12mm vs. 14mm rear LCA bolts

SVT32VDOHC

waiting for the next hack atta
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Nov 22, 2001
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Motor City
I wanted to get these Granitelli Motorsport rear LCA's for my 81, but I need them to be 99-04 style because I have the 99-04 rear end, and I filed my torque box holes up to accept the 14mm 99-04 bolts. I wonder why GM doesn't specify the different model years like Steeda, BBK, MM, and others...1979-1998 and 1999-2004??

They must be selling 79-98 stuff to 99-04 guys with the bolts....but if you put a smaller 12mm bolt into a 99-04 rear end and torque box, wouldn't that cause problems? Anybody know someone who put older arms in newer cars?
 
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hrmm....14mm hole....12mm bolt......sounds like a problem to me? When you're dealing w/ the main connection that the axle has to the ass end of the car, 2mm is a LOT of room for error.
 
That is what the guys at JEGS said. Call GM and see if they have an adapter sleeve with the kit. The Tech guys at Summit didn't know a thing!! How are they tech guys. I knew more than they did. The guy's like "There is no difference in all the years, that's just for the Cobra." OMG!!!!
 
I just called Granitelli. They sell 79-98 LCA with the small holes...and this is the guys exact words

"What we tell you to do is go to a hardware store and buy the 14mm hardware." I go..."14mm bolts won't go in 12mm holes"

Then he goes...
"Oh yeah....DAAAAHHH, soory. Well you will just have to use 12mm stuff." I don't think I want to do that. Then he says he hasn't had any problems in race cars etc.....but that is a sales pitch to me. He doesn't care if I screw up my torque boxes. Looks like I will just buy standard LCA's to replace the MEga Bites that are on it now, or spend 400 for Steedas...damn it!!
 
Could you not just drill out the hole to make them 14mm?

I filed the holes in the body to 14mm...but I think you are talking about the holes in the LCA's. I couldn't do it, I'm sure they would have to be machined out, or done with a drill press. Plus, I would worry about there not being enough tubing left afterwards.

Man this sucks. I want the car up. The left rear is 26-1/4" high and the right rear is 26-3/4" It looks good, but I don't want the tires that close to the quarters. I could put stock springs in it, but I'm not too sure how that would ride with Steeda SS in the front.
 
you going to need to get some adj. rear lca's like I have there nice you just turn the bolt to lower or raise the car.
Can you just pop the bushings out and but a bushing with the correct size bolt hole?
 
I don't know. I know HPM you can just pop them out and replace them, but these Granitellis have a 3 peice bushing, that things is prolly pressed in. I searched on Corall and found out this guys had it out with them, and they are POS's. I'm not ordering them now anyways. There is a 3 page long thread from 2005, and some rep fro GM was on there trying to back his stuff up.
 
I filed the holes in the body to 14mm...but I think you are talking about the holes in the LCA's. I couldn't do it, I'm sure they would have to be machined out, or done with a drill press. Plus, I would worry about there not being enough tubing left afterwards.
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So what size are the holes in the LCA's?

If there 14mm and you filed the holes in the body to except 14mm you should be good to go. :shrug:
 
So what size are the holes in the LCA's?

If there 14mm and you filed the holes in the body to except 14mm you should be good to go. :shrug:

No, the Granitelli's have the 12mm holes. I'm done with that place. When their tech doesn't even have a response that is certain, I can't deal with a company like that.

JEGS, Summit and G.M. have poor techs. I wondered why I called someone like that for advice. Well, it wasn't advice, I was trying to find out what size holes they had, and if they had hardware and NONE of them had an answer. :notnice:
 
No, the Granitelli's have the 12mm holes. I'm done with that place. When their tech doesn't even have a response that is certain, I can't deal with a company like that.

JEGS, Summit and G.M. have poor techs. I wondered why I called someone like that for advice. Well, it wasn't advice, I was trying to find out what size holes they had, and if they had hardware and NONE of them had an answer. :notnice:

Ok I understand now.

I call mosers about a month a go to get the numbers for some bearing and the tech guy couldn't even tell me.:nonono:
 
Ok I understand now.

I call mosers about a month a go to get the numbers for some bearing and the tech guy couldn't even tell me.:nonono:

I honestly think that their "techs" are just joe blows that filled out and application.

They are no better than the guy at Autozone that told me I should be buying a FRAM oil filter for my 97 F150 instead of the Motorcraft I had in my hand. He said FRAM filters way better.....................

Yeah,....a 67 year old retiree knows that a FRAM filter, filters oil better than a Motorcraft......hhmmm....tell me exactly how you know that. :rlaugh: :rlaugh: :rlaugh: :rlaugh:
 
Yes, but their weight jackers are 400 dollars. That is a joke for some LCA's. I mean....after all it's just metal right? My 179. UCA and LCA's on my 91 notch are better then my 279.99 Mega Bite Jr's LCA only on my Cobra. They have grease fittings, that is the only reason, but a good one.
 
I don't know. I know HPM you can just pop them out and replace them, but these Granitellis have a 3 peice bushing, that things is prolly pressed in. I searched on Corall and found out this guys had it out with them, and they are POS's. I'm not ordering them now anyways. There is a 3 page long thread from 2005, and some rep fro GM was on there trying to back his stuff up.

The old ones sucked, i had a set and they were junk, the solid bushings were on the body side and the bushing were on the axle side, i had to mill the bushings to get them to fit into the axle because they were too big by like 1/4'' i should have sent them straight back to summit but i ran them for about a year and they used ****ty material with a super coarse thread on the cup screw so that stripped out the first time i tried to adjust them and the welds were JUNK on top of all that... but i've seen pictures of a revised version of them, and they look pretty good, actually they are IDENTICAL to my MM lowers that replaced the Granatelli's if i was in your shoes i would get them, they switched the bushings around, and it looks like they have a quality spherical end and poly bushing now and are using a fine thread on the screw with a different mount for the spring cup, with a grease fitting so you can get anti-seize onto the threads.

http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=GRN-GMCA7998WJ

If this was 2 years ago i wouldnt say this but after seeing that those control arms are the exact same thing as the MM ones, save yourself 200 bones and get the Granatelli stuff, it looks like they cut the b/s and started making a good LCA.

And also, it should be no problem to mill that spacer out, if you bring it to any machine shop with a bridgeport or lathe they should be able to take care of it. i also have access to that stuff at work and school so if you wanted i would mill it out for nothing if you ship it to me.
 
Thanks man. I appreciate your info. I gotta still get the rest of the car together. I have jumped around so many times with ideas that I'm not even ready for. I will do something soon, just not sure what. I still have to insure it so I can test drive it.