[70.5_firebird]

I have a 70 esprit, the original drivetrain is long gone. I have the front end disassembled to paint and replace all the bushings, springs, bearings, etc. I was looking online and new upper and lower control arms with del-alum bushings are around $1200 I think. I was wondering if anyone had a rough idea what my originals might be worth if I sold them.

It will probably cost somewhere around $300-$400 to clean/paint and buy/install del-alum bushings in my original control arms, and since handling and reliability are a bigger concern than keeping it stock, I was wondering if aftermarket was something to consider.

Will aftermarket control arms affect my cars value since it's not stock/#'s matching and only an esprit?

Thanks in advance for any opinions,
Mike

[Dens71TA]

My guess on the value of the stock control arms is about the price of scrap metal. There is just not much of a call for them and they're still plentiful in the salvage yards. I picked up a set of upper control arms just for the pivot shafts and payed a whopping $5 for the pair.

[2manyT/A'S]

To ME,that seems like a TON of money to spend replacing a stock component that works quite well as it is.
Everbody's got their priorites, but unless you are building a radical show car/race car,I don't think you will see much of an increase in performance OR reliability.
The front suspension on 2nd gen F-cars was pretty good right out of the BOX.
With reasonable maintenance,the stock parts WILL last a long time.
JMO: An early 70's Base Firebird or Esprit will likely be worth MORE in close to stock condition simply because,the ultimate future for MOST of those cars will be a Trans am or Formula "clone",& in MY experience,a stock appearing car will command MAXIMUM $$$!

[70.5_firebird]

Thanks guys, didn't think they would be worth much but have heard some pretty rediculous prices on some parts. Guess it's time to remove those old ball joints.