school me on building control arms...

[lakailimited06]

im looking for a place to start with building my own adjustable short arms...im still running stock arms upfront at ~3"s of lift and im considering making my own being that im sure the bushings in my stock ones are shot anyhow, i just dont know what type of joints to use and whatnot..

will a certain joint improve ride quality over another?

[kfeal]

just buy claytons...or get the parts from him and build yours.

you don't want a joint that you need to preload, they fail almost every time since there is no way to get it loaded to exactly what it should be set too. A currie joint or something similar will do great.

and yes, the better the joint the less play you have in the joint which will improve ride quality

[lakailimited06]

yea it looks like i can get the joints for the frame/axle through clayton and get the threaded inserts from somewhere else...thanks man

[lakailimited06]

ok well im gonna be making front lowers first since they seem alittle easier...i want to run DOM instead of square tube what does everyone recommend? 1.50", 1.75", or 2" .250" DOM? i figure the lowers should be alittle beefier than the uppers since they will be hitting shit..

[grundlepunch]

do you want to run DOM purely of of aesthetics?

my lowers are square stock, .250 wall. cheap stock to buy and the inserts are cheap as well

[HeavyMetal]

whatever you buy, go with .25 wall for the minimum

[lakailimited06]

do you want to run DOM purely of of aesthetics?

my lowers are square stock, .250 wall. cheap stock to buy and the inserts are cheap as well

i was going to run DOM just because i see most people saying DOM is "stronger" however im sure either one is strong enough for what i put it through...

DOM is alittle trickier to notch it seems when welding in the bushing sleeves but im still undecided.....

the real reason im deciding on doing this is that my current stock arms are alittle beat up and the bushings im sure are toast...im hoping that using the bushing/JJ at either end itll have a nicer ride that it does now..

[LittleD]

i'm always told square is stronger than round because you can kink round but not on a piece of square tubing.

[lakailimited06]

from what i've been reading, both seem to have their strengths/weaknesses and will bend given the right amount of impact...

im concerned on what shaft size to order on the JJ's? they have 3/4", 1", or 1 1/4"...

[Ktmracer419]

use whatever shape ya want.

what you need to worry about is the ends.

stock rubber bushings at each end will give you the nicest ride, but i dont reccomend this if you are going to a rigid control arm.

one end rubber and another using a rebuildable cartridge joint will allow the arm to flex enough, while still maintaining good ride quality/noise absorbtion. (do this)

if you are keeping the 4 link, do not go to all cartridge joints....

if you are asking about ride quality, don't go with all heims. they are fine and dandy, just transmit a lot of road noise into the cab. and 4 link + panhard with all heims=broken brackets. the joints need some give in them to compensate for the binding.


and don't buy ballistic joints. people who never run them think they are a nice cost effective option and have the nicest features out there (like me) but they suck. i have to tighten them every month or so. when they arent creaking, they are klunking.


rock krawler or currie jhonny joints i have had good luck with.


when welding in tube inserts, drill a hole through the arm and plug weld the inserts for extra awesomeness and strength.

[lakailimited06]

use whatever shape ya want.

what you need to worry about is the ends.

stock rubber bushings at each end will give you the nicest ride, but i dont reccomend this if you are going to a rigid control arm.

one end rubber and another using a rebuildable cartridge joint will allow the arm to flex enough, while still maintaining good ride quality/noise absorbtion. (do this)

if you are keeping the 4 link, do not go to all cartridge joints....

if you are asking about ride quality, don't go with all heims. they are fine and dandy, just transmit a lot of road noise into the cab. and 4 link + panhard with all heims=broken brackets. the joints need some give in them to compensate for the binding.


and don't buy ballistic joints. people who never run them think they are a nice cost effective option and have the nicest features out there (like me) but they suck. i have to tighten them every month or so. when they arent creaking, they are klunking.


rock krawler or currie jhonny joints i have had good luck with.


when welding in tube inserts, drill a hole through the arm and plug weld the inserts for extra awesomeness and strength.

thanks dude, i forgot about rock krawler...when everythings all said and done its almost the same just to buy the arms already made through RK...do you know any places that happen to sell the JJ's for cheap?

[Ktmracer419]

all the prices are within a few bucks of eachother.

i have found em' for 37.99 somewhere, but never over 42-43 bucks.

dont remember where though. i just search until i find the place with the cheapest shipping usually.

thats for the forged ends with a threaded bung

[Even]

and don't buy ballistic joints. people who never run them think they are a nice cost effective option and have the nicest features out there (like me) but they suck. i have to tighten them every month or so. when they arent creaking, they are klunking.

Have you tried upgrading the races?

I've heard good things from people who have.

[Ktmracer419]

Have you tried upgrading the races?

I've heard good things from people who have.

if i knew i would have to spend more on fancy races i wouldnt have gotten them in the first place. but that might be my option now

[Zullock Holmes]

rock krawler i'm pretty sure uses currie johnny joints, as does clayton.

They are in my opinion the best joint out there, from what i've seen and heard.

Go with the currie ones, they cost alittle more but the quality is unmatched.