how should this be fixed?

[compleckz]

upper tab on drivers side skyjacker extended radius arm.

this is all one piece, both tabs and the metal in between:

i dont know anything about fab work, and will be having someone do this for me.

this is what i was thinking, but i dont know if it will really increase strength , or even weaken it.

weld the broken tab back on then, green is new metal, red is weld:

thanks guys.

 

[metalmacguyver]

That looks like a good way to do it. I would do that on both tabs, top and bottom, and on both arms.

Then the next point that needs to be considered is that your deleting the bracket that the swaybar link attaches too. That link serves as a fixed washer so that any movement of the arm doesnt work against the head of the bolt and make it back out. You will want to find some way to keep that bracket. If you had a torch I would say just straighten out that little bent part at the top and bottom of each bracket as to make it have a little more space to span the beam.

 

[4x4junkie]

Ouch! Seen that multiple times on Superlift arms, but thats a first for Skyjacker...

Your repair plan is sound (that's exactly how I fixed my Superlift arms).
Chamfer the pieces at a 45° angle so there's a notch to be filled in with the welder, and weld the tab back on the arm. Then, grind down the weld bead so it's smooth and put the plate on top and weld it down onto the tab (again, chamfer around the sides of the plate & arm so you have a good groove to fill with weld).

Guess I have to ask the obligatory question... what the hell were you doing this time? lol


(Edit: both RA bolts were good & tight, correct?)


And FWIW, not running the swaybar bracket won't cause any issues, washers under the bolts can be used instead if needed (i don't have them on mine).

 

[compleckz]

Ouch! Seen that multiple times on Superlift arms, but thats a first for Skyjacker...

Guess I have to ask the obligatory question... what the hell were you doing this time? lol

both RA bolts were good & tight, correct?

the upper RA bolt was/has always been tight, (took a lot of persuasion to loosen it too. box end of 18" wrench, put the coil-hold-down washer and nut on and beat the wrench with a sledge, heat, penetrating oil etc didnt work.)

the lower bolt has come loose twice on me it took 2 years for it to come loose the first time. so the first time it was loose (within the last year) it was loose for a few weeks before i found out what the noise was.. the truck was not being daily driven at the time, and the bolt was 'loose', but the impact still could not handle it, it was tight, but not tight enough. the second time it happened was a month ago, and it was very loose for about 10 miles on-road, i drove very slow-- i removed it, wire wheeled the bolt, slabbed it with blue lock-tite, and i used a 1-1/8" wrench about 18" long plus a 3 foot bar to tighten it.

it was extremely tight when i removed it the other day, my impact couldn't remove it, i used same wrench/bar setup to remove it, put my feet on the frame and PUSHHHHH.. crack, its loose--do that again, then the impact can handle it..

so yea it must have been fatigued by those few weeks of it being loose on the bottom, and then the constant abuse from flexing and offroading.. finally did it in. it actually snapped on a extremely mild trail i did all 2wd except for like 25 feet. so it was nothing impressive.. i hit the brakes hard and it let go!

before that trail i spent an hour going 75 on the highway, im glad it didn't break then.

 

[4x4junkie]

That certainly could do it... That sucks, mostly in that it probably ruined your day (or weekend) of fun like mine did. Same thing too, I jammed on the brakes and *snap!*.

Yeah, definitely slather it with Loctite blue, and torque it to like 250ft-lbs (I use about a 4' long cheater pipe and give it all I got).

 

[compleckz]

That certainly could do it... That sucks, mostly in that it probably ruined your day (or weekend) of fun like mine did. Same thing too, I jammed on the brakes and *snap!*.

Yeah, definitely slather it with Loctite blue, and torque it to like 250ft-lbs (I use about a 4' long cheater pipe and give it all I got).

yea, it was the first of 2 trails, and the second one was the fun one.. i just immediately drove off the trail, park+lock+hopped in another ranger, onto the next trail. i was realllly pissed when no one was making the 3rd ledge on the trail, and i did it last time in one shot--so i was itching for my truck BAD.

but this is a lesson to all, don't neglect those bolts, my lower bolt was loose for a very short amount of time, but i had no idea what the problem was, because the bolt was TIGHT in the hole, just not tight on the tab apparently.,

it doesn't take much with the forces involved, to stress those tabs.. if you feel a constantly clunk under your feet every time you brake, and people tell you your axle beam is rotating/the drive shaft is flexing up-- TIGHTEN THE RA BOLTS!!

 

[TireIron]

Hey I didn't get a chance to try that ledge because Tim used up all the daylight on us...

 

[wahlstrom1]

I had a lower bolt fall out on me once....then replaced it with a grade 5. I then went on to shear it off on a rock, and cross threaded a replacement. I couldn't get a stock bolt back in all the way after crossthreading it so I made a self tapping Grade 8 bolt and ran it in with my impact.


-andrew

 

[metalmacguyver]

Hey I didn't get a chance to try that ledge because Tim used up all the daylight on us...

Oops. The jeepers didnt help that situation......

 

[TireIron]

HAHAHA good point

 

[Combs Customs]

I know what im doing when i get home from work tomorrow. My explorer has that clunk, pinion rotating up thing going on. Been like that for quite a while now.

 

[compleckz]

I know what im doing when i get home from work tomorrow. My explorer has that clunk, pinion rotating up thing going on. Been like that for quite a while now.

yup, the first time it happened i was like WTF is this.. i could recreate it by tapping the brakes just right, i had my girlfriend walk along side me in a parking lot and she's like YOUR FRONT DRIVE SHAFT IS BOUNCING UP AND DOWN!

 

[Combs Customs]

Well, looked at my situation. The lower RA bolt on the driver side is stripped out and won't tighten. Now i get to take the D35 out of my bronco II and put it in my sploder. Should be fun, supposed to turn cold this week. Thanks for the post!

 

[4x4junkie]

Well, looked at my situation. The lower RA bolt on the driver side is stripped out and won't tighten. Now i get to take the D35 out of my bronco II and put it in my sploder. Should be fun, supposed to turn cold this week. Thanks for the post!

That sounds like the welded-in bung inside the beam has broken free (probably due to rust).

You'll have lots o' fun with that. Get out the grinder and just rip the bolt head right off it, you'll be time ahead that way, then weld a new nut or something inside the beam after you get it apart (or replace the beam if it's real bad).

 

[Will]

I think mine are interference bolts. When I take my arms off they fight me to the last thread. I feel like I'm rowing a Phonetian galley with my 4' pipe on my rachet. I can't imagine them coming out on their own.