Bent/ curved radius arms...

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I need more articulation and tire clearance. These are 66-79 arms, FYI.
Tire clearance is a huge issue.

Radius arms have been on my list for a while now, bit it's not so straightforward with the new tires.

I'm building my arms the "traditional" way, chopped oem arms with tubing inserted, 1 1/4" hiems misaligned to 3/4.

I'll also be using chromoly instead of just plain old mild steel DOM tubing.

Can I get away with having the tubing meet the stub at an angle, then bend the tubing back straight around the tire?

...I hope I explained that right...

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Subscribing cuz I was wondering the same thing. I'm using mild DOM though.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

Bump, would appreciate some input before I chop my arms an waste $6.50/ft tubing...

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

[4x4junkie]

As long as you can attach the tube securely to the arm, I don't see why it can't work...
Though if I'm understanding it right, it certainly would be better to put two bends in the tube so that you can attach it straight onto the arm stub.

 

[UrbanRedneckKid]

I was thinking I might have an issue with the bender not having a tight enough radius for compound bends. I'll have to look into that. not a bad idea at all.

Sent from my HTCONE using Tapatalk 2

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Bump.
Any experienced fabricators or anybody else done this? I'm getting ready to extend my radius arms and I wanna put a couple bends in them to clear the tires and to gain ground clearance at the frame.

 

[Hagan]

I'm kind of curious what you guys are talking about?

Do your tires hit the radius arms?


These are my straight radius arms. I didn't use a 78/79 axle on purpose. I moved the wedges in on each side.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

My 35's don't rub but if I go any bigger they'll hit. Plus if it's safe to put bends in the arms it will allow us to put our Heims or JJ's higher up the side of the frame rail to increase ground clearance.

 

[Hagan]

Ah that makes sense. I guess I should have thought about that before building. I don't see why you couldn't bend them.

Does your truck have a body lift?

 

[Hagan]

So basically the radius arms won't be seen like mine. The only problem I see is an impact on the front axle. Say you drive 5mph and hit a 2ft concrete curb with your front tires. Will a curved radius arm survive?

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Yep that's the plan! I want my JJ's to be about 3" higher. I was thinking about taking some 1/4" flat steel, cutting it to fit the bends and welding it in to reinforce it.

 

[bobbywalter]

So basically the radius arms won't be seen like mine. The only problem I see is an impact on the front axle. Say you drive 5mph and hit a 2ft concrete curb with your front tires. Will a curved radius arm survive?

yeah...they will bend. even stock arms twist up with a locker and high traction climbs over time.. if your a guy that ends up with issues just build heavier stuff....but a few bends to make it work like you want is a great place to start.


i like the fullsize full width axles because it adds stability and minimizes rub issues. the eb stuff bolts up fine but rubs like a mother ime. but its usually quite livable none the less.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

Hagan- I have a home made body lift but it's only 1 1/2". I don't rub anywhere at the moment but if I ever go to a wider tire like a bogger I probably will.

Bobby- thanks for the input! You're right. I'll try it and if it doesn't work out I'll just use heavier materials or try to reinforce it some how.

 

[Hagan]

I was just curious. I was looking at your build thread and didn't see it. I'm putting in a zf5 and it didnt look like you cut much out to make it fit. I am thinking about using no body lift (not a fan!) But I'd have to cut up the body. I'm not too concerned about cutting but it could see it getting tricky if I had to cut the firewall back.


I'd just build them with the bends. You can make them stronger if need be.

 

[Rowdy Fitzgerald]

I used pieces of rumber. It's a recycled tire product formed into 15 foot long 2X6's which is actually 1 1/2"x5 1/2". It's holding up great so far. My buddy put it on the floor of his stock trailer. It's really tough stuff. I had a hard time cutting it with a saws all. If I had a 2" hole saw they'd look way better but I just cut squares to get it done.