[Johnny406]

I have a 78 T/A bracket car that I have owned since 1993. It has the stock lower control arms on it now with some Speedway tubular upper control arms. I'm quite certain that the lower control arms have the origional OEM bushings as they are pretty loose.

My car has had a long slow march to getting faster and faster. I am now firmly into the 11's with it on motor and now I'm starting to worry about the stock control arms as the car routinely pulls both wheels off the ground.

Would I be better off spending the $$ (I'm not rich by any means) on new tubular control arms or replace the old worn rubber bushings for low friction ones? Something like these?
https://www.summitracing.com/parts/g...bird/year/1978

[Scott65]

I like those bushings, I use them on my lower control arms. Key is, clean and inspect your old arms to make sure there are no cracks anywhere. If they look good, I'd use the new bushings.

[leeklm]

I think the oem arms will be stronger than some of the purpose built light weight drag race arms. I currently have smith racecraft, but pretty minimal street miles anymore and I am very cautious around pot holes. If your car is like mine, the front wheels sit down pretty smoothly, so not really hard on parts. Now if you are dragging your rear bumper and slamming down, that is a different story...

For what you are doing, I would keep the factory arms and do the new bushings. Firechicken here was doing right around 10.0 with his 1st gen using factory arms, which were actually providing more travel than my drag race arms.

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[Johnny406]

Originally Posted by leeklm

I think the oem arms will be stronger than some of the purpose built light weight drag race arms. I currently have smith racecraft, but pretty minimal street miles anymore and I am very cautious around pot holes.

Thank you for that insight, I was really looking at those control arms and was curious about their construction. Of course I'd like to save some unsprung weight but in this case I'd give up a couple of pounds for durability.

[Johnny406]

Originally Posted by Scott65

I like those bushings, I use them on my lower control arms. Key is, clean and inspect your old arms to make sure there are no cracks anywhere. If they look good, I'd use the new bushings.

Thank you, I'll pull them off and inspect them in the next couple of weeks.

[CraigG.]

Stock car boys sometimes have parts that are low friction for a good price - speedway motors and others. The ones you want to buy I have and liked them. I had to have someone press them in. Upper bushings are important too.

[67Fbird]

the delrin bushings are 100% the way to go. You might also look into adding to LCA bolt reinforcements.

https://lab-14.myshopify.com/product...ement-kit-9-16

[Skip Fix]

Those long bolts would hit my Hooker2" round port headers. Just added the Global West to my 78's lower control arms so I know. I had solid steel circle track bushings I made side Delrin washers for for years on the street and autocrossing/drag racing . Even greasing those one has rusted with Houston hunmidity and the inner sleeve seized to the outer.

My Camaro/IA has some weld in lower sphericals in it.