Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

before i start looking around i wanted to know what a good price would be to get my rear lower control arms welded shut and looking nice. i would be the one to remove them and take em back to bare metal, the welder would just have to supply the plate and weld em and clean em up... so whats fair?

JamesC

iTrader: (5)

Is there any reason for not considering after market?

JamesC

Mikeo91

iTrader: (3)

I bought a complete set from founders performance including the panhard bar for around $130. Welded tube construction looks good a fit perfect.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

More than a good aftermarket set.

Your proposal is nonsense. Wrong question. Spend more, get less. WHAT A DEAL!!!

Messing with the stock crap is a total waste of time money and energy.

Look at the board sponsors; Lakewood; Hotchkiss; etc. ALL of em better than the stamped sheet-rubber garbage these cars came with. Boxed or no.

novaderrik

free.. if you have a buddy with a welder and some scrap steel laying around.. it would also be a good opportunity to learn how to weld..

but honestly, how much benefit do these cars get from boxed rear lower control arms? it's not like a 4 link car where all the torque is transferred to the chassis via the upper and lower control arms- most of the torque is transfered to the chassis via the transmission thru the torque arm and all the arms do is hold the axle in place fore and aft.

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

my buddy is a welder and works at his family owned race shop, only wants 30 for the job but he's gonna do all the work and make the work look clean, would not look much different that a boxed aftermarket set and their performance difference would be negligible from an aftermarket pair, and i see what you are saying about the distribution of longitudinal G force being primarily through the torque arm (hence the name), however lateral g force is mostly handled by the control arms, it is also their jobs to keep the axle straight the seemingly small amount of flex from the stamped steel and rubber bushings is plenty for having problems with deflection while cornering (I'm no drag racer).. thank you though, you stated a lot of sensible points without sounding arrogant or pushy

i would obviously be spending significantly less, otherwise i wouldn't be considering having them boxed as opposed to some tubular adjustable arms with zerk fittings or something like that-and i already own the poly bushings.

sofakingdom

iTrader: (1)

The LCAs transfer EVERY OUNCE of accelerating force to the car. The torque arm transfers EXACTLY ZERO "pushing" force.

The ABSOLUTE WORST REASON there is, for continuing down a path of making a series of mistakes... known as the "sunk cost" fallacy. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunk_costs Show us that you're smarter than that, by not falling into that trap.

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

the poly bushings were bought more than ten years ago, around the same time the poor car was garaged, i am not wanting to box my arms simply because i have already spent the money on the poly bushings, i have already considered selling the poly bushings and putting that towards a set of tubular arms with poly bushings already installed. I understand the concept of "sunk cost"(which you called a fallacy but i dont think you actually meant to discredit the concept as false, am i right)... so i was just askin what would be "fair" for having them boxed, i do appreciate the input and to the average person saying what you meant so brash may be necessary to assert your point but i was simply comparing value and am not one to blow my money on wasteful endeavors. My question was just about answered when novaderrik said "free" and stated a very valid point which directly related to the nature of my question. So, thank you very much.

Manic Z

iTrader: (1)

If it means anything, I boxed my control arms and installed poly bushings, and it made a HUGE difference in eliminating wheelhop. If your friend is only charging you 30 bucks, I say go for it. 30 bucks is peanuts.

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

thank you man, i does mean anything to hear that. I had read that boxing w/poly bushings improved things a lot which is why i bought the bushings a decade ago in the first place, Its the difference between spending 30 and 100-250 for what ends up being the same thing. He's gonna weld up the bottom with 3/16 plate and reinforce the rest, then he's gonna grind it all smooth and powdercoat it for me.. not a big deal to him since his family owns an established race shop down the road. so did you do 1/4 miles in it, road race or just enjoyed a little stoplight fun?

novaderrik

you're right... i was thinking weird before... but there is no twisting force on the control arms like there would be in something like a G body that mounts the sway bar directly to the lower control arm- all the forces in a Camaro are going to be pushing straight down the length of the control arm, with maybe a little "twist" being applied with stock rubber bushings that have a little bit of bind to them. so just visualizing how things operate, boxing the stock arms will add a little bit of weight and maybe a little stiffness. aftermarket tubular arms would help because they won't usually have rubber bushings and they will be lighter- which brings up another option for the OP- get some tubing and have your welder friend make some tubular control arms..

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

i actuall had already considered that, i may not have a welder but i can cut the tubing myself but the ride would be significantly more rough with solid arms and it would cost much more than the 30 bucks i am pretty much planning on by now

naf

iTrader: (7)

I'm certain that you meant $30 vs $63.90 plus shipping, right?

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

actually i had the jegs page for em open already at the time- thats their prices for them.. i know you can get em cheaper on ebay and what not but there ya go.

naf

iTrader: (7)

The basic Founders LCAs would still be superior to a set of boxed stock arms IMO.

lunati397

AND boxed arms are far superior to stock untouched

I have a welder and if you were a buddy it would cost coming over with a case of beer hell and I can powdercoat them too that would cost at least coronas but most shops charge 30 to 50 buck a weld so you could be at 60 to 100 then its not worth it but 30 for the pair is fair alittle steep for a buddy price if you ask me though

lunati397

I built my own pan tq arm and lcas for 200

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

well hell i dunno,maybe it's cause i have to take em to the shop to do it or cause he is gonna be doin it on his time when he is at work. He's not really a close buddy anyways, he's a guy i went to school with and we had mutual friends and went to the same parties/functions... in any case having em boxed for 30 is better than i can get anywhere else and the powder coating is a bonus, its a hell of a lot better thanaving some stranger at the local muffler shop do it for 50 cash without reinforcing em or powdercoating em, if i was ur buddy and lived in NM I'd be over with some coronas (all yours too, my organs failed in october so i ca never drink again )

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

are you a welder tho?.. i am not (my 70 yo mom is tho but only has done flux and i think some tig). do you have a tec article on it?

ws6transam

Seems to me that if you have good bushings, and some steel, and welder access, there is no reason NOT to try it. The first boxed lca were probably used on the second fbody race car ever built. If you lived near me you could probably borrow the MIG and do it yourself. The most time consuming part is cleaning and setup of the weld surface, which you can do. welding time is only a few minutes.

Bobby Goff

iTrader: (1)

looks like i need to start askin around to the people that are a tad closer to me, honestly from what it seems is that i would be payin 30 bucks for somethin that could be done in the time it take to drink a beer- maybe less for some people. however the fact that its gettin reinforced and powder coated factors in heavily... but since i am doin the prep work i am doing most of the work anyway