For those interested in the UMI lower control arms....I spoke with Ryan today and he has changed the arms, they will be tube arms with QA1 bearings at both ends. He has not finalized pricing yet but suspect it to come in under 200/pair-good price in my opinion. Anticipate release date of mid-February.

Cool smile.gif That's what I plan on using graemlins/thumbsup.gif

QA1 bearings?

Dennis

You say these arms are going to be tubing I agree this is the most cost effective way to do this.
Is their going to be provisions for mounting a sway bar?

Yes, he went through several different models but ultimately wanted the best bearings possible (which is the only thing keeping costs high, not they are real high anyway). He also went to a bigger tube, I didn't get the size but I would guess at about an inch.

I do not believe there will be provisions for a sta-bar. Most guys going this route want the ultimate in handling (for an “A” body anyway) and a rear sta-bar is not necessary when everything else is properly set up.

Cool, I guess I'll hold off on the Global West Arms.

Any word when these will hit the market?

Originally posted by canadass:
Any word when these will hit the market? Right there in the very first post, bud

"Anticipate release date of mid-February."

*looks at his calendar*

What about uppers?

Uppers are already available. Lowers are still in limbo.

For those that cannot wait I can tell you how to make your own for the same money if not a little cheaper. It does require some driving around to a good machine shop and some assembly work yourself.

Do tell.

I Was planning on doing a tubular set with poly bushings, not sure on exact size of tube, planned on notching both ends and just welding another piece of pipe the size of the bushing on the end,

I would appreciate some pointers...

I'll do a write-up with pics tomorrow. Too tired tonight.

They can't be too hard. Grab some DOM tubing, something like 1" OD x 0.250" Wall. Buy 2 right hand and 2 left hand 0.5" rod ends from QA1. Take tubing to a machine shop, have it threaded on each end. Screw in rod ends, all done. You can always drill the tubing for the sway bar, but I would look at making a clamp system to attach it since drilling holes for a sway bar would limit your adjustment in the control arm.

Steve

Originally posted by dennis68:
Most guys going this route want the ultimate in handling (for an “A” body anyway) and a rear sta-bar is not necessary when everything else is properly set up. Denny, what do you call "Properly Set Up" for the rear suspension and not needing a sway bar?? I was planning on running mine, but your not sure of mounting holes.

Properly set up would be tuned shocks and springs. Free articulating arms and rubber bushings up top. Sta-bars are tuning tools and "A" bodies really don't rear bars if you run enough spring.

Well, not quite so easy as it sounds but close. I would rather just let somebody else go through the hassle of threading the tubing; it doesn’t cost much more to buy threaded tube as stock tube and then try to get it cut. Do you know how hard it is to find a machinist with a full assortment of left handed taps? Not as many as you would think have them. I like to use Coleman, they are very professional. Ship time is way fast and the product is always top notch. The easy part is ordering (2) panhard rods , I use the 22” variety. They will adjust from 21”-23.5” which is plenty. They will include the tubing, (2)jam nuts, and (2) ¾” rod ends. They run about 65/ea.

Next you need to obtain some ¾” to ½” bushings as the OE links are ½” bolts. Those can obtained at www.cmwraceparts.com, (http://www.cmwraceparts.com,) they run 1.50/ea or something.

The hard part is the spacers…the OE link bushings are about 2.40” wide and the rod ends the PHB includes are only .875” wide, you need to make the difference. I have my machinist make up some spacers out of 1” steel stock. They are basically just 1” steel stock with a ½” hole drilled through it but I like to know it has been precision drilled and reamed; he also has the ability to make the length cuts precise vs. my die grinder and 4” cutoff wheel.

Total investment for (2) lower links with rod ends and necessary hardware (these are way overkill BTW, no need to worry about whether or not they will last)-$180.00 and that includes a bunch of left over spacers and bushings.

