FAQ: Lower Control Arms & Bushings 1995/1996/1997/1998/1999

95riv wrote:

can i use 98 control arms on my 95?

BMD wrote:

There is no listing for Lower Control Arms for a '96. Can you use the Control Arms for 98-99 on a '96?

NO

Well I browsed the forum some more and looked at pics of the 97+ control arms and it appears that the only difference is that they are made of aluminum. I just was wondering if the control arms pictured in that link on my previous post were the actual arms that would be shipped. I guess ill just give them a call and find out myself

Received the right arm from Autoparts 123 (Amazon) over the weekend. Appears to be a good part - I forgot how light the arms are, can't weigh more than 10 lb.

EDIT: Auto Parts Nerd sent me notification on June 3rd they did not actually have the part in stock, refunded my credit card. Now have to search for #520169 left (driver side) arm.

UPDATE: found left direct through Autoparts123.com (not through Amazon)! Ohio residents pay tax, but free shipping on $50+ orders.

Dorman does not make anything, most of their stuff is made in china. I have had quality problems in the past with their stuff but customer service always made things right.

Should I be collecting certain rust free parts found at the local pick and pull here in Fl?

I know of a couple 95s but the arm is going to be 30 bux and I need to remove it myself, then theres shipping... is it worth it?

probably not worth it.
I for one would rather upgrade to the lighter aluminum arms on the 97+ rivs than get a rebuilt 95/96.
Also when you add up the cost of the OEM delco bushings and ball joint it still isnt cheap to do a rebuild.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

probably not worth it.
I for one would rather upgrade to the lighter aluminum arms on the 97+ rivs than get a rebuilt 95/96.
Also when you add up the cost of the OEM delco bushings and ball joint it still isnt cheap to do a rebuild.

Are the dimensions and mounting angles of the steel arms & bushings the same as the '97 aluminum ones?

cant say for sure, but i believe the only difference is the material.
I think rivman had 98+ LCA's on his 95 back in the day when he did the swap to 98 suspension.

I agree its likely not worth it but in defense of used parts here in S Florida, the roads are good, lower bushings and ball joints(on GM products at least) hold up extremely well.

Mr.Riviera wrote:

cant say for sure, but i believe the only difference is the material.
I think rivman had 98+ LCA's on his 95 back in the day when he did the swap to 98 suspension.

Then that would make '97 the only year with the vertical-bushing experiment?

the 95 also experimented with the vertical bushing. i guess it worked. but from a mechanics point of view it was,and is a failure. a packaging solution that from the beginning, didn't have one.

robotennis61 wrote:

the 95 also experimented with the vertical bushing. i guess it worked. but from a mechanics point of view it was,and is a failure. a packaging solution that from the beginning, didn't have one.

So in 5 model years we have 4 different control arms, with only '98 & '99 sharing one?

eldo wrote" So in 5 model years we have 4 different control arms, with only '98 & '99 sharing one

ain't that a pickle! GM proves to the automotive world that wisdom comes second to engineering potential

It's called progress, guys. Not uncommon for any new model to have design changes throughout the first few years of a vehicle's production. As a result, the later models are usually better than the earlier ones. Not always, but most of the time you want to get the newer version - it will have less recalls, better performance, longer life, because they've worked out the bugs.

I am glad they switched from heavy, rusty, steel arms to cast aluminum ones. Nowadays most quality vehicles are using cast aluminum suspension parts.

Eldo wrote:

robotennis61 wrote:

the 95 also experimented with the vertical bushing. i guess it worked. but from a mechanics point of view it was,and is a failure. a packaging solution that from the beginning, didn't have one.

So in 5 model years we have 4 different control arms, with only '98 & '99 sharing one?

Wait, i thought the 95/96 models had the same steel LCA.
the 97+ have the cast aluminum LCA.
Same dimensions and bushing design, just different structures.

I could be wrong, anyone have gm part number for the years to compare?

