FRONT SUSPENSION

The front suspension control arms, strut rods, sway bar, and spindles are all the same pieces that were installed prior to the rebuild. In fact, most of these parts have been on Big Red since 1988. Bill Osborne picked the best parts available at the time from Stock Car Products, run by Tom Hamilton. Bill set up Dan and RJ for success of an unforeseen future of what Big Red is today. Other than the obvious ball joints and rod ends, competition parts of this level don’t wear out. As Tim put it, “They’re designed to hit cement walls and continue to run around the racetrack.”

The suspension geometry was tirelessly designed by Bill Osborne to work with Stock Car Products’ forged spindles and steering arms. They are originals, and have been out of production for decades. Dave’s shop has many vintage catalogs, but one of the prized possessions is the vintage SCP catalog.

This was from the original company, back when they were manufacturing “Quality Chassis Components.” Nowadays, SCP is Stock Car Products Dry Sump Pumps, which is the dry sump pump Big Red uses today. The spindles and steering arms were thoroughly inspected and magnafluxed to make sure they were safe for racing. Tom from SCP made the lower control arms 16 5/8-inch long (one inch shorter than off-the-shelf parts) to fit the track of Big Red. The only modification made to the arms is the addition of the sway bar bolt boss welded to the front edge.