# Does anyone have info about OPGI (brand) Front Tubular Control Arms?



## Daykron (Oct 13, 2020)

I was looking at their products. They are selling OPGI brand Front Tubular Control Arms for about 1/2 the price of everyone else. For the price of an upper arm from other manufacturers, you can get both arms from OPGI.

Are there brand products of good quality or are they crap?


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Daykron said:


> I was looking at their products. They are selling OPGI brand Front Tubular Control Arms for about 1/2 the price of everyone else. For the price of an upper arm from other manufacturers, you can get both arms from OPGI.
> 
> Are there brand products of good quality or are they crap?


I don't know, but this has been coming up a lot lately. I'm a welder fabricator by trade, and I see so many different ones. Mandrel bent, chromoly, powder coated, degrees built in... They're all that way. Where they stand apart is tubing thickness, ball joints, bushings, and shafts. Those things are improvements that you can feel, however, if your comparing them to 50-year-old, worn, oem, then anything is better! Just try to at least get good balljoints. I've seen some that look like toys


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## Daykron (Oct 13, 2020)

armyadarkness said:


> I don't know, but this has been coming up a lot lately. I'm a welder fabricator by trade, and I see so many different ones. Mandrel bent, chromoly, powder coated, degrees built in... They're all that way. Where they stand apart is tubing thickness, ball joints, bushings, and shafts. Those things are improvements that you can feel, however, if your comparing them to 50-year-old, worn, oem, then anything is better! Just try to at least get good balljoints. I've seen some that look like toys


Jegs also has the set of 4 for under $500.
It basically looks like the same exact product. I wonder if they have the same supplier.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Daykron said:


> Jegs also has the set of 4 for under $500.
> It basically looks like the same exact product. I wonder if they have the same supplier.


I suspect so. There arent that many companies making them... And there are MANY companies, rebranding the same ones. Like I said, use the balljoints as your guide. Cheap Chinese arms won't come with great balljoints... So, if the balljoints look inferior, then you'll have a reasonable idea of what the arm quality will be. I'm sure that even the cheapo's will outlast me and you...

Just buy better balljoints


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## ylwgto (Oct 27, 2009)

I'm thinking about doing this as well. wonder if these are any good? tubing seems thick enough?? price certainly leaves room to buy better quality ball joints.






1964-1972 Pontiac GTO Control Arm Kit - Suspension - Replacement, Front Upper and Lower 64-72 GTO Control Arm Kit - 16913-02861755 - PartsGeek


Discount auto parts and accessories catalog for all foreign and import cars and trucks. Low Prices, Quality, Service and Free shipping.



www.partsgeek.com


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

I'm sure that all of the tubing and welding are up to snuff! Yep, just check the ball joints.

Good:








Not good:









The joints on the bottom, don't use hardened hardware or shafts. The washers and nuts are like what comes with a particle board entertainment center.


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## 67ventwindow (Mar 3, 2020)

Does that look right to you? Am I just seeing this wrong? I usually check to see what everyone is talking about. This looks like a road side repair to get it home.

JEGS
* Upper Control Arms 1.125" O.D. x 0.125" Wall*
*Part Number: 555-64554*


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

67ventwindow said:


> View attachment 140363
> 
> 
> Does that look right to you? Am I just seeing this wrong? I usually check to see what everyone is talking about. This looks like a road side repair to get it home.
> ...


No. But they may have just thrown that BJ on there for the photo shoot!
You can see why I'm always bragging about the GW stuff. Beefy aluminum cross shafts, delrin/ teflon greasable bearings, hardened industrial BJ's.


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## Old Man Taylor (May 9, 2011)

Plus the owner of GW has a great test bed. He owns a red '65 GTO that he runs slaloms with.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Old Man Taylor said:


> Plus the owner of GW has a great test bed. He owns a red '65 GTO that he runs slaloms with.
> 
> View attachment 140366


No kidding? I have to say, GW is definitely pricey, but you can literally call there and speak to the owner. That in itself has value.


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## Jim K (Nov 17, 2020)

I'd research the Jegs and Summit brand stuff.. Might be coming from China and that's why the price is so low. GW as Army mentioned are made in the USA but my personal favorite is Detroit Speed.. Yeah they are pricey, I think more than Global West, but they know their stuff and the finished parts show it.. JUST DO YOUR HOMEWORK/RESEARCH first.


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## Jim K (Nov 17, 2020)

Jim K said:


> I'd research the Jegs and Summit brand stuff.. Might be coming from China and that's why the price is so low. GW as Army mentioned are made in the USA but my personal favorite is Detroit Speed.. Yeah they are pricey, I think more than Global West, but they know their stuff and the finished parts show it.. JUST DO YOUR HOMEWORK/RESEARCH first.


Woops, sorry.. I meant OMT mentioned GW..


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Jim K said:


> Woops, sorry.. I meant OMT mentioned GW..


It was both of us. I've actually put up a few threads about GTO's and Global West.


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## BearGFR (Aug 25, 2008)

Daykron said:


> I was looking at their products. They are selling OPGI brand Front Tubular Control Arms for about 1/2 the price of everyone else. For the price of an upper arm from other manufacturers, you can get both arms from OPGI.
> 
> Are there brand products of good quality or are they crap?


