Make or Buy control arms?

Mike, If you want I can show you the jig and arms i made for my Isuzu. Its really not that bad to do. If it were me I would just make a set, that way you have what you want not something you need to try and make work.

I'm building arms right now for a NBS chevy. I will try to remember to take a few pics of how I set everything up.

I would love to see pics of how you guys setup your jigs, I have some pretty good ideas about how I plan to do it but I imagine you guys probably have some tricks incorporated into yours

Originally posted by instinct



any recomendations on arms for a 98+ ranger? i bought a pair off ed cain and they are JUNK

unless you are trying to run a 22 or something the DJM arms are quality arms and can lay pretty well. You still get a lot of camber though. Unless you want to redesign the suspension you'll have camber with any arms you run

Originally posted by msturg



unless you are trying to run a 22 or something the DJM arms are quality arms and can lay pretty well. You still get a lot of camber though. Unless you want to redesign the suspension you'll have camber with any arms you run



That is so true! Unless you have some huge ass drop spindle or completely redesign the suspension, you are going to have too much camber.

Edited: 9/25/2008 8:27:38 AM by msturg

ok, one more question. Are some of you using thick sheet metal to make these arms? such as the one below from seth's ssm profile



That's just what it looks like to me, and I know I have seen others very similar to this. If so what gauge are you using?

those arms look like they would be a lot harder to make, and trust vs. bending up some round tubing like ive seen others make. personally, i would attempt to make tube arms before something like seth makes.

What thickness sheetmetal do people use on the uppers? If its all boxed I think 1/8" would be plenty for a mini....

Those uppers I make a all 12 gauge, which is just shy of 1/8". Your upper arms don't really need to be as beefy as your lowers.

One thing you could consider, is replicating a stock clip that you like that has aftermarket arms available, and then using those aftermarket arms. I am currently doing that with a Toyota clip.

Cool, Thanks. Im gonna build some with those balljoints you are getting me, Seth.

^Yeah I ordered those today. They are supposed to drop them off Wednesday morning.

Heres another arm option thats really simple.The jig I use for those is rather crude, but it works just fine. Theres no much to those arms.

The jig for my lowers is a lot more complex. It has provisions to prop up the plate pieces, the threaded adjuster, the pivots, and even places to set the tubes in to make sure they are all the same.

I used to build my jigs for custom stuff very basic, then just spend more time making sure the tubes looked the same. Now I spend the time to make the jig nicer and just keep them. Its come in handy and I now have jogs for some random stuff. Another thing that helps, is writing down the angle of bend or notch you use on the jig where it will go.