Upper control arms

Is it worth it to get tubular upper control arms or stock with good bushings

  • Benefits to aftermarket upper control arms

    Votes: 4 100.0%
  • What's the best way to go with suspension

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    4
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So I've put this info out there a few times, the last time was a over a year ago so I'm sure some of the prices have changed (again). But the part numbers should be good. This is more for a handling type set up, it's more than you need for a weekend driver and goes well beyond your basic suspension rebuild. But if you have to rebuild the whole suspension anyway, it's not actually going to cost a ton more, and you'll handle much better. Most of the expensive stuff you're talking about already- tubular UCA's and sway bars for example. And some stuff, like the torsion bars, should be replaced even for a most basic stock rebuild (they're 45+ years old!). And since the TVS has been thrown out there as an option, I might as well list everything.

The Hotchkis TVS is a great set up for handling. The only issues I have with it is that it doesn't include everything you need (no torsion bars, no shocks, etc) and it includes a few things that you really don't need (heim jointed UCA's, steering links), and it's pretty pricey.

For the price of the TVS, you can get components that will pretty much do everything the Hotchkis set up will do and take care of the "missing" parts...

1.03 (or bigger) torsion bars ------------------------$250-$355
Tubular UCA’s (PST, FFI, etc)------------------------$350
Adjustable strut rods (PST SR 14385)---------------$279
Solid tie rod sleeves (PST SAS 440S)----------------$49
LCA boxing plate (PST LCAPLTMOP621)-------------$14.50
Greasable LCA pins (FFI w bushings)----------------$135

Helwig tubular front sway bar 1 1/8” #55905 (73+ K)--$175
Solid rear 3/4” #6907--------------------------------$237

Mopar oval track springs
Zero arch- P4529414---------------------------------------------$232
1" arch- P4529415

Energy suspension 1" shackle bushings 2-2117G----$9

Bilstein RCD shocks(RCD-70-56663)------------------$410

Grand total on that is about $2,300, that's got a little extra built in depending on where you shop and what you buy.

That's basically the entire set up that I run on my Duster. I didn't get all of those exact parts, my strut rods aren't from PST, I'm running Hotchkis Fox shocks, my UCA's are fully adjustable SPC arms from BergmanAutoCraft, I run Delrin LCA bushings from Bergman Autocraft, my torsion bars are 1.12" and from Firm Feel (FFI), etc. But it will set you up with a great handling car. Don't get me wrong, the Hotchkis set up is VERY nice. They make quality parts. Probably a little lighter, definitely a little sexier. But, you'd still need torsion bars and shocks. The other thing is that after running Hotchkis UCA's on my Challenger with heim joints, I wouldn't run heim joint UCA's again on the street. Mine wore out after 7k miles. Hotchkis replaced them at no cost and provided boots (great service!!!), but after another 7-8k miles I'm starting to notice some extra clicking coming out of the front end again. The heims would be fine on a track car or even a weekend car, but for a frequent driver you're going to be replacing the heims more often than I'd care to. Bushings work just fine and last much longer, they're a better choice at the UCA.

Some of the stuff may seem like extra, but isn't really. Adjustable strut rods, for example. If you run poly or Delrin LCA bushings, you need adjustable strut rods because those LCA bushings don't have all the flex needed for the stock non-adjustable arms, the strut rod length has to be spot on and the factory one's aren't. The Bilstein shocks- yeah, they're expensive. But if you go over 1" with your torsion bars, KYB's are atrocious. I mean, they're really, really awful. You don't need adjustable UCA's like I've got, but tubular UCA's will get your more caster than you can get with offset bushings and stock arms. That's an ok set up if you're just talking about a weekend cruiser, but if you drive hard you'll probably want more than +3 on the caster and you won't get that with just offset bushings.

The only things I'd add other than what I've got listed above are subframe connecters, torque boxes, and a good modern alignment, say -.5* up to -1* camber, +3 to +5 caster (manual to power), and about 1/16" toe in. None of that is included with the TVS either, but chassis stiffening is a very important part of improving handling on these cars.
Wow thanks alot this is awesome..thanks for the time you took I really appreciate it!!
 
Wow thanks alot this is awesome..thanks for the time you took I really appreciate it!!