I have no experience with their suspension parts, however I do have experience with some of their interior parts, and it wasn't a good one.

If they're half everyone elses price, there's a reason. For something as safety-critical as suspension components, I don't recommend using price alone to make your buying decision.

Stick with the known quality vendors, like QA1, Global West, Spohn (my personal favorite and what I have on my car), UMI, etc.

Bear


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## Daykron (Oct 13, 2020)

armyadarkness said:


> I suspect so. There arent that many companies making them... And there are MANY companies, rebranding the same ones. Like I said, use the balljoints as your guide. Cheap Chinese arms won't come with great balljoints... So, if the balljoints look inferior, then you'll have a reasonable idea of what the arm quality will be. I'm sure that even the cheapo's will outlast me and you...
> 
> Just buy better balljoints


Thanks man, great advice!


armyadarkness said:


> I'm sure that all of the tubing and welding are up to snuff! Yep, just check the ball joints.
> 
> Good:
> View attachment 140361
> ...


How do you know if it is hardened steel or balsa wood? Is it in the description or can you tell by looking at it?


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## Daykron (Oct 13, 2020)

Old Man Taylor said:


> Plus the owner of GW has a great test bed. He owns a red '65 GTO that he runs slaloms with.
> 
> View attachment 140366


Yeah, they also seem very respectable in their YouTube videos. They're always explaining how things work and they have a zillion products. The guy always says that they will find the right application for your needs. GW is the exact opposite of the other 2 mentioned above. In their videos they don't even show it installed and the video is like 18 second. Also Jegs sometimes doesn't even have a description of the part. They just say they're selling it and it fits your car. 

I can't afford GW. But if I save a little more I might be able to do Qa1. They seem like they offer a good product too.

Thanks for spreading your knowledge. I'd hate to spend my budget and have bad results.


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## Daykron (Oct 13, 2020)

BearGFR said:


> I have no experience with their suspension parts, however I do have experience with some of their interior parts, and it wasn't a good one.
> 
> If they're half everyone elses price, there's a reason. For something as safety-critical as suspension components, I don't recommend using price alone to make your buying decision.
> 
> ...


Well said! Suspension, Steering and Brakes are our lives and we shouldn't buy questionable parts to save a buck.

I don't want to be the next Fred Flintstone, working my car through the floorboards with my bare feet


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## Daykron (Oct 13, 2020)

67ventwindow said:


> View attachment 140363
> 
> 
> Does that look right to you? Am I just seeing this wrong? I usually check to see what everyone is talking about. This looks like a road side repair to get it home.
> ...


It does looks rough. Kind of like they found scrap metal and made it in their basement.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Daykron said:


> Thanks man, great advice!
> 
> How do you know if it is hardened steel or balsa wood? Is it in the description or can you tell by looking at it?


When I ordered my "Anderson Restorations" suspension rebuild kit, off Amazon, I had high expectations... Red Polyurethane and Gold metal housings... That's what they all are, right? The kit was listed as "OEM or Better". When the came, the tie rods and balljoints were all wrapped in that Chinese, brown, oil paper, painted black with that "tell-tale" high gloss cake paint, the lock washers were like wire (literally the stuff that comes with a flatscreen TV mount) and when I tightened the nuts, the lock washers squished out. 

The bolts and shafts were all shiny chrome, and suspension stuff should all, always be hardened, which is always flat black and powdery.

I drive very hard. My car regularly sees burnouts and full throttle use. It's already easy enough to get a light, 20 foot long, high HP car, with a posi, going sideways and out of control. At least with good tie rods, ball joints, and suspension bushings, I know that I can get it back under control. Yes, it's pricey, but at 120 MPH, it's worth the peace of mind.

For the record, it couldnt be easier to install, either. The entire front end, with springs, shocks, and tie rods, in under six hours, on my back in a driveway.

A major consideration when replacing upper, front control arms, is the clearance on the driverside. Between the steering and the exhaust, you wont have enough room to get the pivot shaft clear... However, you can either unbolt and lift the motor, or simply remove the pressed in shaft bolts from the frame, and then the arms come right out. On the Global West arms, I can easily hold a socket on the frame bolt and wrench on the inside, so doing alignments in the driveway is super fast and easy.

I can realign my front end with the GW stuff, in under 30 minutes.


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## armyadarkness (Dec 7, 2020)

Daykron said:


> Yeah, they also seem very respectable in their YouTube videos. They're always explaining how things work and they have a zillion products. The guy always says that they will find the right application for your needs. GW is the exact opposite of the other 2 mentioned above. In their videos they don't even show it installed and the video is like 18 second. Also Jegs sometimes doesn't even have a description of the part. They just say they're selling it and it fits your car.
> 
> I can't afford GW. But if I save a little more I might be able to do Qa1. They seem like they offer a good product too.
> 
> Thanks for spreading your knowledge. I'd hate to spend my budget and have bad results.


I'm using QA1 uppers, in the rear. Yes its all more expensive, but there's a strong argument that they're not the same parts. The GW stuff uses bearings, not bushings, so there's zero deflection. Did any of us, with 50-year-old survivor cars, ever imagine experiencing zero deflection on anything? Heck, even the frame-off resto guys don't get zero deflection


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