2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Built myself some custom control arms

[CumminsPower98]

Well I finally got all the parts together to build some control arms. I made them 1/4" longer then stock to give more tire clearance when I have the 33x12. 5x16. 5 tires on and to make up for the 2" leveling kit. I hope to install them tomorrow when the paint is dry. Some of the bushings on my stock ones were coming loose from the arms back a few years so I tack welded them but now both shells are cracked clear across in one upper arm.



For the new arms I used 1. 5"x2. 5"x1/8" tube with 2. 5" and 2" Johnny Joints at the axle end and standard poly "T" bushings at the frame end. All but the upper frame end joints are greasable. They cost me about $290 including the paint but not including the two hole saws I had to buy. Will be interesting to see how they work.

 

[Regcabguy]

Looks like a potential member basement enterprise product coming up! If they work as good as they look?

 

[TRAMPLINEMAN]

Those look excellent. I hope they work out great for you. Like Bob said, maybe that's your million dollar idea!!

 

[Nate]

Nice. When I did the ones for my Jeep, I put the JJ on the frame side and the rubber bushing on the axle side, not sure if it makes a difference??

 

[Rebel Ram]

Very nice work! Update with installed pics. What are you expecting in comparison to the stockers? More lift, Smoother action Ect?

If I may offer a suggestion instead of hole saws if you go into production? Look into using Hogan Rotabroach Annular Cutters.

 

[CumminsPower98]

Thanks for the nice comments guys!



Nate, I doubt it makes any difference what end the JJs are on. I don't have any experience with them though so who knows.



Rebel Ram, as fun as it would be to produce and sell them I don't know. I'm not equipped for such an endeavor. I had to use a friends drill press for the holes and all I have for a welder is an old Lincoln stick welder, which works for me but wouldn't be the best for a professional product. If there was demand I'm sure it would be worth some thought though. As to comparing to the stockers I'm not sure what to expect. They should give better flex and a more controlled ride. They will also give me more tire clearance. I don't plan on lifting it anymore.



I will post installed pictures probably tomorrow.

 

[MKline]

Those look nice! As a fellow welder, I love to see guys building their own stuff.

 

[Fishin Guide]

They look really nice!



Get back with a report about ride. I would think the JJ on the axle end would be best for articulation.



I am curious if they will feel "harsh".



Dave

 

[Lorenz]

Good job. I like how you wrapped the bushing ends. It may be worth a new paint job if you could wrap the jonny joint end like this. Over kill is good!

 

[Fishin Guide]

Good job. I like how you wrapped the bushing ends. It may be worth a new paint job if you could wrap the jonny joint end like this. Over kill is good!

Is it just plate stock heated and then wrapped?



Sorry, I'm not a welder/ fabricator.



Dave

 

[Bob4x4]

. I made them 1/4" longer then stock to give more tire clearance when I have the 33x12. 5x16. 5 tires on and to make up for the 2" leveling kit. .

Will the same 1/4 inch on both arms keep the geometry the same as stock during the full arc of travel?



Bob

 

[CumminsPower98]

Will the same 1/4 inch on both arms keep the geometry the same as stock during the full arc of travel?



Bob

I don't know. I thought about going slightly longer on the lower ones for more caster (looks like I have plenty in the lower bolt) but I'm not a suspension expert so I'm just muddling my way along. I have read a quite a few posts of guys putting on the 1/2" longer DT arms and working out fine.



Lorenz, I agree overkill is good and wrapping the ends is a good suggestion. I think they should be ok though judging by all control arms I have seen that are just small DOM tube or a stud welded to the joints, which has a lot less weld area.

 

[Lorenz]

Is it just plate stock heated and then wrapped?



Sorry, I'm not a welder/ fabricator.



Dave

Yep, simple plate stock. You don't have to heat it up. Tac one end and then hammer the plate around the ouside of the housing. Once you have it hammered around, clamp the loose end down and throw a tac on it. A torch will work fine when cutting out the plate. The uneven cuts get covered up when you weld on them.



I like the look of the triangled ends on the plate. If you get real trick, you can extend the plate an inch or two into the square stock and leave enough room to put a hole saw through it. You can weld the circle cut out to put that much more weld into the wrap



The less heat you apply to the johny joint housing the better. You may want to put a sleeve inside the housing while you weld on it. Will 1. 5" tubing fit inside the housing? I've seen guys use machined brass to press into the housing while they weld, but this is a bit of over kill and unrealistic for a 1 time job. Find some scrap tubing to squeeze in there so the heat can't warp the housing.

