TPI Monte SS, INSIDE PLEASE!!!!!

[unstable bob gable]

Steve,
I know you are a G Body guru, and I'm a friggin' hurting dumbazz, so please try and straighten me out!

I could've swore that I heard and/or read that a 2nd gen F body spindle could be used on a G body. Wellll, Ian and I worked out every possible configuration, and the end result is looking at positive camber from hell!
I have Pole Position upper arms w/ Howe balljoints, and Spohn lower arms w/ Howe balljoints. They bolted up fine, but there is no way the F body spindle is gonna go in straight enough for the tires to be anywhere near to square w/ the road. Was I f'd up by thinking I can use the F body spindle?

Thanks, broh.

-u b

[Brando56894]

idk if he even comes around here anymore, ask melissa :lol:

[Savage_Messiah]

WTF why ask melissa

he comes on all the time

This is SS Steve R, aka TPI Monte SS..... not T/A (hawk? i dont remember) SteveR

****in n00b

[unstable bob gable]

WTF why ask melissa

he comes on all the time

This is SS Steve R, aka TPI Monte SS..... not T/A (hawk? i dont remember) SteveR

****in n00b

Go git 'em, Fidget Dawg! :)

[Ian]

I fixed the title to keep the confusion to a minimum. :)

[BonzoHansen]

Ok, here is what I know, from a 2nd gen perspective. You can put a B-Body spindle in a 2nd gen f-body. The spindle height is the same, and the steering arm only move a very small amount. F-Body guys do this in order to be able to upgrade to 12" rotors. My 77 now wears 12" 90 IROC 1LE rotors.

That same B-Body spindle is used by G-body guys because it is taller, offering better camber and increased roll center. So if B bolts to F, and B bolts to G, then F bolts to G.
My understanding is while this might have been the best one could do 'back in the day' on these cars, the change in steering arm location negates a lot of the steering improvement. This from SC&C (http://www.scandc.com/faqs.htm#5) website:

Q: Will SC&C’s SPC arms work with the B car spindle swap? What’s the difference between Street-Comp and the B swap?

A: Yes, our SPC arms will work with the taller B spindles. This swap requires a shorter upper arm so you just adjust the arms to fit and set the alignment. The B swap offers better than stock brakes and improves the camber curves and roll center height due to their taller overall height. That’s the good news, now for the bad news…the B spindles were designed for a totally different car. So while they can be bolted on, not everything lines up correctly. The steering arms are longer which slows the steering ratio and upsets the ackerman angle or the difference in the angles of the tires when you turn. Worse, it doubles the amount of bumpsteer, which isn’t too good to begin with! This can make the car feel very unnerving to drive, especially at speed. The B setup is also quite heavy and increases the track width of the car, which may lead to tire clearance problems with fenders. Street-Comp offers the geometry benefits of the B swap while dramatically improving the factory bumpsteer and saving weight! There’s simply no downside. Braking can be easily upgraded with premium performance pads and rotors or aftermarket kits such as those offered by Baer Brakes, both front and rear.

My initial thought is the taller spindle in combo with taller ball joints is not helping. Although my initial thought way you would have excessive negative camber (top tire tilted in). I might have kept the G-body spindles with the tall ball joints.

I might also compare those new uppers & lowers to the originals to make sure they are correct. Especially the lower one. Maybe it is not long enough. Do those upper arms alter geometry at all??

Just thinking out loud.

[BonzoHansen]

UBG, if you can't figure it out, call Mark at SC&C. Tell him BonzoHansen from Pro-Touring told you to call him. I've talked to him a number of times, he's smart as a whip and a super nice guy.

[The Fixer]

Bob, I answered you PM. Sorry, damn computer had a virus and I had to wipe the HD and start over. Just got back online tonite!

Bonzo is on the right track though, but for anyone else who might be interested, the only way 2nd-gen F-body or B-body spindles work, is to use aftermarket upper control arms that are shorter to fix the wonky camber curve once the taller spindles are mounted. That's how I have the 12" brakes on the SS.

[unstable bob gable]

Bonzo: Thanks for the info. I E-mailed Marcus about my problem, and I will either call him or take a ride out to his shop. From the looks of it, he is only about 60 miles away from me.

Steve: Thanks for the PM and the info. I think you guys solved my problem, and the hit to my wallet won't be as bad as shelling out 2 G for a Baer set up or such. :)

Thanks again!

-u b

[unstable bob gable]

Turns out I had the wrong length upper arms. The good news is they are a modular type arm, so I can order shorter sleeves to convert them to the right style. Hopefully by next week I'll be back in biz.