I asked a while ago about when the welding on original control arm mount on the rear has rusted off seperating the arm from the body (left side has done it already, right is starting to). someone responded on a way to fix it so itll still work, if someone has information on that again. I appreciate it.

I also have a question , it is more for information then what i should or shouldnt do. because i know what should be and shouildnt be but i need to know the risk and what im dealing with right now with my camaro.

what is the sole purpose of the rear control arms? (my knowledge is was to keep the body bouncing side to side from the frame, like the stabilizer bar) but if theres more id like to know. Also.. with one side off (if not 2 in the near future) what problems and dangers am i dealing with? is it just a bouncing problem. or can something come apart? thanks

 

If you take off the control arms, I'm pretty sure you'll die. Or at least the car will. Without the control arms, what's to keep the rear from just flopping around back and forth under throttle/braking? The sway bar just controls body roll; it won't do the job of the control arms. The torque arm is somewhat like another control arm, but it won't keep the rear in place. There would be nothing on the outside ends of the rear to hold it in place. Unless there is something I don't know, I would think it best to have the control arms (both of them).

 

well, the drivers side, the mount rusted from the body and now i have just hanging by a rope. because i cant get th ebolt out on the other end.. prob been in there since the car was made.. it does bounce more mor eon the highway . not really in town so much.. the right one was rusting but hasnt come off, the tow truck guy who towed my car a while a back like an idiot hooked the tow to it , it pulled it more. its not something i can just pull into a shop and get it fix. since i dont have that kinda cash... is it more worried the gas tank boiuncing around, or that it might jump track and flip or something?

see i have to drive my car, and i want to fix it somehow, but its something i wanted to know what to do or what risks that is taking.. the driver control arm which is already dragging if i didnt have a rope tie holding it up on the inside (including the seat botl is bolted to it) so its not really doing anything for the car.... so i was gonna remove it altogettyher right now cuz if it drags while im driving again thats a problem.
also the track bar under the back. the far right lower bolt i just noticed was lose. the nut is not tigthened all the way and is frozen in place where itgs at. so the bar wiggles up down and all over..i need to power tool it back on but maybe thats causing the bounce too.. just trying to figure this out.. (since money is an issue at hand right now).. thanks for your reply. appeciate it

 

Partner, you must be talking about a rear swaybar mount.

BECAUSE, if your control arm was broken off on one side of the car you would not be driving around town saying its a little bumpy. You would be doing circles in your driveway and not getting anywhere.

 

Post a pic of the affected part.

 

true, the control arms hold the axle in the car, without them it would not stay there long. You must be confusing them with the swaybar,

 

Ok, here is a picture of my passenger side rear suspension. The control arm is the part on the lower right. The stock part. The sway bar is the big red bar towards the bottom that needs to be cleaned.

Here is the right:

Ok, in this picture the control arm is the silver aluminum tube near the lower center of the picture. The sway bar, once again, is the big red bar that still needs to be cleaned.

Which part are you talking about?

PS: I'm not running stock LCAs on one side and aftermarkt on the other. Just happens to be the pictures I have.

 

The part youve all described as the control arm. is the part. its on the driver side. .. i have a 92 camaro 5.0 tbi 25th anniv. , okay. the driver rear arm. one part is connected to the same part as the shock is connected too I believe... the other has the seatbelt bolted in and looks like was welded on originally to the frame.. water got in the back through a crack on the seal over time . ive always soaked it up but i geuss it went through because thats where it rusted and disconnected. its holding on by the seatbelt to keep it about an inch off the ground. i havent been able to get the other bolt off all the way to take it off so i can fix it. and from risking it drag. . i can take pics tomorrow. and try and show.. ill take pics of both sides.... in fact i may just go out and do it now.. with flash...

 

Man, I'll wait online all night to see a picture of this. Curioustiy killed the cat- and I am one curious cat on this post!

And you say you've been desparate and have resorted to driving the car this way? You sound like a perfect charity case for the show Pimp My Ride.

Edit: Thrust me, I am not making fun of you in any way. I am eager to help. I just need to see this with my own eyes. I really hope it is not a serious as you say becasue that sounds downright dangerous and you are probably a little strapped for cash on a decent repair since that would seriously probably cost more than the car is worth. I really honestly wish you the best. Waiting on pics.

