Noticed that one of my rear lower control arms is bent so time to replace them. Curious to know what others in the club are running. Will probably come down to either the SPC or Metal Tech. Anything else worth considering?
Lower Control Arm Recommendations (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter D_Web
- Start date
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bwesty
SILVER Star
This is what I did and its working great.
Rear Lower Control Arms Mod
Find some used or junk yard arms.
Rear Lower Control Arms Mod
Find some used or junk yard arms.
- Thread starter
- #4
Definitely a nice option, not sure the added cost of a welder can be justified at the moment though
Saddletramp
GOLD Star
Slee has some
Slee - Toyota 80 Land Cruiser Series Suspension Arms.
Slee - Toyota 80 Land Cruiser Series Suspension Arms.
MaddBaggins
Remember the KnightRider!
I dont like Slees new ones as much as his old ones. I have his old ones. They’re 2” DOM 1/4” wall. Those things are beefy.
Also, I would never buy solid bar again after the debacle I had with the solid bar panhards and upper control arms. For a while Slee had solid bar lowers. Looks like his current offering is tube again. I made my own after breaking a front Panhard and an upper on the same trip.
Also, I would never buy solid bar again after the debacle I had with the solid bar panhards and upper control arms. For a while Slee had solid bar lowers. Looks like his current offering is tube again. I made my own after breaking a front Panhard and an upper on the same trip.
I just order more DOM earlier today to upgrade my LX470 arm. After your factory arms are sleeved with DOM you end up with ~3/8" thick arms. After 6 years of wheeling no issues.
our 80 came with the Man-a-Fre beefy version - you could just drive to Miami, AZ and pick them up from Dave Gore 
- Thread starter
- #10
Thanks for the feedback all. I've been looking at the TrailTailor and he seems to have a nice product. Will touch base with Dave @ Man-a-Fre and see if he has any, would be good to support a local.
Dave Gore has produced for Man-a-Fre, but he has his own company: 4PlusProducts | Land Cruiser Parts and Accessories
not all of his products are listed on that site, so better contact him directly
not all of his products are listed on that site, so better contact him directly
- Thread starter
- #13
Mind elaborating a bit? Slee's current lower arms (assuming his) are solid, while the SPC are tube.
I have a lot of Dave Gore's products on my 40, so I am naturally inclined to buy from him - plus, he's a nice guy and local
I have met Dave Gore and he is an extremely nice guy who builds a good quality product.
MaddBaggins
Remember the KnightRider!
Solid is more likely to bend than tube is. Also, I had aftermarket solid bar panhards and rear uppers and 3 out of the 4 broke during the same trip. The Panhard were whatever man a fre was selling a dozen years ago and the rear uppers were Slee.
After that I made my own. 1-1/2” dom 1/4” wall. Stock bushing on one side and heim joint on the other. Check my sig line for links to all my build if you’re interested. I’ve had this rig for 14yrs now.
Did you notice any more vibs of noise when you upgraded to a heim joint on one end?
Also how has the heim held up over the years.
That contradicts basic physics- you can't remove material and make it stronger. You could look at solid bar as a tube that has been filled- it has all the strength of the tube plus added material. Tube is stronger than solid by weight- if you take the mass of solid material and form it into a larger diameter tube it's stronger, but in the same diameter, solid is stronger. You must have had other issues, low quality steel or flaws or something else. The stock 80 front panhard is solid because its got bends, and needs to be stronger than tube allows. I'm amazed that you were able to break an upper control arm, there's not much stress on those.
MaddBaggins
Remember the KnightRider!
Spike, you’re right to a point. I failed to mention that the 1” solid bars I bought from vendors are far weaker than the 1-1/2”x 1/4” wall tubing I replaced it with.
Also, there are a lot of physics involved but I’ve had long conversations with various engineer types and as a whole, tube will be stronger than solid even when only slightly larger, because of the way forces apply. There’s a whole other level of physics that apply when comparing solid to tube and tube wall thickness. I’m not an engineer but I’ve bent/welded/cut/fabricated and otherwise F-ed up enough metal in my day to understand that the shape of tube makes it stronger than solid in almost all circumstances. I’ve bent kalichi bars more times than I can remember in my day, just with my own weight and strength. A kalichi bar is 1”+ 6sided solid bar. Imagine what a 6500# vehicle does to a 1” round bar.
Again, you couldn’t pay me to ever run solid bar links ever again.
As to breaking the uppers, the eye that holds the bushing tore free from the bar after the bar bent. Piss poor welds and bent arms.
I’ll also never use aftermarket links again. I make my own now.
Also, there are a lot of physics involved but I’ve had long conversations with various engineer types and as a whole, tube will be stronger than solid even when only slightly larger, because of the way forces apply. There’s a whole other level of physics that apply when comparing solid to tube and tube wall thickness. I’m not an engineer but I’ve bent/welded/cut/fabricated and otherwise F-ed up enough metal in my day to understand that the shape of tube makes it stronger than solid in almost all circumstances. I’ve bent kalichi bars more times than I can remember in my day, just with my own weight and strength. A kalichi bar is 1”+ 6sided solid bar. Imagine what a 6500# vehicle does to a 1” round bar.
Again, you couldn’t pay me to ever run solid bar links ever again.
As to breaking the uppers, the eye that holds the bushing tore free from the bar after the bar bent. Piss poor welds and bent arms.
I’ll also never use aftermarket links again. I make my own now.
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MaddBaggins
Remember the KnightRider!
Phil, the heims tend to squeak a bit once in a while. A shot of silicone spray a couple times a year handle it. Otherwise, the drive feel is less stiff than a stock 80, which can be in unnerving at first when hanging a corner.
