lower control arms.

[bob tweedy]

i have a friend who owns and operates his own machine shop.
at this time he is evaluating the feasibility of machineing the lower control arms much as the originals were done. because he his own boss i would expect that he will be able to do them in a timely manner and with the quality we would expect.
the above being stated as there would be minimum turn around time and not an inventory concern at this time.
does any one have an original lower control arm they would like to donate (at least for a period of time) that we could hold in our hands and possibly use as a test "mule"?
if we decide to go forward with this project i would gladly pay the shipping costs.

thanks
bob tweedy

[Eyelawdoc]

Bob, is he proposing to machine out the end of the lower arm to accept removable ball joints (like JC Performance was doing), or is he talking about building a complete tubular replacement lower arm with replaceable ball joints ?

[bob tweedy]

lower control arms.

at this point we are looking to machine the old ones for simplicity.
i cannot see us doing the fabrication drawings , making jigs and the actual fabrication at this point.
thanks
bob

[Eyelawdoc]

I have a used pair in my jealously guarded hoard of parts. I had offered it to RodneyH in an effort to get the Fatman tubular reproduction project off the ground, but Rodney deceided to go out to the wrecking yards and find his own. He hasn't come up with any, yet.

[Pat_in_L.A.]

Bob, there were several heated debates in previous threads on this subject from earlier this year. It would be a good primmer for you and your machinist to read through them to get acquainted with some of the safety and liability issues involved.

[bob tweedy]

lower arms.

hey pat. i remember making the statement that i had read some disparaging words comcerning the redone ones.
however having some intimate knowledge concerning technical responsibilities and judging responsibilities then there arises the question of originality. my philosophy is to give the owner a break. especially in the case of percieved nonavailability. however there times that that is beyond my control. if it came to a head -to-head contest for 1st place and one had aftermarket vice original(even redone) guess who loses.
just my thoughts .
bob

[bob tweedy]

lower control arms

hey pat. lots of snow today-wind and cold weather. ugh. and it aint even winter yet!!
i looked at all the threads i think and couldnt find the conversation you had mentioned. can you point me in the right direction or another direction. i am certainly interested in it.
also has anybody used the reman control arms? and has anybody had any problems with them?
thanks
bob

[Pat_in_L.A.]

Re: lower control arms

Originally posted by bob tweedy

i looked at all the threads i think and couldnt find the conversation you had mentioned....
bob

I looked too and it appears to be gone. I believe that threads in the lounge area get dropped after a certain amount of time.

[GAboySVO]

Bob,

Here is a link to JC. They have a picture there that might help.

http://www.jcperformance.com/

[bob tweedy]

lower control arms

i really dont want to rehash the subject but can someone enlighten me on the previous conversations .
i guess that i would be interested in anyone who has used them and the results. or the percieved legal ramifications. i am skeptical as they are being discontinued for lack of interest as opposed to manufacturing problems.
thanks
bob

[Ken Potter]

It related to the modification of a factory designed part that would then be modified by an individual for resale and use on their customers cars. In the case of a failure of a major suspension component that could cause severe injury or death the person / company responsible for modifying that part would be legally liable for a lawsuit / damages / wrongful death.

[RodneyH]

I'll probably be sending a pair of original LCA's down to Fatmanfab for a pattern in the next couple of weeks assuming they are ready for them. I need to follow up with another phone-call to iron out the details. I was kind of sitting back waiting to see the outcome of the D&D project but it appears to still be stalled. I want to rebuild the front suspension on my 84 until next spring, which is why I'm pursuing new tubular arms. I doubt my car will ever compete in anything that requires the original arms so I opt for new parts.

After I replace my originals, I'll look into machining them to accept a replacement ball-joint. I have some sources that may be able to do the work without the legal issues or high costs.

[Will]

Originally posted by GAboySVO
Bob,

Here is a link to JC. They have a picture there that might help.

http://www.jcperformance.com/

Has anyone used there services?