Never seen anyone else mention it... My lower control arms have a flat bar with the ends bent to a pipe shape inside them. 2 bolts go thru the LCA, thru the round ends, thus trapping the bars in the middle of the "U" shape of the LCA.
Is this common? I noticed them when I was gonna take the LCAs out to box them. Seemed like I'd just be wasting my time.

 

I think most if not all cars had that. I know mine did, and nearly every other I've seen, including the V6 cars. But still that "reinforcement" isn't that strong. Check out Lakewood's LCA's, they're only $75! That's half of what most other companies charge. They're powdercoated, come with greaseable poly bushings, and make a noticable difference in wheelhop.

 

Oh, yeah. I've been eyeballing a couple of different aftermarket arms. I'd like a set that uses the same size bushings as stock, considering I've already got polygraphite ones installed. Heck, the ones that come with 'em would probably outlast my poor car, anyway!
Back in the day I had an 84 Firebird that did not have the reinforcements, and I've got a rear from an 84 Z28 that doesn't have them. I was wondering if they were part of a suspension upgrade. My IROC is such a pieced together mess, there's no telling where they came from.

 

i was thinking boxing my stock ones from my 88 iroc-z parts car however, i am thinking just buy aftermarket lca's for my 91 formula.

 

slp sells a set like them , i have them. but they are 1LE that are reinforced, they hookup a little better than stock but not worth th cash, i'm looking at tublar spohn ones. should be alot better.

 

Think about suspension bind before you order your parts (or at least the type of joints on the LCAs).

 

Are you referring to the rear trailing arms? If so, it sounds like someone obtained the inserts used when putting a sway bar on a G or A body car. On those cars the rear sway bar is bolted onto the trailing arms. To prevent crushing the arm an insert is used.

RBob.

 

No, he is referring to the reinforcement inside the rear LCA, or rear trailing arms as you call them. Has nothing to do with a G/A body car.

 

Would you happen to know if your car came from the factory with the inserts? I know that the '92 I have did not. And I know of a bunch of others that do not have the insert. It would be interesting to find out that some f-body's did come with them. Sorta' like the wonder-bar. . .

RBob.

 

Yup, they are factory. And like I stated before, EVERY Thirdgen I've ever seen in a junkyard or other had them. Every single one, including the V6's. I was told that it was only offered on some cars by several board members long, long ago - like pre UBB Before the white background even. Back when the background was black and the text white. Replaced mine with the Lakewoods and look what I found Ever since everytime I go looking for stuff in the yards or we have a thirdgen in our dealership, I take a look. Every one! I could probably take pics of mine. Or you could even have them if you want. I have no need for them.

 

Thanks for the input, everybody. RBob, they are pretty much like the G body inserts, just there for a different reason.
Marc, EVERY one? I can't say that I've looked at a lot of 'em, but I have 2 sets laying in my yard that don't even have the holes drilled in them, if I recall correctly.
Interesting.
Tubular bars are in the near future.... when the weather breaks and warmth returns!

 

Mine don't have the inserts either. And recently I bent one of mine and so I got one off an 84 Z at the junk yard and it didn't have the insert either. The original one on my car still doesn't have the holes drilled in it but, the one off the Z does.

 

I've only seen the reinforcements on camaros.. never on a bird. My 87 formula ws6 did not have them. But I got a set from an 86 Z that did. And I have seen them on v/6 camaros too.

 

Boy- this is an old thread, but I finally found it. I have an 84 Z28 that came with the reinforcements and a 91 RS that definitely does NOT have them. I thought it might be a Z28/Base model thing- but evidently not.

 

I'd love to see the reinforcements he speaks of. I have 4 LCAs off 2 GTA right now & none of them have anything inside. I've had RSs, Z28s, IROCs......NONE of them had ANYTHING inside the LCAs, nor have I ever seen a stock LCA with anything reinforcing it.

Anybody got a pic of LCAs like that?

 

I've never seen anything REMOTELY like that either; and I've looked at em in junkyards from one end of the country to the other. Not 3rd gen or 4th gen (same basic part). My own didn't have it.

The OE ones were so flimsy, I could bend them with my hands. I threw em in the trash and put in the Lakewood ones that are square tubing with poly bushings, since they were SO CHEEEP. Just one piece in a long chain of taking floppy rubber-bands out of my suspension.

 

The following info is from my 82-91 Parts & Illustration Catalogue (note the part numbers):

Number 21 below: REINFORCEMENT, Stab Shf Lwr Cont (1983-86)
Number 22 below: BOLT, Hex (M10x1.5x55)

What cars were equipped with the reinforcement piece I'm unsure, but they were available.

For the PDF files of the above, see the link below:

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/susp...ml#post4997928

JamesC

 

Here is a set of braces from a g-body ('87 regal Limited). Holes are on 5.5" centers. Sway bar is to the right in the picture (end that bolts to trailing arm). Note that the g-bodys of that era use the same trailing arms as the 3rd gen f-body's. With the exception that not all f-body trailing arms have the holes.

RBob.

 

Those are the braces that went inside the arm & was bolted in place?

I've heard of them, but never seen them.

 

I've had plenty of braces like that in G-bodies, A-bodies, and B-bodies, as far back as the 60s. Never seen em in a F-body. OTOH if G-body LCAs fit F-bodies (which I don't know, but wouldn't surprise me in the slightest), then that could easily explain how they got there.

 

Yes, they are stamped heavy gauge sheet metal with the ends rolled for bolt holes. The bolts are long as they also clamp the sway bar to the trailing arm.

Personally, I've never seen them used except in conjunction with a sway bar. But as others have seen, GM apparently did use them in f-body's w/o the sway bar. I would imagine as a stiffener for the trailing arm. Which makes sense.

RBob.