[toonwarrior]

While I was on the lookout for a pitman arm I stumbled on a bunch of products by Howe racing. A quick search on the ISSF shows one member installing it on their wagon but I haven't seen anything outside of that otherwise.

23380 - BIG METRIC, 77-96 - RACING CENTERLINK

23380 - BIG METRIC, 77-96 - RACING CENTERLINK

howeracing.com

BILLET PITMAN ARM, IMPALA MOD

BILLET PITMAN ARM, IMPALA MOD

howeracing.com

BILLET IDLER ARM, IMPALA MOD / BIG METRIC

BILLET IDLER ARM, IMPALA MOD / BIG METRIC

howeracing.com

They sell a combination of steering related items one being the pitman arm itself for their centerlink for our cars so I found that interesting.

Main factor seems to be adjustability in terms of bump steer but I'd be interested to know if the difference could be significant enough to warrant parts like these.

 

[Fred Kiehl]

The Pitman arm is not a wear item, so you should never need to replace it unless it is damaged.

 

[1slow96]

Bump steer is seldom if ever an issue as centerlink ,and tie-rods are in a virtual horizontal straight line.

 

[toonwarrior]

The Pitman arm is not a wear item, so you should never need to replace it unless it is damaged.

I understand

 

[Fred Kiehl]

Bump steer is seldom if ever an issue as centerlink ,and tie-rods are in a virtual horizontal straight line.

The bump steer issue is solved by having the inner tierod joints in line with the centerlines of a line drawn through the centers of the lower arm pivots (at straight ahead). A number of inquiries have been made about rack and pinion steering, and the reason there are none that fit is because the inner tierod joints are too close together, and there are no steering racks that small. If it would be possible to attach the cross link to a rack, it could be possible to make it work. Otherwise, the entire lower suspension mounts would require a redesign.

 

[95wagon]

To qualify a couple things.
The
" steering and lower arm pivot points parallel "
thing only works if they are identical lengths and heights off the ground, which the B body is CLOSE to.
When the tie rods are a different height than the arm pivots, even if they are parallel , t 8he arc of the upper ball joint comes into play.
Also , major deviations in caster affect the height of the outer tie rod which changes bump steer.
Back to do you need all the howe stuff ?
Depends, have you ever checked your bump steer ? Rudimentary check can be done on the alignment rack.
Pull the nose down with a comealong , lift the nose with the jack , note the change.
This will give you an idea if you need to get serious or not.
Will the howe pitman solve the issue you have today with the splines ?
Dunno , you would have to compare their specs to your existing arm.

 

[Fix Until Broke]

The Pitman arm and Idler should match in both center to center and vertical offset, so keep that in mind if swapping parts around.

I've not made the time to measure bump steer on a stock B-Body suspension geometry to know what is "normal", but I'm guessing that it's not zero .

The adjustability comes at a compromise of "tightness" in comparison to the OEM designs. There's always a little play in the adjustable joints and therefore the steering feel. It's not horrible or unsafe, but just an FYI. These parts are made for dirt track, turn left cars with 2:1 steering quickeners in a constant power slide drift so they have different objectives than a street car. When I asked them how long they expect the components to last they're answer was "until you wreck it" .

Regarding bump steer adjustment: If your car drives and handles fine, doesn't wear tires and you can bolt in OEM replacement parts, stop there and do that!
If you're not able to do those things or are looking for the last few percent of handling capability on a race track, then it makes sense to go down that rabbit hole.

 

[toonwarrior]

For the record I am not buying these parts but I do like to know what issue howe racing is trying to solve or make better with their parts and what compromises it may bring compared to OEM, which I think you've answered for the most part @Fix Until Broke