No problem! There's a bunch of info, installations, etc in the build thread for my Duster. My "new" '74 Duster- or why I need a project like a hole in the head

Again, the list I posted is probably a bit overboard for a weekend cruiser, but it's a bit short of a full autoX car. It's just that a lot of the aftermarket stuff works better with other aftermarket parts than it does with some of the stock parts. And when you're doing suspension it's important that all of your components complement each other and work together, rather than having a couple of great components that bring out the flaws in the remaining parts.
 
So I've put this info out there a few times, the last time was a over a year ago so I'm sure some of the prices have changed (again). But the part numbers should be good. This is more for a handling type set up, it's more than you need for a weekend driver and goes well beyond your basic suspension rebuild. But if you have to rebuild the whole suspension anyway, it's not actually going to cost a ton more, and you'll handle much better. Most of the expensive stuff you're talking about already- tubular UCA's and sway bars for example. And some stuff, like the torsion bars, should be replaced even for a most basic stock rebuild (they're 45+ years old!). And since the TVS has been thrown out there as an option, I might as well list everything.

The Hotchkis TVS is a great set up for handling. The only issues I have with it is that it doesn't include everything you need (no torsion bars, no shocks, etc) and it includes a few things that you really don't need (heim jointed UCA's, steering links), and it's pretty pricey.

For the price of the TVS, you can get components that will pretty much do everything the Hotchkis set up will do and take care of the "missing" parts...

1.03 (or bigger) torsion bars ------------------------$250-$355
Tubular UCA’s (PST, FFI, etc)------------------------$350
Adjustable strut rods (PST SR 14385)---------------$279
Solid tie rod sleeves (PST SAS 440S)----------------$49
LCA boxing plate (PST LCAPLTMOP621)-------------$14.50
Greasable LCA pins (FFI w bushings)----------------$135

Helwig tubular front sway bar 1 1/8” #55905 (73+ K)--$175
Solid rear 3/4” #6907--------------------------------$237

Mopar oval track springs
Zero arch- P4529414---------------------------------------------$232
1" arch- P4529415

Energy suspension 1" shackle bushings 2-2117G----$9

Bilstein RCD shocks(RCD-70-56663)------------------$410

Grand total on that is about $2,300, that's got a little extra built in depending on where you shop and what you buy.

That's basically the entire set up that I run on my Duster. I didn't get all of those exact parts, my strut rods aren't from PST, I'm running Hotchkis Fox shocks, my UCA's are fully adjustable SPC arms from BergmanAutoCraft, I run Delrin LCA bushings from Bergman Autocraft, my torsion bars are 1.12" and from Firm Feel (FFI), etc. But it will set you up with a great handling car. Don't get me wrong, the Hotchkis set up is VERY nice. They make quality parts. Probably a little lighter, definitely a little sexier. But, you'd still need torsion bars and shocks. The other thing is that after running Hotchkis UCA's on my Challenger with heim joints, I wouldn't run heim joint UCA's again on the street. Mine wore out after 7k miles. Hotchkis replaced them at no cost and provided boots (great service!!!), but after another 7-8k miles I'm starting to notice some extra clicking coming out of the front end again. The heims would be fine on a track car or even a weekend car, but for a frequent driver you're going to be replacing the heims more often than I'd care to. Bushings work just fine and last much longer, they're a better choice at the UCA.

Some of the stuff may seem like extra, but isn't really. Adjustable strut rods, for example. If you run poly or Delrin LCA bushings, you need adjustable strut rods because those LCA bushings don't have all the flex needed for the stock non-adjustable arms, the strut rod length has to be spot on and the factory one's aren't. The Bilstein shocks- yeah, they're expensive. But if you go over 1" with your torsion bars, KYB's are atrocious. I mean, they're really, really awful. You don't need adjustable UCA's like I've got, but tubular UCA's will get your more caster than you can get with offset bushings and stock arms. That's an ok set up if you're just talking about a weekend cruiser, but if you drive hard you'll probably want more than +3 on the caster and you won't get that with just offset bushings.

The only things I'd add other than what I've got listed above are subframe connecters, torque boxes, and a good modern alignment, say -.5* up to -1* camber, +3 to +5 caster (manual to power), and about 1/16" toe in. None of that is included with the TVS either, but chassis stiffening is a very important part of improving handling on these cars.

I love it man, you know your ****!!
 
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