find a Monte Carlo or V6- Regal, Cutlass, Or Grand Prix in the yards and grab the front harness. Any year should do.
I hope this helps.
T
Thanks man! If I put a 350 in it, it will betemporary so I can get it on the road. I would like to restore it with original drivetrain one day. It has the 301. I will most likely skip the 350 and just rebuild and reinstall the 301.....but I have a long way to go and not much time to work on it
Pretty sure they will not 'snap' but he box looks like it goes to far to the rear on the lower/rear portion of the upper arm that is open to clear the casting/mount for the upper control bushing of the rear end housing. Also, weld a washer on the outside, upper rear bolt hole, it takes the most abuse, pushing the whole car forward. Look around a few junk yards/salvages and score rear sway bar and mounts that go inside the lower control arms BEFORE you box them.
The factory rear arms are designed to flex alot to prevent binding. 4 link rear suspensions are prone to binding and wheel hop, with binding being the worse of the two. When a suspension binds up you have understeer and the car handles better until it "snaps" loose out of the bind and goes to oversteer without warning. This is why it is called snap oversteer as it will happen without warning.
The other problem with boxing the factory control arms is it makes the arm mounts on the frame flex and twist, and they are not designed for that. To run a box arm it will need a spherical bushing to prevent binding. With a 4 link, something has to flex. Leave your suspension completely stock, rubber bushings and all... or get new arms with spherical bushings on one end. One set up or the other... anything else is a recipe for snap oversteer, damaged control arm mounts, and mega bind. Aftermarket manufacturers deal with this needed flex by using a spherical bearing or rod end to allow the arm to twist with respect to either the chassis or the rear axle.
I appreciate you looking out for me but with my plans, they need to be boxed and they will do fine. Im also dropping the front upper mounts down a few inches.
Hey Roy, Just helpful word here. I don't know who told you or where you got your info from, But you should only box the lower control arms never the uppers. If you plan on driving it on the street, that is the way to go. GM 4 link is very good and strong as hell as is. I was able to get that system to launch a heavy 4 door's front wheel off the ground with the stock set up with heavy truck springs and nothing else. Not even a sway bar. The stock 4 link system can handle up to 500 hp without breaking anything.
On a bad note, even a professional driver will have a hard time recovering from a snap oversteer.
I don't want to see you or anybody that you could crash into get hurt. Put the stock uppers back on the car until u can get or make a set with spherical ends(your welding skills are good so it shouldn't be a problem). The parts can be bought separately. The best case scenario is that you'll rip the frame boxes out their welds. You will not like the carnage dude. If your going on the track then you may be ok. Cornering and hard braking is when it will start binding.
T
I pulled the trans off of the motor today. Gonna break it apart soon to make sure its good to rebuild. I wish it was the 4 speed but its the 3 speed TH200c.
Im going to rebuild the motor with a cam, little head work NO boring unless it needs it. Rebuild the quadrajunk carb. I dont know what Ill do about headers.
It will pretty much be the same car my pappy bought less emissions. Ill keep the AC but I want to make this a really really clean car.
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