 

heres some pics... i hope they help. you can see where its rusted on the body side. th eother side is fine... im trying to figure how it holds the axle . just 2 bars attasched to the body. .not to sound stupid, but i learn as I go... i want to fix it so i need to understand., but any input will help. thanks guys.

first pic. is the right side which is still attached but slowly pulling away from rust. but that is what rusted off and detached from the driver side.
the rest of the pics are from the drivers side. the blue cord is what im using to hold it up to a hook on the inside to keep it from dragging . because im having hard time getting the frozen bolt out.. so its really not playing any part as for as i can see..

 

Ive been driving this for months now.. i deliver for a restaurant on the weekends. ive even driven it 40 miles out of town once on the highway. granted when i hit a bump going that fast. the body bounces in a lil circle way.. (like bad shocks or something would)... so i dont know. i really want to fix it. someone explained a way to brace it. but i just really wanted to know also. what major part they play.. but everyone seems to say its serious. so now im a lil woah.. eh.

 

Oh.......my......g()d...........

THere ain't a damn thing anybody can do to help you. THrow that car away and cut your losses. GO find a new car.

If you drive that another inch, you get the Darwin award.


Anyone that sees these pics and reads this is going to think this so I maight as well just say it for the masses:," I am glad that is not my car".

I am in f*(king disbelief.


If you drive that car on more inch you are seriously at this point have been warned of the danger and are being extremely foolish--EXTREMELY, EXTREMELY FOOLISH. I hate to tell you, but that is not fixible and you will downright kill yourself and innocent bystanders. You can not go out on the raod with that now or you are knowingly putting people at risk driving next to you and head-on. You hit and kill someione you are nopw with this knowledge commiting 2nd degree murder!!!!!

 

well thanks for your reply. it was obviously pointless talking to you.. If it was that dangerous. i wouldnt be here by now. by car woulda flipped into two... i know the arms have a purpose. but its only 1 not 2 that disconnected. and its in some way still connected by the seat belt.. it just boogys when i hit a bump down the road it drives straight. theres more holding it together then 2 arms on the side, they may be important. but no one is dead. and this is over months not hours.. i appreciate someone replying but it was really a waste talking to you. if you think i need a new car. send me money thanks again! have a nice day

 

Yes, it is pointless talking to people who give you good advise if you reject it.

 

well, look. im not trying to be nasty or upset.. i wanted to know what the rear control arms really do.. if it keeps the axle from twisting? isnt there any other support? i went out and looked and theres other things attach. im just to learn here .. its easy to say go buy a new car... but id like to understand because i like to fix my car or a future car... so i just needed some input other than buying a new car.. someone gave me info on how to reconnect the control arm to the body.. and keep it geometrically lined up...
but is my car kjust that little tiny spot that fell off.. the rest is fine. 100% absultely impossible to do anything to reconnect the control arm so my car can still be used? ...otherwise im stuck

 

If you want to try to fix that car go for it. Its not going to be cheap. But you should park it until you do. Its just a matter of time before it becomes a wreck.

 

well to be honest.. its sat for a long while now. the fuel pump went out and ive been slowly working on that issue..... do you have any idea how to fix the control arm. enough to work, no matter the cost. or any recommandations who to ask

 

Okay, you have SO much rust, that the only thing that's gonna be able to fix the car is several hundered hours worth of welding, a good welder, a lot of hard work, a lot of materials, and a LOT of downtime. It seems like a good chunk of back there is rusted all the way through. New floorpans at least, possibly a lot more. And none of it's cheap. At all. If you can't afford a different car (Going rate of about $2k for a well-running not-pretty car, $1200 for a clunker, and $3-4k for a really good condition) you can't afford to fix this one. Advice? Get a bike.

Or a new car. Dean's right. That thing is a deathtrap waiting to happen. I'm amazed you can take it on the highway.

Look at your rear differential, and count the different things holding it onto the car. The rear control arms do most of the holding, the torque arm stops it from rotating (too much) forward and backward, the bolts on the rear shocks, and the panhard bar.

The torque arm will not stop any kind of movement left to right. At all. The rear shocks are probably the main thing holding that rear to your car, and considering that RUSTED cars have a HIGH chance of having the rear shock punched up into the interior, with all the extra stress, I'm sure they're ready to break on through, leaving the car with nothing but the panhard bar holding the axle on, which is also only held on by a couple of bolts that are quite possibly rusted beyond repair. The panhard bar only bolts to one side of the axle as well.

Anything else I'd say, "Hey, it's your life, throw it away as you wish." But this falls into my speeding through residential areas, school zones, and weaving in and out of traffic philosophy of, "Yea, if you crash, it was your life, but that little kid you took out had everything still ahead of them."

