63 lower control arm difference??

[Norris W.]

One of the vendors in the new driveline (which I finally got yesterday) has a note in his ad about correct weld on bracket for '63. I've been lookin' through my stash of lowers this morning and I'm not picking up on it at a glance. Are they talkin' about the way the sway bar bracket welds on?

[Tom H.]

Re: 63 lower control arm difference??

I think a photo of this would be helpful to many. Anybody got a good one to take a shot of ?

[Duke W.]

Re: 63 lower control arm difference??

IIRC what you are talking about is a small reinforcement plate welded to the inside face of the control arm at the anti-roll bar bracket.

This modification appeared as a running change late in the '63 model year.

I suspect the motivation for the change may have been from full sized pass. car engineering. Given their much higher front end weight - especially with a 409 this area is much more highly stressed than on a Corvette.

Duke

[Boyan B.]

Re: 63 lower control arm difference??

In late 63 the added reinforcement appeared on the lower control arms. It is just a 1/8 plate welded to the front of the lower control arm, between the sway bar mount and the inner part of the control arm where the bushings would go. It also folds under the front lip of the control arm. It is very hard to pick up in photographs. The easiest way to describe the added reinforcement is to position the lower control arm as if it were on the car, or if it is on a car, just reach and grab the front edge of the control arm. If you feel metal twice as thick as the control arm, you have a later style arm. If it feels thin just like the rest of the arm, its a 63.

I also saw the vendor's ad, I have not seen their product and do not know how accurate it is. I think the reinforcement appeared on production about serial # 20,000--June or July 63 not earlier.

Boyan