Missing from these picks are the reducer bushings and the nuts/bolts obviously.
http://www.onrails.net/images/link.jpg
http://www.onrails.net/images/spacers.jpg

UMI has Uppers with rubber bushings? So the hot setup for street is: Uppers with rubber bushings, rubber bushings in the housing, and tube lowers with QA1 bushings, with no sway bar? Will this work with new stock springs? My current paln was to run Stock uppers with rubbers, and Global West TBC-4's on the lower w/ the stock swaybar, and stock springs. What are the disadvantages of this setup?

Ohh. One other question. I ran into a guy that told me the stock upper arms are different on the 10 & 12 bolt housings. He claims the 10 bolt flange for the upper to rearend housing bushing is a bit narrower than a 12 bolt. Has anyone heard of this? I just don't see how this could be, seeing the housing bushings are the same and the flange mounts over the bushing. Is this guy nuts or what?

I think the tests showed that using stock uppers with rubber bushings, and spherical frame-end lowers with just about anything for bushings (rubber eases launch stress a little) is the ideal for minimum bind in a street cruising machine.

Ask Dennis68 for the location of string containing the teast results. I can't seem to find it.

Yes I have read the threads, but was curious as to what Dennis68 had to say about my questions. I plan on no drag racing, but do want an all around street hi-po suspension for that occasional street dual. i will do highway cruising as well.

I should have some track results using tube lowers with QA1 rod ends and stock uppers with rubber bushings in mid April. I'll also be running with and without a panhard for those intersested in the results that may provide.

I will have time results as well as in car cam video to see actual driving differences.

The disadvantage to using the GW arms with del-a-alum bushings is that they are even worse than poly. While poly bushings provide very little deflection the GW bushings offer zero deflection. It wouldn't be a bad thing if the lower arms ran parallel to the vehicle centerline but since they do splay somewhat you run into that bind issue again. They do need to articulate to a degree, not nearly as much as the uppers but some.

Will the UMI uppers take rubber bushings? Whats your take on running no sway-bar with stock springs with the new sper-bear UMI lower arms? If thats not an option, it sound as though stock uppers with rubber, and lower boxed with rubber and sway bar.

Hey guys, I can see the wanting for axial rotation but won't rubber bushing cause change in pinion angle exiting a turn? I guess its the best of 2 evils. There has to be a better solution to this than going to rubber? I think the fox body racers run sphericals housing side. Thanks Detrick

I am going to run sphericals on the housing side and rubbers on the frame side (upper only). I'll have some results by the end of the month.

Properly set-up there is no need for a sta-bar on the rear of an "A" body. If want grandma's ride than under spring it and add a small bar.

Malmech, I am going stock upper channle link, the weakness of the link adds to the flexability and helps reduce system bind.

Any update Dennis?

Ryan is.....not the best business person on the planet, that is for sure. No, I can't get a hold of him.

I have a propsal however. A good friend of mine who has a fabrication shop can build the links as I have for less money than even I can. I will ask him if he interested in building a few dozen sets and how much he might charge for said parts.

I know he was looking into putting together an entire package with lower links, upper link bearing mounts and Edlebrock copycat upper links. We'll see what he says.... if you guys are interested.

Great Dennis. Keep us posted. I got about 3 weeks here, then I'm gonna move ahead on this one way or another.

I here ya about Ryan. I emailed him, took him 5 days to get back to me as to weather their model 4016 upper arms would except stock bushings if the polys were removed. He stated no. Thats a problem as well, as for replacement bushings down the road. I need to find an upper stock set of 12 bolt uppers, but if I can't, I may have to bite and just do the UMI's for now. I'd like to do the job once.

Still no update from Ryan huh Dennis?

No replys to my email. Moving on, good guy but no business sense. I really don't understand the delays. I build my set in an hour after waiting a week for parts and my machinist. A decent sized company should be able to turn these out by the dozens. My suggestion is either build your own (not hard) or go with the Wolfe set up (no they don't the GP thing).