Ok..after all the debate over the DSE style control arms available from numerous venders on E-bay,I had to let you all know my experience...I bought them as the price was to good to pass up and they are a quality piece for the most part and my set aligned perfectly with the additional Castor gains and so on.Mine even had the same number of shims on both sides(2) and right to left.5 and 5 1/2* pos Castor and 1/4* neg Camber so that part was perfect.
Now,there is one very serious design flaw that I have not yet fully rectified,The offset cam things(for lack of a better term) that rest inside the upper control arm shaft that recieve the bolts are made of POT metal.They are definatly not strong enough to hold the clamping load to tighten down the shims,control arm movement and mine cracked.
When that happened the Control Arm broke loose and slid through the bolts as the 11/16'' nuts ended up inside the cross shaft..
...freaked me out and luckily was backing out of my driveway and not on the highway.
Now,that being said,the cam things should have been made of billet or steel or with hardened washers placed against the shaft first and then the 11/16'' nuts.The design is sound but the material is not.Those of you who have bought them better check it out as you will notice that one side of the shaft is recessed to recieve the cams while the other side is not.I'm not sure what side is supposed to be against the nut but I would not trust either side with the supplied cams.
I think I'm going to install grade 8 large washers and grind the cams down so they sit flush against the shaft and then install the nut as this would prevent the nut from ever pulling though again.The other alternative would be to have new cams machined from billet and use the old as a pattern.
I can't believe that this happened and I hope mine was an isolated case.I think the Arms ARE safe,the welds are good and of a heavy duty design and accuratly made(the alignment was a breeze) and the car handles and steers noticably better.
I would NOT what so ever use these ARMS with the supplied cams unless steps are taken to make sure the bolts do not pull though the shafts as the entire load is placed on the tiny lip of the Cam that rest on the shaft.
I hope this helps people in making thier decision on which arms to use as its an easy fix and they work well.I can't believe this only happened to me and if not I would like to hear about it.
I am not ashamed to admit that I bought a DSE knockoff of E-bay,otherwise I would probably not have tubular control arms for my Car,however,with anything that you buy it should be thoroughly inspected before installation especially when made in China like so many of our aftermarket Camaro parts..:sad:...
Now,there is one very serious design flaw that I have not yet fully rectified,The offset cam things(for lack of a better term) that rest inside the upper control arm shaft that recieve the bolts are made of POT metal.They are definatly not strong enough to hold the clamping load to tighten down the shims,control arm movement and mine cracked.
When that happened the Control Arm broke loose and slid through the bolts as the 11/16'' nuts ended up inside the cross shaft..
...freaked me out and luckily was backing out of my driveway and not on the highway.Now,that being said,the cam things should have been made of billet or steel or with hardened washers placed against the shaft first and then the 11/16'' nuts.The design is sound but the material is not.Those of you who have bought them better check it out as you will notice that one side of the shaft is recessed to recieve the cams while the other side is not.I'm not sure what side is supposed to be against the nut but I would not trust either side with the supplied cams.
I think I'm going to install grade 8 large washers and grind the cams down so they sit flush against the shaft and then install the nut as this would prevent the nut from ever pulling though again.The other alternative would be to have new cams machined from billet and use the old as a pattern.
I can't believe that this happened and I hope mine was an isolated case.I think the Arms ARE safe,the welds are good and of a heavy duty design and accuratly made(the alignment was a breeze) and the car handles and steers noticably better.
I would NOT what so ever use these ARMS with the supplied cams unless steps are taken to make sure the bolts do not pull though the shafts as the entire load is placed on the tiny lip of the Cam that rest on the shaft.
I hope this helps people in making thier decision on which arms to use as its an easy fix and they work well.I can't believe this only happened to me and if not I would like to hear about it.
I am not ashamed to admit that I bought a DSE knockoff of E-bay,otherwise I would probably not have tubular control arms for my Car,however,with anything that you buy it should be thoroughly inspected before installation especially when made in China like so many of our aftermarket Camaro parts..:sad:...
