Part 1. 1972 Trans Am Restoration - control arms rebuild. I highly recommend R. P. Tools for any machine work or parts restoration. After 33+ years that my 1972 Trans Am sat on jack stands in my garage, I decided it was time to put it on the road again. I had ordered the car new at the end of the summer in 1971, but because of a GM strike at the Norwood OH plant, the car was not delivered until January 1972. In 1986 it needed a clutch. I put it on jack stands, took the transmission out, and bought a clutch. But with three kids growing up, a job requiring travel, and other commitments, I just did not have the time to work on it. There it sat until 2019 when I made a commitment to do what was necessary to get the car running again, and then decide about a restoration. I got the car running and put about 500 miles on it. Fifty year old parts started to fail. New water pump, new radiator, new alternator, new AC compressor, new distributor, and then it developed an exhaust leak at the manifold. I decided then it was time to get serious. I researched the internet and found The Restoration Shop. They were no longer performing car restorations, but they were doing machine work. I called and spoke to the owner Ralph. After speaking with him and as he suggested, I decided to do all the mechanical restoration work and then worry about the cosmetics, body and interior later. I pulled the 455 HO engine and took it to him for a rebuild. He sat down with me, and we discussed the restoration process I was about to undertake. Car restoration was something he had done many times. He provided me with a video that showed a lot of the restoration work his shop had performed. He suggested that while the engine was out of the car, I should detail the engine compartment. I started all that which included replacing the springs and rebuilding the control arms. I asked him if he could rebuild the control arms and he responded, " we can make them look like new if you want", and I went that route. I hope to post pictures of them installed at the end of the review. read more