LOWER Control Arms

[TKDx00]

There's a thread for the UCA's... Are there other options besides AC LCA's for $600 a pair? I know some have made thier own but there gotta be others. Is SLR back in business?

:zomg:

 

[RacerXXL]

The only LCA's I have seen on AC's website in that price range are stock Nissan LCA's. As far as I have seen the only other LCA's available for a first gen are the ones in the TC long travel kit.

 

[granitex]

Unless you are doing a long travel set up you dont need new lowers, and if you did go that route you need new axles also. All told it wouold run 5-6k for everything that you would need, and thoes prices are a few years old. Even after all of that you are still stuck with an IFS rig. The cost is the reason more people go with a solid axle up front when they get to that place in life..

Look around at the Total Chaos for Nissans, they are the ones that had the long travel kits back in the day.

 

[TKDx00]

All told it wouold run 5-6k...

Thank you Sir, The above was all I needed to read. Now I see why there wasn't a thread for LCA's.

So is the only thing that potentially may need replacing on the LCA is the BJ?

 

[RacerXXL]

Thank you Sir, This was all I needed to read. Now I see why there wasn't a thread for LCA's.

So is the only thing that potentially may need replacing on the LCA is the BJ?

The LBJ can be replaced and occasionally the LCA itself can crack.

 

[TKDx00]

Thanks guys,

I've got squeaking from the front suspension parts when getting in and out on both driver and passenger sides.
Since I'm getting the UCA's already I'm trying to see if the LCA parts need changing as well.

 

[J Everett]

Somebody boxed in their LCA's with some ³/₁₆" plate, but I think it was a 2nd gen. Maybe Rook, or Creek. Can't remember. Still, and easy and relatively cheap way to strengthen the LCA.

 

[TKDx00]

Somebody boxed in their LCA's with some ³/₁₆" plate, but I think it was a 2nd gen. Maybe Rook, or Creek. Can't remember. Still, and easy and relatively cheap way to strengthen the LCA.

I remember reading about that somewhere. I'm creative and research to death before doing something, but I don't think I'm ready to tackle welding suspension parts yet.

 

[granitex]

Silverdude plated his, but they were not 3/4, I think that it is more like 3/8.

 

[J Everett]

Who said anything about ¾?

 

[granitex]

My mistake when I saw your post I was on my phone,,, ie little bitty, type.

 

[J Everett]

I'm just giving you a hard time!

Hell, with ¾" plate you might as well not have any suspension anyway. The unsprung weight would be so high that he control arm wouldn't be able to overcome its own inertia to respond to bumps. It would be a terrible ride. Even the ³/₁₆" plate adds quite a bit of unsprung weight, and it's probably the reason the engineers don't box it in the first place...well, that, and to save time on production. The time is the reason we have stamped UCA's and LCA's, instead of tubular, from the factory. The materials cost about the same, but the tubular would take more time to produce, and time is money, et cetera...

 

[TKDx00]

Bump...

I just reread this thread and it raised a thought. Boxing/plating them w/ 3/16 gives extra strength but causes a potential weight issue. For those that have done this, what has been the outcome...

is there a noticeable weight issue? :concern:

 

[Oz_X]

Somebody boxed in their LCA's with some ³/₁₆" plate, but I think it was a 2nd gen. Maybe Rook, or Creek. Can't remember. Still, and easy and relatively cheap way to strengthen the LCA.

NO It was me:

Here's the How To: http://xterranation.org/showthread.php?1265-How-to-Boxing-Your-Arms-(LCAs)

Bump...

I just reread this thread and it raised a thought. Boxing/plating them w/ 3/16 gives extra strength but causes a potential weight issue. For those that have done this, what has been the outcome...

is there a noticeable weight issue? :concern:

They added 15 pounds to each LCA (orig 15 lbs so it makes them 30 lbs each). And, added weight to the bottom is not a bad thing, its a good thing

 

[NMTerras]

The LBJ can be replaced and occasionally the LCA itself can crack.

Yup - happened to me.

 

[Silver dude]

I welded SLR arm braces on mine. The arm has two weak points where the shock mount is welded to the arm and the ring around the LBJ. During hard offroad use the arm stress cracks or fractures at the lower front shock mount. This is do to the arm being made of to thin of metal. The SLR brace fixes this issue as it spreads the load of the shock. The ring around the ball joint is just a bad design. I've had mine fail to where it no longer could hold the ball joint. Some have had a single crack others have had the whole ring area break off the arm and shoot through causing catastrophic damage. Really no fix for it. This is why I belive nissan only sells the lower arms and not just the ball joints. As the arms grow fatigued with age.

This thread here has some good pictures of arm failure so you know how or where to gusset your arm.
http://www.roninwheelers.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2806