Edit: i was expecting a very heavy steel arm when i had mine off, but it is pretty thin and completely hollow. probably weights 15lbs if the aluminum one weights 10.

mine are steel. i am now considering a swap
nice to know about the weight of the LCA mr.riviera.

Eldo wrote:

Well, those control arms are available, but for $250 each!

What are the issues with the control arm? Can't the 97 units be upgraded to 98+?

Jack the R wrote:

Eldo wrote:

Well, those control arms are available, but for $250 each!

What are the issues with the control arm? Can't the 97 units be upgraded to 98+?

As you know, the Search function on this site is a little persnickety, so I haven't been able to combine all the control arm bits and pieces. However, just a week ago I found out that my previous assumption that all the post-96 aluminum control arms were the same was false. My '97 arms are aluminum, but the front bushings are vertical, while evidently the '98-'99s are "normal" horizontal.

Also, I believe Robo said that one of the steel years tried the vertical idea as well - If at first you don't succeed, try it again in cast aluminum... I suppose what we need is a photo from each year.

I'm about to convert my front subframe to accept a '98-'99 control arm./

For anyone with a '98-'99 or wanting to attempt the conversion on a '97,....I seem to have bought a spare right front Dorman control arm,...

Dorman 520-170

I'll list it in the classifieds some day.

In the meantime,..I need to get the bolts for the front bushing,..and then I'll do the conversion. I'll post them in a new "how to" thead if the mods promise not to delete it, or hide it on page 952.3 of some random thread like they have done to me before.

duckstu wrote:

I'm about to convert my front subframe to accept a '98-'99 control arm./

For anyone with a '98-'99 or wanting to attempt the conversion on a '97,....I seem to have bought a spare right front Dorman control arm,...

Dorman 520-170

I'll list it in the classifieds some day.

In the meantime,..I need to get the bolts for the front bushing,..and then I'll do the conversion. I'll post them in a new "how to" thead if the mods promise not to delete it, or hide it on page 952.3 of some random thread like they have done to me before.

Hopefully that won't happen as a lot of people are looking forward to see how the fitment of a 98-99 Control Arm will work on an earlier year.
BTW, when you are ready to sell the excess Right Control Arm, please PM Me with all the info.
Thanks,
Rick

im going to be replacing my front struts and mounts soon along with possibly putting some eibachs in, i figure while the control arm is mostly apart it might be a good time to tackle the control arm bushings. rock auto shows nothing for a 97 park avenue except the bushings for the trailing arms. i searched part numbers for struts, ball joints, and hub assemblies between a 97 PA and a 97 riviera and they all matched, now my question is are the control arms the same? and if the control arms are the same, are the bushings the same?
thanks for any help in advance.

Just my 2 cents, but you'd probably need to have a dealer cross-reference that since there are 4 different control arm styles on 5 different year rivs. My guess is probably not tho that is just a guess

Aren't the P/N's for the Riv control Arms listed on this site somewhere that would help you cross check.?
Or, a junkyard would be able to tell you also. I forget the name of the book they use that has "what fit's what" in it.

RockAuto sells voided silentbloc bushings for the PA - pls go check, will that do?

Albertj

Rickw wrote:

Aren't the P/N's for the Riv control Arms listed on this site somewhere that would help you cross check.?
Or, a junkyard would be able to tell you also. I forget the name of the book they use that has "what fit's what" in it.

the part numbers for the riviera might be on here somewhere, but it wont help much if i cant get a hold of the part number for a complete control arm for a park avenue. ill give the junk yard a try though, thanks.

albertj wrote:

RockAuto sells voided silentbloc bushings for the PA - pls go check, will that do?

Albertj

i saw those, they are for the rear arms. im looking to replace the control arm bushings up front. if you search for control arm bushings for a 97 riv on rock auto it shows those same bushings for the rear arms, but it also shows 3 more bushings for up front that isnt shown for the park avenue.

control arms on a couple junk yard site,list the riv having the same control arms as the bonnie,aurora,deville,pk ave,lesabre. is this true? or just a mistake on the junkyards part?