Custom Radius Arms (1 Viewer)

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

Joined
Oct 3, 2006
Threads
130
Messages
8,112
Location
Medford, OR
As mentioned in my other thread I'm currently in the process of fitting larger tires (37"). As part of this, I need to shift the axle forward to eliminate rubbing.

One of the several methods mentioned was new radius arms (lower control arms). Slightly longer arms would fix the problem.

So that got me thinking. Tools had a great thread about the arms he made. Replicating his arms seems like a whole lot of work, and I figured there had to be an easier way.

So I contacted a fellow Mudder who works for an iron shop, and asked about the cost of a run of cast arms.


Long story short, the biggest cost are the forms. So for this to work, there would need to be a significant amount of interest in it. In order to even be worth it, looks like we'll need to have at least 10 people interested (20 arms) otherwise the cost is too high.

Anyway, as long as we're looking at custom arms, might as well shoot for the moon, right?

So the question is....if you could design the ultimate radius arm, what would it include?

Some possible options might include:
Wristed arm
Built in adjustable caster correction
Built in adjustable length
 
My understanding was that cast was not strong enough. Forged?

EDIT- I know dick-all about metallurgy, maybe cast is fine, maybe that's what the OEM's are.
 
Last edited:
They would not be cast iron, they would be ductile iron. Should be more than enough strength for this application. I will confirm that if this project gets off the ground.
 
My understanding was that cast was not strong enough. Forged?

EDIT- I know dick-all about metallurgy, maybe cast is fine, maybe that's what the OEM's are.

Cast...forged....potato, tomato.

I'm in the same boat as you, don't know the ins and outs. What I do know is that whatever it is, it will be far beefier than what we need.
 
The metallurgy will be correct for the app. No worries there boys.
 
The stock arms are steel, not iron, not sure if they are cast or forged.

The biggest issue that I have with making arms for others/sale is liability, US lawyers. One of my customers was a steel foundry, talked about making some, when they found out what they were and would be driven on the street, ended that deal. When a pic like this and the ones of the bus load of now dead nuns, lands on your attorneys desk, better have good insurance!:hillbilly:
Broken.jpg
 
The stock arms are steel, not iron, not sure if they are cast or forged.

The biggest issue that I have with making arms for others/sale is liability, US lawyers. One of my customers was a steel foundry, talked about making some, when they found out what they were and would be driven on the street, ended that deal. When a pic like this and the ones of the bus load of now dead nuns, lands on your attorneys desk, better have good insurance!:hillbilly:

"For offroad use only."

You know, like my dual beadlocks. "Military use only."
 
"For offroad use only."

You know, like my dual beadlocks. "Military use only."

That is a nice thing to say, but how many of your potential customers have trailer queens? You and I know that most are driven on the highway, in the event of an accident do you really believe that will hold up in court and how much will you have to spend to make it stick?
 
That is a nice thing to say, but how many of your potential customers have trailer queens? You and I know that most are driven on the highway, in the event of an accident do you really believe that will hold up in court and how much will you have to spend to make it stick?

Could beat the liability horse to death (wait, that's already been done :doh: ) but fact is anything we do opens us up to liability. Slee et all have tons of liability from something as simple as the shocks they use.

Lots of aftermarket stuff is marked "for offroad use only." Seems to be working for the most part (you able to find many lawsuits against aftermarket parts manufacturers?). And some of it for far more questionable stuff than this (3 link, anyone?). You can only take reasonable measures and hope for the best. :cheers:
 
High steer!:hillbilly: this would be a great option for those that have a 5+ inch lift to relocate the tire center in the wheel well, if I had radius arms still I'd buy a set
 
I've often thought about this and my conclusion was that new brackets for the axle was part of the deal.

As I see it, most of the binding comes from the location of the front bushings. As you already noted in the other thread, when the axle twists one side is forward and the other is back. With the bushings in there current position this gives a lot of binding between the axle and arms.

My thought was to orientate the bushings vertically so they act like a hinge and twist within in themselves. Which would require new axle mounts.

You could probably find a pattern maker that does this on the side and get the pattern for around 1000.00. My turbo manifold was way over that but it also included a core box.

You'll need to figure out what material you will be using as it effects the pattern as each metal has different expansion rates and those need to be included in the pattern so as it cools it does so with minimal resulting stress within the part.

Then comes machining. Machining a cast piece is an art in itself. Find that guy and talk with him prior to making the pattern so he can have some input on any details that he will need in that casting to aid in machining.

This is pretty much a one shot deal as altering the pattern gets expensive and significant changes can require an entirely new one to be made.
 
Could beat the liability horse to death (wait, that's already been done :doh: ) but fact is anything we do opens us up to liability. Slee et all have tons of liability from something as simple as the shocks they use.

Lots of aftermarket stuff is marked "for offroad use only." Seems to be working for the most part (you able to find many lawsuits against aftermarket parts manufacturers?). And some of it for far more questionable stuff than this (3 link, anyone?). You can only take reasonable measures and hope for the best. :cheers:

There is insurance you can buy for just this kind of thing. But the cost is pretty high. Not worth it if your only going to produce 10 sets. I consulted an attorney before starting production on my product. You may want to do the same. The liability is a very valid point when talking about suspension components.

Personally I hope you make them but know there are risks with doing so.
 
Aftermarket radius arms are offered by several vendors for Land Rovers so it's not impossible. Search for some and see what they did. Rovertym is one maker. Rover front suspensions are very similiar to cruisers.
 
why not make one like the superior engineering superflex arms? i understand copyright or patent issue but those arms seem like it would work better than any arm.
 
The vendors for aftermarket arms are few and far in between for 80's
While it is a good idea, it just seems like to much work for marginal gains at best I would think
I think a well set up 3 link would be much easier to do and cost less money and take less time
 
Agree it is a waste of time unless you redesign the mount(s), e.g. the Superior Engineering arms.

It's much easier to just move the frame mounts forward an inch or so for the tire clearance question.
 
The vendors for aftermarket arms are few and far in between for 80's
While it is a good idea, it just seems like to much work for marginal gains at best I would think
I think a well set up 3 link would be much easier to do and cost less money and take less time

4 links are far better for on road manners.

Any improvement will be incremental, but every bit helps.
 

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top Bottom