Camaro Control Arm failure analysis and solution

[PQ]

Originally Posted by Scruffage

Well if a new lower control arm is going for 30 bucks they will have to be relatively inexpensive.

Not necessarily true. I have to jack up the car, remove the old LCA from the car attached at 3 points, install the new one, and then go pay and have the car realigned. I'm sure they will be fairly cheap, but only because of the simple thing they are. However, Pfadt will set the price based on theri cost and how many they think will be sold.

I'm gonna just zip tie mine this time.

And if anyone has to have the swap done by a shop, it can cost a couple hundred all together. Maybe more.

Originally Posted by motorhead

Where does it say it's welded on? It says the OEM support is welded to the control arm ,but it doesn't say the support bracket that they came up with it welded to anything? They say it takes 5min to install. I believe welding that onto the OEM support would take more than 5min.

I'll wait to hear from the pros. Thanks for your input though.

I believe you are right here.

Originally Posted by Darth_Emma

Good catch GTAHVIT. I assumed the new piece would be welded on too. Hmmmm. A 5 minute install might imply that it's not welded on unless you are "Uber Welder."

Originally Posted by 2012ZL1SS

but I'm betting that's it. That would be the 5 min fix and should solve the elongated holes by doubling the reinforced area.

Not if the new peice doesn't lip underneath the base of the braket. Because if it doesn't then it would do nothing to help hold the arm on. It would be nothing more than a big washer and slide off with the nut like mine did. I'm assuming it hooks under the base of the braket. In fact I gaurantee it. If not it's a stupid design. Why wouldn't it hook underneath? If the old hole elongated and it wasn't hooked, it would just elongate the stock hole and slide off with the nut.

[PfadtRacing]

Originally Posted by motorhead

The picture doesn't show if the bracket interlocks with the OEM support or not. I see how it fits over the OEM bracket ,but I can't see where or if it locks in place to take the stress off of the OEM support opening.

The support brace we are prototyping does lock in underneath with two forks that sit under the bracket in front. The forks under the forward bracket are what really set this solution apart from a hardened washer, we are not only reinforcing the thin bracket that's being torn out, but also distributing the some of the load to another structurally sound bracket that doesn't normally see a lot of stress.

Ultimately control arm replacements are pretty cheap from your GM dealer, but why worry about ruining a race weekend if your car gives up on a Saturday evening session and you cant get a replacement? We are working on getting some pieces made and a cost assigned, and will share more details as they come available.

Once again, we believe this will be a worthwhile and economical insurance policy for everyone from street users on stock bars to track users with higher rate rear bars. More details will be released as plans get finalized so please bear with us here. The development of this reinforcement was spurred on by direct input from Camaro5 users, so you folks will be the first to know the details of the product.

Thanks everyone for your input! As always we appreciate what's going on within the Camaro community, and will continue to provide the community with proven engineering solutions in the future!

[PfadtRacing]

Just to clarify, there will be no cutting or welding involved with installation. We do not feel it's necessary!

[motorhead]

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

The support brace we are prototyping does lock in underneath with two forks that sit under the bracket in front. The forks under the forward bracket are what really set this solution apart from a hardened washer, we are not only reinforcing the thin bracket that's being torn out, but also distributing the some of the load to another structurally sound bracket that doesn't normally see a lot of stress.

Ultimately control arm replacements are pretty cheap from your GM dealer, but why worry about ruining a race weekend if your car gives up on a Saturday evening session and you cant get a replacement? We are working on getting some pieces made and a cost assigned, and will share more details as they come available.

Once again, we believe this will be a worthwhile and economical insurance policy for everyone from street users on stock bars to track users with higher rate rear bars. More details will be released as plans get finalized so please bear with us here. The development of this reinforcement was spurred on by direct input from Camaro5 users, so you folks will be the first to know the details of the product.

Thanks everyone for your input! As always we appreciate what's going on within the Camaro community, and will continue to provide the community with proven engineering solutions in the future!

That's what I thought. I just couldn't see it from the mock up. Thanks for clearing it up. That should be a great fix.

[Darth_Emma]

When do you anticipate having this ready? My car is in the shop right now having several Pfadt bushings added. I'd love to have these put in at the same time.

[GTAHVIT]

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

The support brace we are prototyping does lock in underneath with two forks that sit under the bracket in front. The forks under the forward bracket are what really set this solution apart from a hardened washer, we are not only reinforcing the thin bracket that's being torn out, but also distributing the some of the load to another structurally sound bracket that doesn't normally see a lot of stress.

Ultimately control arm replacements are pretty cheap from your GM dealer, but why worry about ruining a race weekend if your car gives up on a Saturday evening session and you cant get a replacement? We are working on getting some pieces made and a cost assigned, and will share more details as they come available.

Once again, we believe this will be a worthwhile and economical insurance policy for everyone from street users on stock bars to track users with higher rate rear bars. More details will be released as plans get finalized so please bear with us here. The development of this reinforcement was spurred on by direct input from Camaro5 users, so you folks will be the first to know the details of the product.

Thanks everyone for your input! As always we appreciate what's going on within the Camaro community, and will continue to provide the community with proven engineering solutions in the future!

Originally Posted by PfadtRacing

Just to clarify, there will be no cutting or welding involved with installation. We do not feel it's necessary!

Pfadt = experts

GTAHVIT = knucklehead

Oh and I take back my comment on how the 3d image looks different than the oem one.... I looked at another image and stand corrected.

[2010 L99]

Originally Posted by PQ

Not if the new peice doesn't lip underneath the base of the braket.

Of course we now know that it does as a couple of us suspected.

[jsharp]

I would

[camaromax2k10]

It looks like it would work great. I'd probably get some.

[TMoneySS]

Im in!

[PQ]

So please explain why this is like this. Terrible IMO..... must be a reason for it?

As it turns out, when the finish is worn away, there IS a joint here. Can’t imagine why but I confirmed it on both arms. The coating disguises it but it’s definitely there. THIS IS NOT A CRACK. It’s an absolutely PERFECT joint. WAY to perfectly straight and true to be a crack.

[axis]

No offense but it seems like a lot of extra cost and complexity to fix a relatively simple problem. My "simple" mind tells me that a single flat plate that hooks into the open area on each side should be more than enough to handle the added pressure. It's not like you have to design something that takes all the stress off, just add to the strength of the OEM part. The fatigued area is above the bolt so strengthening that area is all we REALLY need to worry about. Moving the stress to both sides of the OEM plate should infintely make the part stronger. It would also make manufacturing and installation a breeze. It would also cut down on seemingly unneeded weight, since this is going to have to be made from hardened steel or something equally heavy. I could be way off base here but it doesn't look that complicated to me.

[woodside783]

what about the light wieght control arm you are making?

[cho62]

from the 2nd picture, it seems to me that there are still some stresses along the circle of the original piece, im just curious to see what the stresses are from the back side of the original part. also, there has to be some sort of stress put onto that area of the new plate, correct?