 

FoxyRoxy, In all seriousness, I happen to be a licensed NASCAR Whelen Series Crewcheif on a racecar. Vehicle suspensions is my expertise- This is no BS. You are in serious jepardy if you think you are going to safely drive that vehicle. Those control arms are a MAJOR part of the rear suspension function and are your MAIN attachment links.

This is not a joke- THis is seriously not 'what might happen', this is seriously 'what IS going to happen' to you trying to drive that car in that condition. The real question is if you are unlucky enough to get it up to any kind of speed that kills you. Look what happens to this car at very low speed at a start of a drag race not doing 5mph. Think how badly you would loose control and that car dart out sideways and roll on you doing 40mph or g()d forbid even higher and you enter head-on traffic and kill them ALSO!


http://www.break.com/index/time-fire-your-welder.html


I will put this as serious as I can - Call the junkyard and have it picked up. IT IS NOT REPAIRABLE. I do substantial welding and can tell you first hand that is not repairable. There is so much detriorated metal it can not be welded without just blowing through it. You would have to cut out the entire bottom of the car and maybe even worse since I have not seen the rust in the rest of the car. This would cost you minimum a donor car plus at least a week from an expert fabricator to salvage the floorboard of that car. These are UNIbody cars meaning the frame and body are one and are the main support structure as to which the suspesion links mount to- yours is done, gone, nada. You are looking minimum about 3K to make it marginal safe, not to mention now the next step of replacing the worn busings, realigning the car, and god know what else will be found. Scrap it and buy another car, Trust me.!!!! I can't sugur coat this in any way for you, this is serious.

 

Here's the post you were looking for: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/body...t=#post3268310

Now, can ask something of you? Please don't drive that car!

I know you said money's tight and another car is not an option but, maybe you could get a second job to get you through and buy a beater 'til you can get something better. 5 years from now you wont remember this hardship. If you cause an accident that hurts or kills someone, you'll remember it for a lifetime.

 

That REALLY IS the control arm that's rusted off!

I hope you don't live ANYWHERE NEAR ME!

Yes that car is TOAST. It belongs in the trash. I hate to say it, but that's TOO FAR GONE to repair. I can't believe it even still drives AT ALL!!!!

Nobody is trying to be mean to you or anything; not me or anybody else. The facts are the facts. The facts are, the rear end is no longer properly connected to the car. You have an unguided missile there; you're going to KILL somebody these days, yourself and/or somebody else at the same time, when something happens and the rear moves some unpredictable way and you can't control the car. That REALLY IS extremely dangerous.

PLEASE, for the sake of all the rest of us who want to stay alive, GET THAT THING OFF THE ROAD!!!!

It is too far gone to fix without having a WHOLE OTHER car, with no rust, to cut up for parts. The thing is, why cut up an unrusted car, to fix THAT? If you have a car with no rust, drive that instead, and throw that other thing away. It is used up.

 

okay okay i get the point. you guys could say it a hell of a lot nicer. its not like i would know those 2 arms could split my car in two.. no one said i was aiming to kill someone, which everyone seems to say a lot more than hurting my own self, it could fall off going down my mile long driveway and then who would i kill ... the gravel? I can totally understand. my car doesnt even drive right now as it is.. and if you are worried that I live in your town? id worry someone else lives there not me... if you guys talk to me like a bunch of smartass *******s, why would anyone listen? im just a person out there. who was trying to fix a car... if it can be, and the last thing i needed was a bunch of tripped out, smartass, *******s telling me to dump my car , im gonna kill someone, im glad you dont live in my town blah blah... my car doesnt drive, it hasnt in a while, it isnt going anywhere, it hasnt in a while. i just wanted to know how impt that control arms were, that it couldnt be drovwn till they were fixed (or not) and things i can do.. not a bunch of rude remarks. thanks for all your help.. you guys can think all you want.(ohhh hes gonna drive what a dumbass), whatever.. when all i did was ask 2 questions to begin with or (maybe 3) not a bunch of stupid remarks.... if you didnt want me to drive it or dont. all u had to do was say. foxyroxy, hey these do this, this could happen, i wouldnt reccomend driving it. thats all. but thanks everyone.

 

We aren't being rude, we are acting in a manner that is completely justified by the magnitude of your situation. It's important for the safety of yourself and others that you trash that car, as any attempt to fix it that doesn't cost thousands upon thousands of dollars is not a safe fix.

