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So I took a chance and ordered all moog stuff and believe it or not it ALL says made in the USA.. Score!
I bought upper and lower ball joints, tie rod ends , idler arm and coil springs.. ES poly bushings havent arrived yet but are coming today
Last edited by augiedoggy; Feb 8, 2021 at 07:44 AM.
Rock auto, I bought the more expensive daily driver versions. I did some more searching and found an older thread where it was mentioned the premium parts they sell that start with a "K" are usually american made.
Last edited by augiedoggy; Feb 8, 2021 at 07:49 AM.
That's good to know. I've got a bunch of bushings to replace before the next safety inspection.
The bushing were the only component I ordered that wasnt moog brand. I bought the energy suspension poly bushings though instead of the moog rubber ones mainly because I have read good things about them vs other poly brands which sometimes harden to a glass like substance and crumble
Last edited by augiedoggy; Feb 8, 2021 at 07:50 AM.
my bushings were not USA, from rock auto, nor was ball joint.. maybe they went back..all my India and Mexico were K in front of part #..
the coil spring and idler arm were USA
Like 3rymans, I went with ProForged on my 75 recently for ball joints, tie rods and idler arm. So far it's great but I don't have a ton of miles on it since installation. For bushings, I would look at the Delrins from Ridetech, more expensive than rubber or poly, but no squeaks and long lasting. They didn't release them until after I had already purchased the ones I used.
my bushings were not USA, from rock auto, nor was ball joint.. maybe they went back..all my India and Mexico were K in front of part #..
the coil spring and idler arm were USA
I remembered you saying this earlier which made me nervous but I lucked out. Also your one of the reasons I went with the ES bushings instead. Ive seen too often what can happen with chinese rubber although mexicos not bad that I know of.
Its possible moog just makes the same parts in multiple countries now... Once I bought a set of autolite plugs for my old VW kit car and the 4 spark plugs came from 3 different countries, all with the same part number although they had slight cosmetic differences and tolerances like off center electrodes... Thats when I read that honeywell bought them and like many other popular american companies they bought, They now have the products made by others to market the brand and make more $$.
Last edited by augiedoggy; Feb 9, 2021 at 07:59 AM.
Now im researching rear composite springs.. I have a lot to do when the weather warms up a bit here.
I spoke with Vansteel recently about their springs. They have bought the VBP brands springs now that VBP closed, but they are re-tooling / researching them and expect to have them on the market sometime early this year.
Just on the old vs. new parts, here's a comparison of my original 1980 tranny mount and the replacement. I don't know who made it or from where as it came as part of a kit from SST. But the picture tells the tale.
I seriously considered putting the 40 year old one back in.
I've seen similar reduction in metal in most new motor mounts.
Last edited by vince vette 2; Feb 10, 2021 at 02:55 PM.
I just did a full rebuild on the front suspension of my '75 convertible. After doing some online research, and reading about the decline in Moog quality due to the off shoring of production to China, I decided to give ProForged a try. The company has a good reputation with the pro-touring crowd. I purchased their upper and lower ball joints, control arm bushings, sway bar end links and tie rod ends. Quality appears first rate. Products are manufactured in Taiwan. Time will tell on how well they hold up.
Hi 3rymans and everyone, where are you purchasing the Proforged ball joints from? Are they a direct replacements to the originals where no modifications are needed to be able to install them on original GM (76 C3) control arms? Thanks.
Last edited by hgoodwiniii; Feb 27, 2021 at 09:49 PM.
I bought mine at RockAuto, but I don't see them carried there anymore. Amazon had them as well.
Part Numbers Below...
Tie Rods are part No 104-10162 and 104-10163
Lower Ball Joint 101-10039
Upper Ball Joint 101-10038
Control Arm Bushing Upper (order 2) 115-10001
Control Arm Bushing Lower 115-10016
Stabilizer Link (Need 2) 113-10012
I hated the squicky bushings I installed.
Then I addded a couple of flow masters.
Problem solved!................................. ......
keep looking up and smiling.
yeah... My sidepipes will solve this problem.
I have a broken arp bolt in my crank to deal with now.. stupid me forgot I need (and have) a special kit to install the balancer.
The discussion regarding country of origin made me curious so I ordered the parts shown below from Rock Auto. All parts were marked 'Made in USA'.
1974 CHEVROLET CORVETTE 5.7L 350cid V8 MOOG K6035 Ball Joint Front Lower MOOG K6034 Ball Joint Front Upper
I did the same for my 74.. only I ordered new springs along with tie rod ends as well as the ball joints and a pitman arm. ALL of it was marked made in the USA. I also bought extreme energy bushings which I believe were also marked as such. It all came to about $410 shipped which was another plus considering the costs of some of the "kits" ive seen with unknown components.
I have no doubt If I were to have bought the economy options they may have been from overseas.
Last edited by augiedoggy; Mar 4, 2021 at 01:57 PM.
Hi all, I decided to go with the Proforged ball joints on my 76. Now, I am trying to figure out what I am going to do for control arm bushings. I already installed Energy Suspension poly on my rear suspension. I put poly (no idea what brand) on my C4 front control arms probably 20 years ago and have had no squeaking or any other problems. I do not want to go back with rubber so I suppose my question is how much of a difference is there between Energy Suspension poly or RideTech Delrin? Is the cost difference worth it for a non-track "Normal Use' car? Thanks.
