74_stingray

Mark, I have heard back from POL, the refund process in currently in the works. The folks at POL have been great(other than the arms don’t fit). I certainly regret the time lost but it’s not eternal, just inconvenient.

In reference to the measurement of the Global West upper control arm, I am measuring 9.5 inches from the centerline of the shaft to the center of grease zerk on ball joint.
Eddy

gearheadz

Eddy, with everything you've been through with these arms, you have been remarkably tolerant and understanding!

9.5" on the upper arm is very close to OEM. My measurements were approximate since my shafts are in the POL arms. It's undoubtedly a perfect match to their lower arm. GW is top notch so you'll have no issues whatsoever.

I've sent an email to POL regarding what I've found. Rather than put my OEM arms back, I'd welcome one more try at the upper arms by POL if they're willing to turn it around in a reasonable time frame. Mark

74_stingray

I believe a great deal if patience has been exhibited by all of us who have purchased the POL arms. I would like to see them get it right for the sake of everyone. I appreciate all that has been contributed to this thread, maybe others will benefit.
Eddy

74_stingray

My car has now had an alignment performed with the Global West control arms installed. The camber was set to -.5 degrees and the caster set to + 5.5 degrees. The car drives fabulous I am pleased with the results.
Primoz, this is a great thread, an excellent exchange of information. Thanks to all who’ve contributed.
Eddy

Primoz

Drive safe and enjoy the car! Thanks!

BEJ

This is all disheartening. I just got around to installing these uppers last night. Really wondering how much of an issue this will be with the offset shaft and the stock lower arms.

BEJ

74_stingray

Hopefully it will work out for you. I have been advised that out of 71 sets, only two have had issues. It just happens mine were 50 percent of that. I still believe the POL arms are a good option for street driven C3's and I trust fully that POL will make it right, my dealings with them have been good and I'll say again that I will do business with them in the future.
Eddy

BEJ

Thanks Eddy. I will need to take some measurements when I get home tonight.

BEJ

So I finally got these installed using the Moog Problem solver shafts. The best I can achieve is 1.5 positive camber. I have a Fastrax alignment tool and from the looks of it I need another .25 inch of bolt in order to get to around -.25 degrees camber. Very disappointing. I ordered these back in November but maybe they will let me return them anyway. Too bad.

74_stingray

BEJ,
I'm sorry to hear that.
Eddy

Vette5311

I'm calling BS on 71 sets and only 2 had issues. That would mean Eddy and I were the only ones with problems. I hardly think so! Mine were one of the early sets, before they even realized they forgot to put steering stops on them. They told me they were going to get back with me to try and make things right but never did. I have had some other things come up in life that put the Corvette on hold, but plan on going the Global West route when I can get back to it. I my opinion POL = POS. As I said before, rush the product to market and let some one else figure out the problems. I bought mine so long ago I am sure there is no return, so I'll just have to be not happy and eat it. Garage wall art to remind me the cost of stupid decisions. There was a saying once about something to the effect that, the bitterness of poor quality lingers on long after the satisfaction of a good deal wears off, or something like that.

OldCarBum

Let's say you paid twice the price?
Would it have made you feel any better?
When we do anything, to any custom, we always stand the chance that a part is wrong or manufactured poorly.
Don't beat yourself up over being a pioneer for the rest of us.
Thanks to you and the others here for trying!
I've learned in the past as many of us have.
Now I play it safe and try to go with the already proven parts and manufactures.
Even then as you know there isn't any guarantee.
Just return them to POL
Even if you need to pay a restocking fee, at least they won't be on your wall of shame.

71coupe

I just read through this entire thread. I'm glad I didn't have any issues like this when I replaced my upper A-arms. That really sucks,

BEJ

I contacted POL about the arms. Received a response from Jim. According to him, they originally designed the arms to be longer by .475, but after requests from some owners who had been having trouble achieving proper camber numbers without lengthening the bolts. He has offered to exchange my arms for the shorter version at no cost. I'm mulling it over.

rhedelius

This is a great thread, thank you everyone that has provided information on the various A-arm choices!

My 75 is in desperate need of suspension help and I would love to hear feedback from those of you that went with the full size Chevy A-arms with the delrin bushings. I see several of you purchased a set but I didn't see a lot of feedback on the final installed results. (unless I missed it in the 21+ pages)

For those that used coil springs and good shocks (e.g. bilstein, koni, etc.) how is the ride and what specs were you able to achieve?

Did anyone go with coil overs using these full size A-arms? If so, how did it turn out?

I'm close to pulling the trigger on a set of these and just want to see if others were happy with the result.

Thanks,
Rick

frosty80

I am also interested in some feedback on the a arms from ebay/summit racing with "del a lum" like bushings. I took my set apart and they are definitely not genuine del a lum bushings but are still pretty decent looking. I had to do some massaging on the parts, the hole in the blue aluminum sleeve that allows the grease to flow through had a slight bur that would shave a little of the delrin when it rotated in it, not the biggest deal but its much smoother with the bur cut down. Also you must take the arms apart to make sure the hole in the aluminum sleeve is lined up with the threaded grease fitting hole in the control arm. You must get longer grease fittings to keep the blue aluminum sleeve from rotating or you could end up with a situation where you can not get grease to the delrin/cross shaft (I got the longer grease fittings from lowes). I think real del a lum bushings are more of a press fit so they don't rotate but these cheap arms are not and were likely made to slide in with little resistance for easier manufacturing. One of the aluminum sleeves was hammered in on mine because they did not machine the outside down like they did on the other 7, tedious to get out but after sanding it down it fits fine(random manufacturing flaw just thought id share) Overall the cheap arms are a good amount of work but then again they are very cheap so its expected, now I would just like to know how they ride to know if its worth the work. I have a set that just needs the sway bar and steering spots rewelded then installed, probably going to be a month or so till I have mine on.

PainfullySlow

I too would like to thank everyone who contributed to this thread. I was planning on rebuilding all 4 control arms with poly bushings and moog ball joints but at the price for a tubular set it seems like it would be the smart choice to get the improved camber and better handling characteristics.

'75

Mine are installed, but other parts of the car are still not together, so no alignment yet. I am at 0 camber with no shims as measured with a level on the front wheels.

74_stingray

Rick, I have invested a tremendous amount in this endeavor both in time and dollars. I am well pleased in the final results of my suspension modifications as the car handles great. I drove the car on the Dragon Tail last week, the car is setup to my liking with a good balance front and rear. Here is a summary of the suspension setup on my 74 Coupe.
Front:
Global West upper and lower control arms
550 lb front springs
Bilstein Sports shocks
1 1/8 inch front sway bar
Speed Direct spreader bar
Solid motor mounts
Rear:
Heavy duty differential cover
7 leaf Gymkhana spring
Bilstein Sport shocks
Van Steel heim joint strut rods
3/4 inch rear sway bar (Addco bar with factory style links connected by heim joint)
Dragvette cross member stabilization disks

If you wish to read more in reference to my suspension rebuild, some of which is detailed in this thread, here's a link. The end of the project was a complete 180 from where I started. FWIW...
Techoca's Winter Project
Results on Dragon Tail...

rhedelius

Techoca, thank you for the update on your suspension upgrades! Loved your thread with all the details as well. I had looked at the Global West A-arms previously and was hoping there was a less expensive alternative but it appears they are solid pieces and work really well. I might have to give them another look while saving my pennies to make up the difference in price.

Also, if I read right, you cut about 3/4 of a coil total off of your 550lb springs is that correct? Did that make the front overly stiff or just firm enough?

-Rick