radius arm build.. another one

spdcrazy · Jul 29, 2010

hey guys, so i have been reading up on ppl that have built their own radius arms. one thread (don't remember the OP) said to use 2in dom .25 wall.

DAMN thats thick, pricey and heavy. why not use some .120 wall, and brace it well? i know the .25 wall was partily used because of the bushing rod from the stocker fits in their nice. but .25 is still heavy, what about using .120 wall and "sleeving" it for 6in or so at the end, and then putting the bushing rod from the stock arm inside that?

thoughts?

86 slo-vo · Jul 29, 2010

do you think you should really cheep ou on a main suspension piece? why go through all the work to save $20?

1/4 wall isnt that thick

4x4junkie · Jul 29, 2010

spdcrazy said:
why not use some .120 wall, and brace it well?

Because it will fold in half if you ever get on it. As said, .250 is rather average. Many guys use .375" wall for arms & links.

alwaysFlOoReD · Jul 29, 2010

If I had time, I'd build it to test, but no time so I'll do whats been proven to work. Do you have time? I'll copy yours when it's proven. [I just reread this and I'm not trying to be a jerk.]
Richard

michowski · Jul 29, 2010

86 slo-vo said:
do you think you should really cheep ou on a main suspension piece? why go through all the work to save $20?

1/4 wall isnt that thick

+1 to this. WAY better to build it stronger then it needs to be rather then not strong enough. Think about it, it holds your entire front end together. Every pot hole you hit, every offroad obsticle, all the force when you brake. It all gets transferred to the arms in one form or another.

spdcrazy · Jul 30, 2010

hmm. ok sold. .25 it is! guy only has 48in of it tho. prob gonna need to find some more.

4x4junkie · Jul 30, 2010

48" is plenty to do two radius arms out of the stockers.

spdcrazy · Jul 30, 2010

4x4junkie said:
48" is plenty to do two radius arms out of the stockers.

i was going to build them from scratch. but extending the stockers would work as well. just need to figure out caster..

wahlstrom1 · Jul 31, 2010

Lil late weighing in, but I as well vote for .250 or thicker. I managed to bend my stock 70's style radius arms pretty bad during U.A. and I'll be fabricating a set using .375 wall material, as well as other possible gusseting to give them more strength.

Building an offroad rig is a delicate balancing game of weight vs strength and you have to walk that fine line..... my truck was 6k lbs+ during the event and it showed as I broke some parts that were never an issue before. Find a balance and giv'r hell, fabricating is half the fun!

spdcrazy · Jul 31, 2010

wahlstrom1 said:
fabricating is half the fun!

ohh yes it is!

i'll grab the .25 wall next week and see what i can do with it. i'll add some gussets somehow, and for my lil b2 they should work well. until i SAS and 4 link or something!

crawlin91 · Jul 31, 2010

I used exactly 4 ft of .25" wall DOM. The entire project cost me about $40 IIRC. Thats a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new arms, and will save you lots of frustration in not breaking on the trail. I extended them to a rebuilt tranny crossmember and still had several inches of "extra" tube to brace and gusset where it attached to the stock arm. I built in a little bit of caster and the front end will align no problem.

spdcrazy · Jul 31, 2010

crawlin91 said:
I used exactly 4 ft of .25" wall DOM. The entire project cost me about $40 IIRC. Thats a hell of a lot cheaper than buying new arms, and will save you lots of frustration in not breaking on the trail. I extended them to a rebuilt tranny crossmember and still had several inches of "extra" tube to brace and gusset where it attached to the stock arm. I built in a little bit of caster and the front end will align no problem.

sounds exactly where i'm heading..

going to the ranch in nm this weekend. i'll try to start on it next week.

94gexplorer · Aug 23, 2010

you could also use 2" square tube thats what i used to build mine its 1/4" thick but at first i welded it wrong going into the stock arm so i cut it in about the middle(which ended up giving me more clearance) then braced it with some angle ive been using them the last 2 months heres a pic

railman · Aug 23, 2010

94gexplorer said:
you could also use 2" square tube thats what i used to build mine its 1/4" thick but at first i welded it wrong going into the stock arm so i cut it in about the middle(which ended up giving me more clearance) then braced it with some angle ive been using them the last 2 months heres a pic

i think you need a gusset on your radius arm mount......just a piece of flat plate hanging down will not last.....

just my opinion......

l8r, John

4x4junkie · Aug 24, 2010

Agreed, inadequate design IMO.

Make yourself a 3/16" thick plate (say 4x6" or so) that goes against the outside of your mount that extends a few inches up the side of the frame (bolting it down to the outside of the frame as well). Having the "donut hole" plate supported on two sides would be better, though if you can also support it on the inside a little with a gusset or two, even better still.

radius arm build.. another one

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