Every LAST BIT bit of energy that pushes the car FORWARD goes through the 2 lower control arms. Nothing else. Torque arm keeps it from rotating up. Panhard keeps the body centered above the axle. Shocks/springs hold the car up. None of these transfer any FORWARD energy, which is why none of them are as beefy as the control arms. You drive without one of them and that side of the axle will literally walk forward, torquing the other control arm (and if it looks anything like that side, breaking it off too) which will very rapidly send the car in who knows what direction.

Car is toast. You are lucky if you are even able to PUSH that thing.

 

No one is trying too be a smart*** we FEAR and CARE for YOUR LIFE and the LIFE of OTHERS. The Lower Control Arms ARE the main link on your axle driving your car like that WILL (not might) endanger yourself, your car, and others. We are not trying too be rude are smart*** bieng the car guys with the knowledge that we have we are truely concerned about your situation and just want too let you know exactly how bad you have it in the extreme situation you lower control arm mount is theres no way too powder coat telling you what you have. IF someone on this board told you it was not that bad i would be shocked and appauled bc they would be given you the go ahead too seriously injure or kill yourself. No one here wants too see you hurt thats why are words might sound harsh but they must be so you can realize how very very dangerous it is too attempt too drive that car like that. I work at a classic car restoration shop and im telling you it is almost impossible too repair that by urself without the knowledge too do it properly the cost in materials and labor for someone else too even attempt it would be ungodly you would seriously be better off junking the car too a junkyard getting some cash that way then buying another car. Please do not try too sell this car too someone else its a death trap. We mean no insults at all we just want everyone too walk away alive you might be thinking too yourself that uve driven it like that fine for awhile but when it does brake and it will brake belive me it will not be pretty if ur doing anywhere above 10mph once again we are not trying too be smart**** we just want you too be alive i hope you listen too us.

 

THEN YOU POST



Hey Dumbass yourself You are the one that said you ARE in fact driving this car right now. I am done giving advice to this ungrateful moron. You ask then call us names like we caused your problem.

 

Wow, those pictures are truly staggering! I've seen cars in far better condition sitting in junk yards!

Foxyroxy111298:- Please listen to what people are saying and don't ever drive the car another inch. You would not just be putting yourself in mortal danger, but every innocent fellow road user and pedestrians. Best of luck with your next car.

 

Sheesh you guys are harsh. I drove an FWD car that had the rear right LCA snap in half (I had jacked the car up by it and bent it, and then it snapped while driving). It was WEIRD. Even with FWD, it still does a job, and holy cow the car drove strange. I got home and nearly peed myself when I realized what happened. I took the bus to the JY to get a new arm.

Without all the doom and gloom:
is the gist of the post. Under acceleration and BRAKING that arm and the bracket, is all that connects axle to car. So that video that was posted of the red dragster, that's exactly what can/will happen to you eventually.

I think it is fixable, and wouldn't take a lifetime to do. You'd have to cut out a CRAPLOAD of rusted metal, and weld in good metal. Unfortunately, unless you are a super pro metal worker, you can't just "make" the shape of sheet metal you need, you'd have to cut it out of another car. And the point was already made, why bother cutting it out of a good car, when you could just drive the good car?

Steal any good parts out of this current car (engine, tranny, stereo, whatever), and set it in the garage for your next 3rd gen, then let this one go to the JY. If I in this car i'd be able to crap through a keyhole! It probably drives really.... *strange* eh? Kinda unsettling ? Yea, i'd junk it ASAP unfortunately

 

Just out of interest, what seatbelt are you using to keep it off the ground and did you disconnect this seatbelt from inside the car or just poke it through a hole in the car?

Thanks.

 

wow. i never knew that could happen. too bad

lets give a two day buffer for grieving before we start asking for parts.
hold back those vulture instincts guys.

 

Please don't drive that anymore. I can honestly say, out of all the thirdgens in the junkyards around my town, this takes the cake. I've never seen this before in my life, it was almost stunning looking at those pics. Listen to every reply on this thread, we're really not trying to be mean ******.

 

Was this car submerged in salt water or something?????
I've NEVER seen rust like that on any running driving car period.
Honestly, Was it recovered from the ocean after hurricane Katrina or something?