 

[Joe Mc]

I know you just posted last night and it's not even noon of the next day but, "YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN THOSE THINGS INSTALLED YET?" Sorry, I can't wait to see the pictures and hear how they work out. Looks SCHA-WEET!

 

[Nate]

If there would be interest in arms like that, I could whip out a few sets.



I'd have to do some research into the cost of everything, I'd guess I could sell them for somewhere around $300-400 a set, I don't know if that is a reasonable price?

 

[CumminsPower98]

The arms are installed! I haven't put many miles on them yet so it's hard to give a real good report but so far they feel just fine. I can't tell any big difference in handling. They do make the small road joints and such stand out just a tiny bit more as expected but hardly noticeable. Things feel a little more free when going through a twist I think but again I haven't really gone offroad yet.



I feel really stupid now because of something I did a few years back trying to help my wondering problem. When my front end was last set up at the alignment shop after installing the replacement axle, they set it at +2. 32 left and +2. 64 right. Later on I thought I would give it a bit more caster and guess what, I turned the lower arm cams the wrong way and ended up with even less caster!! I finally saw the error of my ways today and went the other way with them. I set my angle gauge on the flat surface next to the upper ball joint and roughed them in at somewhere between 3 and 3. 5 deg. as near as I could tell and it drives much better in the little bit of testing I have done so far. One thing i forgot about when using the Johnny Joints up front was the lower cam bolt so I had to modify the JJ grease bolts. It was either that or drill the OE bolt for grease. I also had to add a couple washers to each side of the upper JJs since they are not wide enough (I knew before hand I would have to do this). The last thing is that the upper axle bolt is 7/16" but the OE is a slightly larger metric size so there is a little slop in the holes of the axle bracket. I set the axle all the way to the back, which is the way it pushes just sitting there and tightened them up. I hope this works and doesn't end up moving around on me. The lower rear bushing fit perfect. The upper rear I had to run a little bigger than 7/16" drill through the inner sleeve to take just a tiny bit out so the metric bolt would fit. So obviously some R&D would have to go into this if someone was going to produce such a thing (already lots of options out there). It's a real pain living out here in the sticks trying to come up with all the right parts... Anyway it was fun since I like tinkering like this.

 

[MSalvatore]

I think you are better off puting the JJ on the axle and bushing on the frame. not so much for flex but it may be quieter. They look great buy the way.

 

[CumminsPower98]

Just a quick update. I ended up turning the arms around and putting the Johnny Joints at the frame end. The reason was because the lower axle end with the slot for caster adjustment was letting the grease out around the bolt and into the slot. I will probably have to get new grease bolts for the 2. 5" JJ's now because the flat spot I made on them for the caster adjustment now lets the grease out.



Edit: $3. 56 for new grade 8 bolts here local as aposed to $16 from Currie. They were easy to drill and are an exact match.



Another thing I discovered is that the arms are probably closer to standard length rather than 1/4" longer than stock. I wasn't smart in taking my measurements and went from bolt to bolt with the old arms installed. After removing them I found that the center sleeve was not centered in the rubber and it amounted to roughly 1/4" overall (1/8" each end making them shorter). Oh well I did gain just maybe not over NEW stock arms. After running them more I would have to say things feel a tiny bit more controlled and the ride is just fine with no real harshness so I'm happy. I looked at the KORE Chase steel arms and they are just about the same idea as mine and also run the spherical joints at the frame end.



Edit: I took some much more carefull measurements (finding center on the stock arms) and found that the upper arm ended up about 3/8" longer than stock and the lower about 1/8". That is just opposite from what it should have been but I still had enough caster adjustment. The upper arms are being pulled and the lower compressed so that's how I ended up with the crazy measurements I got from going from bolt center to bolt center while installed.

 

[Nate]

Yes, great design.



I don't want to steal your idea or thread, but since you mentioned you didn't really want to build more sets...



If there is interest in arms similar to these, I would be interested in making a couple sets. Just shoot me a PM.



I can make a prototype set for my truck and post up pics.

 

[Nate]

Yes, great design.



I don't want to steal your idea or thread, but since you mentioned you didn't really want to build more sets...



If there is interest in arms similar to these, I would be interested in making a couple sets. Just shoot me a PM.



I can make a prototype set for my truck and post up pics.



The suspension on my Jeep is all welded up by me, the arms are basically the same as CP98 built only quite a bit longer.