Need suspension HELP!

[LouZ]

Just got done having new rims and tires put on my wife's '98 Trans Am. When the shop was gonna run an alignment they found a lower control arm damaged, bad enough where they couldn't do the alignment. Must have hit a pothole or curb or something pretty hard. Roads in Tucson are pretty bad.
I just had oversize rims and tires put on, 245/40R18 on front and 285/35R18 on back. I knew about the panhard for the rear but I didn't plan on the control arms being replaced now. Last couple of months I spent $3,500 on the struts, rack and pinion and lowering the car a couple of inches.

This month so far it's $1,700 for the tires,rims, window motors & window that the repair shop broke.

I was going to get a Uni panhard and now I also need the lower control arms.

Anyone give suggestions on a decent set of lower control arms and panhard that won't break me? Her TA is only run on the street, no racing.

Appreciate any help you can give.

[Whamhammer]

Just got done having new rims and tires put on my wife's '98 Trans Am. When the shop was gonna run an alignment they found a lower control arm damaged, bad enough where they couldn't do the alignment. Must have hit a pothole or curb or something pretty hard. Roads in Tucson are pretty bad.
I just had oversize rims and tires put on, 245/40R18 on front and 285/35R18 on back. I knew about the panhard for the rear but I didn't plan on the control arms being replaced now. Last couple of months I spent $3,500 on the struts, rack and pinion and lowering the car a couple of inches.

This month so far it's $1,700 for the tires,rims, window motors & window that the repair shop broke.

I was going to get a Uni panhard and now I also need the lower control arms.

Anyone give suggestions on a decent set of lower control arms and panhard that won't break me? Her TA is only run on the street, no racing.

Appreciate any help you can give.

I am happy with my UMI suspension components, and highly recommend them!

Also, take a look at UMI’s Watts link, instead of the panhard rod

[LouZ]

Thanks for the reply and info. I'll definetly check the UMI our. Just found out I also need a Subframe Crossmember. Of course it's discontinued so it's off to the recycle yards to find one. Some say the 8 cyl version is the same as the 6 cyl version. Other say it isn't. Some say even the regular Firebird Crossmember won't fit if you have the FE4 option.

I'm at a loss. Ready to call UMI and tell them I want the total package, matched Control Arms & Front Crossmember, to fit on the car with no major rework.
The nearest 4th Generation shop that knows what they're doing is in Phoenix AZ which is over 200 miles away so I have to stick with a local shop.

The wife is pitching a fit because she doesn't want a drag stip or autocross car, but wants her '98 fixed.

What do I do? Say the Hell with it and fix the '98 Trans Am (which she loves), or get her a new 2024 Camaro and hope she's happy with it (which will probably be a lot of grief for me)?

[Whamhammer]

Thanks for the reply and info. I'll definetly check the UMI our. Just found out I also need a Subframe Crossmember. Of course it's discontinued so it's off to the recycle yards to find one. Some say the 8 cyl version is the same as the 6 cyl version. Other say it isn't. Some say even the regular Firebird Crossmember won't fit if you have the FE4 option.

I'm at a loss. Ready to call UMI and tell them I want the total package, matched Control Arms & Front Crossmember, to fit on the car with no major rework.
The nearest 4th Generation shop that knows what they're doing is in Phoenix AZ which is over 200 miles away so I have to stick with a local shop.

The wife is pitching a fit because she doesn't want a drag stip or autocross car, but wants her '98 fixed.

What do I do? Say the Hell with it and fix the '98 Trans Am (which she loves), or get her a new 2024 Camaro and hope she's happy with it (which will probably be a lot of grief for me)?

A few things to consider:

1) UMI has street driven car crossmember/suspension applications, so she shouldn't worry about the car becoming a non-streetable car. Honestly, the lighter weight and higher strength of the components will make the car a better car to drive on the street.

2) She would be getting brand new, higher quality components, than spending money on used parts that may/may not have some issues that may not have been spotted by the yard. Most of the time, I would say the used part would be fine, but who knows

3) As far as I know, there will not be a 2024 Camaro; and 2023 Camaros are still hard to get a hold of, optioned as one wants them, and not for "market condition" markups.