 

it's called brime. it's the liquid deicer they allow in certain areas. It literally eats metal. ten times worse then just plain stuff they usually put down in the winter. It's from coal mines and they just throw it out. It's now illegal b/c it also kills plant life and has bad chemicals. I had this stuff under my old truck not knowing it and in 4 weeks i saw the paint bubbling, it ate the metal behind it. so imagine a couple of yrs. of this stuff and that's what happens.

sorry about your loss.

 

Not one for bringin' up old threads but this one was entertaining and informative.

I wonder how it ended up?

 

bro i juz found out my car has the exact same rust issues like ur cam except that both my rear control arms are now dragging...what i plan to do is pull both RCAs off....( since my rear floorboards are all rusted thru...i plan to weld on new boards using 22 gauge sheet metal) weld new bracket on to the floor where the old factory ones were and install some after market ones ....dnt give up man this is a real task for a real fan of the third gen any who say give up are a bunch of F*gs.

 

br o i got the exact same problem dnt listen to theses self proclaimed certified idiots .....private message me at romoorlando@gmail.com and i will show wat steps i will be going thru to repair my car. nothings impossible these are juz scared pple who obviosly rather run from a problem rather than face it smh

 

Wow your not too bright are you? This thred is form 2007. Sure anything can be fixed, but fixed right is another thing. It's not about running from a problem it's about not half a** fixing an unsafe car and putting time and money is a car that is not worth more than scrap value. Way to welcome yourself to the site.

 

wow.

 

To me or the new guy? Maybe I was a bit harsh, but I don't like new menbers coming on here bad mouthing people that were trying to be honsst and helpful.

 

To the OP and the Orlando.

 

It's kind of funny how some n00b jumps on here with all sorts of "I'll show you how I will ..." instead of "how I already did ..." without any understanding of the economics, 5 and a half years after the original post.

As said several years ago in this post, the only way to fix that, is to get another car that's still intact and cut out the parts missing from the rusty one. Bottom line will be, only ONE car will emerge from this ordeal, no matter what happens; the other will be going in the trash. Thing is, if you've got one that you can see all the way through, and one that's in good enough shape to drive, it doesn't make any sense to "fix" the wasted one: makes AHELLUVALOT more sense to take anything worthwile off the wasted one prior to throwing it away, and apply your time money and effort to the non-wasted one.

No doubt this n00b here will eventually figure that out, looks like most likely it will be, the hard way. But we've all got to learn SOMEHOW I guess, so if this Romo n00b isn't willing to take advantage of the FREE experience being offered on the Internet BY THOSE OF US WHO HAVE IT, then I guess he can just go out and PAY FOR his own experience. Somehow though I doubt he'll be re-writing the laws of physics or the principles of car restoration economics.

Meanwhile, I sure hope the OP up there didn't hurt himself or anybody else with .... that .... thing ..... he had.

 

Just curious... What's the high school dropout rate in Orlando?

 

Funny thing is, in 2009 or so, I had a friend with even worse problem, with a 91 RS Metallic blue 305TBI. In Montreal Quebec the roads are horrendous from winters and salt. Any thirdgen that drove in the winters here are pretty much like that car. That's why I imported my car from the good ol' USA and it had minor surface rust which I removed, and painted over everything with black POR15 for good.

The pics I would dig up look worse than this guy's car, or very similar.. My friend sold it because he had one half of the rear subframe MISSING from the car.. Literally, both control arms were hanging by a thin piece of RUSTED metal (which by the way I could have removed with my hand had I pulled hard enough). But the fact that the subframe was missing was scary as hell and I didn't even want to stand under the car at this point. He ended up selling it to a skilled welder for cheap and the guy from what I heard fixed it up pretty good. The car looked nice from the outside but rotten from underneath.

 

OK, so whatever you do, absolutely don't remove your lower control arms, or your torque arm and expect anything to work.

The lower control arms serve two primary purposes.

1.) The main job they perform is locating the rearend. They keep the rear centered in the wheel well. Without them, the rearend will honestly fall our of the car.

2.) Moving the car forward. The only part of the car that pushes the vehicle forward are the lower control arms. So you can see how important it is that they are maintained in good shape or replaced with the improved design of an aftermarket lower control arm.

 

Even a shiny powdercoated lower control arm couldn't save this poor guy's camaro lol

 

I just hope his didn't hurt himself or anyone else in that car while out delivering food.

 

The OP is not responding because he probably is dead.

 

Lol!

 

Here's a good example of the lengths to go to to fix a rusted car.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/ltx-...inal-88-a.html

 

WOW! that was one rotted car. That is love for a car right there.