When it comes to upgrading the suspension of any classic American muscle car, the first thing anyone mentions is the addition of tubular control arms and coilover shocks. But why is that? To find out, we reached out to the folks at Classic Performance Products (CPP) who sent us the informative video above.

In a nutshell, tubular control arms are stronger and still lighter than the conventional stamped-steel factory components. Also, most aftermarket manufacturers build tubular upper control arms with an increase in caster. This improves stability while driving straight as well as upgrading your car’s cornering capabilities.

CPP has control arms for both upper and lower applications to fit many 1960s and ’70s GM muscle cars, 1955-’57 Chevys, and 1963-’87 GM pickups. The upper tubular arms are manufactured using 1 1/4-inch drawn-over-mandrel (DOM) tubing while the lower arms are made of 1 1/2-inch tubing. The upper arms allow for up to five degrees of caster and the lower control arms will also provide higher ground clearance. You can choose to replace all four arms or just uppers or lowers separately; CPP’s units will mate with existing OE parts without modification.

Why Choose CPP Tubular Control Arms

CPP tells us their tubular control arms are also designed to provide full wheel travel with minimal friction. Also, not only do the lower arms provide increased ground clearance, they will allow the use of sway bars. Finally, they can be installed with either factory uppers and lowers, or as a full set.

The bushings are made from self-lubricating, non-squeak PolyPlus bushings which will outlast any rubber or urethane. This material also retains workability at temperatures in excess of 400 degrees.

The Chromoly cross shafts and sleeves are zinc plated for lasting performance and as an added safety feature, the sleeves have an interlocking design that prevents the hardware from ever coming loose. This design also means there is virtually zero flex when diving into hard cornering.

If you want to check out a complete CPP suspension upgrade, click here.

CPP control arm assemblies are a simple bolt-in installation with no modification required. They are designed to work with all factory and replacement power steering systems, with or without O.E. bump stops, and with big brake kits.

So take a look at the video and find out why a set of tubular control arms from CPP should be high on your must-add list of hot rod building parts.

Check out Classic Performance Products’ tubular control arms by clicking here.