2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission Extended Control Arms?

[Texis]

Hi Guys,



Just added a set of 305 Maxxis Big Horn meats on the old girl the other day and the front tires rubs the rear plastic fender liner "just a bit" when turning. It will only rub when the nose of the truck is taking a dive, or backing up, etc.



My control arms, bushings have 370K on them so I'm considering replacing them, they have got to be shot! The free-spin hub kit I installed on the truck moved the WMS out by an inch or so, I believe that is making the tire clearence a bit tighter. The truck has 2006 Dodge Power Wagon aluminum wheels and the positive back spacing is VERY deep.



I have read that buying custom control arms that are 1/2" longer than stock will cure minor clearence problems. Makes sense, the slight rub is in the back of the fender wells. . on the plastic well liner. The truck has no lift and there is plenty of room in front of the tires.



Anyone else gone this route? Appears to be several companies building the arms with an extra 1/2"... so it must be fairly common mod?



Thanks for your feed back.

 

[DIESELWRKS]

well if you move your wheels FW, with control arms not sure of the effect on your trac-bar if its stock. or if its adjustable. some people attempt to fix the rub issues when they are minor with a spacer lift or control arms. if your not wanting to spend alot of money call Lift Kits, Leveling Kits, and Shock Absorbers - Suspension System Specialists! - Top Gun Customz they have choices from cheaper (tough country, rancho) etc, up to higher priced arms with better choices of joints. . if you have the money to do this may want to look at replacing your shocks if those are old too. a bilstein 5100 is a nice priced shock to go with. when is the last time you looked at your sway bar bushings or the sway bar links...

 

[Texis]

There is definately plenty of loose stuff in the front of this truck. I intend to address all of them over the next few months. At least the shocks are new!



Top Gun custom lenght control arms is what I am currently looking at. I would like to avoid lifting the truck at all if possible.



That's why I started looking at the +. 500" control arms (to avoid a lift). According to some of the sites selling the 1/2" longer arms. . they provide a little extra clearence for slightly larger tires (like my 305s)



I have a call in for the Top Gun guys currently, hopefully they can tell me if the additional 1/2" in lenght effects anything else.



thanks

 

[HHhuntitall]

Yeah, you should be alright with the 1/2" arms. I've added arms, changed rims, added lift kits, and even changed tire size for a lot of people. The width of the tire is what usually gets you. The added width of the track doesn't help, so you've got it tracked down. I run 315/75R16 on most of my 3/4 ranch trucks, so I get a lot of experience with these problems, not to mention the many customers that come through my shop. I've removed the fender liner on some. But you can only go so far forward due to the differential clearance under the frame and engine, and lift kits can only go so far forward, as well, unless they go over 8-10". 38s are about as big as you can go without a lift over 10", as the rear of the tire gets into the back section of the fender well, and even then it has to be modified to keep the sharp metal corner out of the tire. But for your application, it sounds like a good solution. Just make sure you take note of the axle alignment before you dissasemble it, so you know where to go back to, +1/2". Well, that is, if you like the way it drives now!

 

[Joe Mc]

Texis - me and a buddy both installed the Top Gunz. Decent for the money. However, the finish they use absolutely sucks, 4 - 6 months and its gone. If you can have them powder coated before you install that's the best suggestion I can make. Also, make sure the cam bolts on the bottom arm to diff are free = you can take them out. If they aren't free you'll have to cut them and get new. See if they're available before you start if you can't get them out. Oh, ditch the zerks that come with the arms and get some angle zerks so you can actually grease the top arms.

Have fun.

 

[ArmandoCantu]

I got 1/2" longer arms from DT out of Arizona. Great stuff and the owner was well versed on the issues with this rubbing deal. You may also consider just rebuilding your front suspension - I did mine (not cheap!) - but I hope to get another couple of years out of my '00. Good luck.



'00 Quad Cab - 4x4, ATS trans and converter, ATS intake, Autometer gauges, 315/70/17 w/'06 wheels, air bags in back, Flexlite fans, Hypertech programmer.

 

[JDKammin]

Look at Camaro Suspension | F-Body Suspension | G-Body Suspension | Spohn Perf and check out their control arms. I was thinking they make an extended set.