There's never been a better time to own and operate a classic Tri-Five Chevrolet, but since these vehicles rolled off of the assembly line 50-plus years ago, the rules of the road have drastically changed. The world has sped up considerably. Everyone's in a hurry and no one is paying much attention to the road. Driving in the modern age means you and your car need faster response times and faster response times require better equipment. One area of improvement we're going to focus on with the '57 used in this article is the front suspension. Global West just released a new set of control arms made for the '55-'57 Chevrolets. As soon as we heard the news, we were there to cover the first installation of these new arms. Interestingly enough, these control arms are engineered to allow the user to fit them to a multitude of applications, including drop spindles or stock spindles, coilovers or OEM springs, OEM power steering, manual steering or aftermarket power steering. No fabricating, cutting, or grinding is required. It's truly a "one size fits all" bolt-in application. As pretty as they are, this upgrade isn't done for aesthetic reasons. The upper and lower control arms have an advantage over the stock stamped steel arms.Lower arm advantages:- Billet cross-shafts- Bolts onto the frame with no modification- Accommodates coil springs or coilovers- Rotating spring cushion for easy indexing- Works with power or manual steering- Built-in steering stops- Built-in sway bar mounts- Equipped with factory ball joints- Powdercoated- Limited-lifetime warrantyAs pretty as they are, this upgrade isn't done for aesthetic reasons. The upper and lower Upper arm advantages:- Billet cross-shafts.- Give an added five degrees of positive caster- They come fully assembled with Del-a-lum bushings- Equipped with factory ball joints- Powdercoated- Limited-lifetime warranty.Upper arm advantages: - Billet cross-shafts. - Give an added five degrees of positive cas Other than the modest disc brakes this '57 Chevy is pretty much a factory-spec restoration. Thanks to D&P Classic Chevy and Global West Suspension for letting us use this '57 as a guinea pig.Other than the modest disc brakes this '57 Chevy is pretty much a factory-spec restoration One more thing we forgot to add. Since these are truly bolt on, they can also bolt off. For those of you who are concerned about keeping your Tri-Five "all original" these arms can be swapped out the day you decide to sell the vehicle as "all original."One more thing we forgot to add. Since these are truly bolt on, they can also bolt off. Fo First, we removed the shock and loosened the spindle. We also lowered the lower arm slowly allowing the super tall OEM spring to decompress. Rather than disconnect the brake lines and make more work for ourselves; the spindle and brakes were set to the side and out of the way.First, we removed the shock and loosened the spindle. We also lowered the lower arm slowly Only four bolts hold the lower arm to the frame. 1 | 2 | » | View Full Article Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
