![]() Front upper & lower Grade 8 hardware kit, rear control arm Grade 8 hardware kit.Tubular upper and lower rear control arms.A stage two kit from UMI Performance is ideal for a nice driver, and requires no additional tuning. What options are out there? Whether it be to make a better driver, or build a track ready car, there are different routes you can take. All modern cars utilize a radial ply tire. When heading for performance, radial tires are ideal. Upgrading to a set of radial tires will make a massive difference in the handling of your car as well. Radial tires allow additional caster and are better for handling since the sidewall and tread function independently.The Roto-Joints are installed on the upper rear control arms, either taking place of the rubber bushings on the housing side or body side. In response to the converging four-link Womer explained “this can be improved by installing a set of Roto-Joints or rod ends, as well as increasing the strength of the control arms.” The Roto-Joints work similar to a heim-joint, where they can freely articulate around, which frees up the binding that’s in the GM A-body platform.These two changes can dramatically improve the stiffness of the overall car, but retain a comfortable ride. In order to fix the shocks and springs, “a set of higher rebound shocks help keep a car from wallowing or pitching, while a set of springs with an increased rate works to stabilize the car without being too stiff,” explained Womer.Even if you’re using stock suspension, replacing with tall ball joints will make a big difference in the handling department. A simple fix such as this can make a drastic difference within the A-Body. “Adding spindle height via tall ball joints or an aftermarket tall spindle will help to pull the top of the tire in during cornering,” explained Womer.The bias ply tires are constructed much different than a modern day radial tire and they tend to roll a lot when cornering and can’t handle additional caster. Another key factor is tires and how the original bias ply tires compare to radials.“The issue here is that there is a lot of binding that happens when utilizing the factory rubber bushings to try and get some compliance,” stated Womer. However the upper arms are at roughly a 45-degree angle which keeps the rearend centered under the car. Womer continued, “out back is the converging four-link, which is not the greatest setup GM could have chosen.” The converging four link is designed with two lower arms that are perpendicular to the rearend.Back then the A-bodies were meant to haul a family or hit the drag strip, not hit a road course. What this means is that they may have a nice comfy ride, but really lack in the performance area. “Cars of this era were sprung very softly, and didn’t have much resistance, as well as terrible shocks.” explained Womer. ![]() Camber is often used in racing to keep the tire fully planted on the ground, to help keep grip and overall handling. Camber is the measure in degrees of the difference between the wheels vertical alignment perpendicular to the surface. “The A-body has poor camber gain due to a short spindle from factory,” explained Womer. Womer said it all starts with its poor geometry.Notice how planted the front tire is, even when locked and going around a corner at high speed. Every platform has its downfalls, so what are the downfalls of the GM A-body and how are they fixed? We spoke to Ramey Womer, an Engineer at UMI Performance to find out more about it. We recently talked about the GM A-body with the guys at UMI Performance, and learned a little bit about the problems, fixes, and improvements that can make your A-body a lot better than the factory setup. In old muscle car terms, these cars are mid-sized and more affordable than your average F-body. Anything from the ‘64-’72 Malibu, El Camino, Skylark, Lemans, or Cutlass. But what if you want to go down a different route? The GM A-body is your next choice, with such a wide variety of models utilizing that platform. In the Pro Touring scene, the F-body platform seems to be the most popular platform due to its broad selection of aftermarket parts. This covers the 1964, 1965, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972 Chevrolet Chevelle, El Camino and Monte Carlo, Buick Skylark and Grandsport, Oldsmobile Cutlass, F85 and 442 along with the Pontiac Lemans and GTO.Īrticle Courtesy of Author: Lane Coyle Along with that they wanted to find out what the fixes are to make this a much nicer driving and track capable car. ![]() They wanted to find out all the good and bad of this platform. ![]() Recently the folks at Lateral-G dove in the A-Body platform. ![]()
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