Stamps or tubes

[KennedyHill]

I’m rebuilding an ‘86 from the ground up and I’m wanting to know your thoughts on the A-arms. I know the tubular A-arm kits are all the hope right now, but has anyone rebuilt the stamped/factory A-arms with polyurethane bushings? If so, how’s the ride? Does it compare to the tubular kits?

 

[squaredeal91]

Dont have experience on the matter but in my opinion I think I can trust the stamped more than tubular. I've seen many abused in the woods 2wds and usually nothing is bent up and compromised.

 

[Buicknut]

Totally tubular! Had to say it, the tubular arms have come a long way, especially for the lowered vehicle segment. Tubular is the way I'd go.

 

[hogdaddy]

I was skeptical myself at first but the QA-1 tubular arms are pretty beefy.
I have not installed them yet still gathering parts for front/rear.

 

[Bloodhound1981]

I’m rebuilding an ‘86 from the ground up and I’m wanting to know your thoughts on the A-arms. I know the tubular A-arm kits are all the hope right now, but has anyone rebuilt the stamped/factory A-arms with polyurethane bushings? If so, how’s the ride? Does it compare to the tubular kits?

It's not just the bushings, the stamped steel arms deflect and the tubular control arms don't. I used Performance Online brand and am very happy with them. However, they made bazillions of these trucks with stamped steel control arms and they work just fine. Depends on what you want out of your truck.

 

[KennedyHill]

I’m building a cruiser with an LS swap. It will have a 3/5 drop, leaving a slight rake in the suspension, and running 18” wheels.

 

[Bennyt]

I've built both over the the years. You'll probably not notice the difference in performance on a cruiser, only if you were serious into auto-x. I'd still go with tubular arms though.

The factory arms are fine with rubber bushings but seem to squeak when you add poly bushings. If you rebuild, make sure to buy black that are graphite impregnated and preferably greasable. If you were concerned about the stock arm flexing, don't be. Arms are triangles which is the strongest geometric shape and really only bend with extreme force or impact. I raced on them for years. You can plate them if you were jumping off road, hydraulics, running a coilover bottom mount, etc.

Tubular typically address camber issues and provide more clearance to work and look nicer. The bushings are smaller so less deflection, but firmer ride. You can buy them shorter, longer, centerline moved, adjustable uppers, etc. They will fit better with lowering components and typically allow increased turning radius.

The cpp arms are great for cruisers and affordable and use bushings. I have them on my son's c10. I've used POL/WC as well but prefer CPP. As you go up the price range, the bushings will be replaced with bearings and deflection will be reduced to basically zero.

 

[KennedyHill]

Thanks for the info! One last question:
If I buy the tubular and want to drop the from 3”, can I do that with a drop spring or will I also need a drop spindle? I also want to beef up the bakes. Probably 13” brakes or so

 

[Bennyt]

Thanks for the info! One last question:
If I buy the tubular and want to drop the from 3”, can I do that with a drop spring or will I also need a drop spindle? I also want to beef up the bakes. Probably 13” brakes or so

You need a 2" spindle and 1" coil. For larger brakes you should buy a better spindle. Either the Wilwood or CPP modular are designed for big brakes. If running 20" or larger, CPP x10 modular as it is a hub style.

Honestly, I'd buy everything from CPP and see if they'll do a package deal. That's what I did. They took 20% off.

 

[hogdaddy]

Go with drop spindles and coil over shocks. The modular spindles like suggested above are a nice feature.
I have the Wilwood pro forged modular. They are 2.5 drop spindles and the coil over's offer adjustment also.

The modular spindle eliminates brake pad knockback where the oem spindles can flex under hard cornering/braking.

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[TotalyHucked]

I rebuilt my factory stuff when I first got my truck with OE rubber bushings and 3 years/~40k later, it's still fine. Rides nice and smooth and has had no issues other than it can't quite be aligned at ~5.5" up front so I've had to replace the front tires due to uneven wear.

If the budget is there, tubulars are absolutely the best option. If nothing else, they'll improve the geometry and give you more adjustment to hopefully get it aligned.

Also since you mentioned a 3" drop, you wanna do that with either 3" spindles or 2.5" spindles and a 1" spring. You never want more than about a 2" drop spring, for alignment purposes. As for upgrading brakes, you'll need an aftermarket spindle like the CPP X10 or Wilwood mentioned above.

I'd also suggest shooting for at least a 4.5/6 drop. 3/5 is nothing on these trucks. Here's mine at 4.5/6:

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Here it is at it's current ~5.5"/8:

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[KennedyHill]

What size wheels are you running?

 

[TotalyHucked]

20x8 up front with a 255/40/20 and 20x10.5 with a 315/35/20 in the rear