Upper Control Arms (for the seriously dropped)

[james t]

actually, i had some. the control arm pics and several others didnt develop for some reason. ill have some others soon.

 

[JOHN V.]

james t

I have a set of 3" drop leaf springs. We put some on a Sport Track and it dropped 4.5'. The ride was very stiff though. It could be a good match for your set up.

You can contact me at info@explorerexpress.com

John V @ Explorer Express

 

[james t]

John, thanks! ill more than likely get in touch with you as soon as i get the coilovers on. if you still have them at that time, ill take them.

 

[JOHN V.]

Here is a picture of the leaf springs that I was telling you about.

John V @ EE

 

[Slush Box]

So James T can you tell me what all you ordered and what kind of machine shop can do this. I need more info on exactly what you got done i know what i want to do with the rear i just need to know what to order for the front and how many inches to extend the upper control arms thanks.Oh and did you get it alligned again after all this was done. Email me if you want

jonathaniler@yahoo.com

 

[james t]

im going to have to advise against it. the problem is, while it corrected the camber, it had the caster way off. caster could not be brought back to a safe level, thus they came off.

if you still want to do this, and dont mind your truck hydroplaning or changing lanes on rough expansion joints on interstate, then all you need is the DJM lowered upper control arms for a 98-up Ranger. i extended mine exactly 1". most machine shops can do this.

once again, i would not recommend doing it.

 

[Slush Box]

so your suspension is back to the way it is. Is there anywasy of getting all the parts like upper control arms, lower control arms. spindels and coils to make it like a ranger front suspension. Even with some fab work can this come together.

 

[Hartman]

It would work if you relocated the mounts for the upper control arms to match the location of the mounts on a Ranger.

 

[Slush Box]

I'm lost how would you go about doing that and could it be alligned later.

 

[james t]

i could explain it, but then my post wouldnt be a post anymore it would be a book. short version- the arms were long enough to make camber good, but at the wrong axis and threw caster way off.

no one knows if you can bolt on the ranger upper and lower arms AND make it work. obviously you would have to weld on some coil spring towers. will the ranger upper and lower arms line up right? i have no idea...

also, i dont think you realize just how BAD the thing rides with the torsion adjuster flip. once this is done and you have 4-5" of drop, there is basically no more preload on the torsion bars. the ride is so far beyond hideous i cant even describe it. you will drive around on it for a few days thinking "this isnt really that bad" and then after a week or 2 the cool factor wears off and you come to your senses.

 

[migga]

So after all that work, how are you gonna continue....? How would you put coil overs on the front end? Also, would it save us a world of pain to get 3'' Drop Spindles made?

 

[james t]

i did/am not continuing. i took them off because they fixed one issue while making another worse. the truck is back up to a 1.5" drop and will remain that way from now on.

mounting the coilovers would have been the easy part. cut off upper shock mount, and fabricate mounts for the frame and lower control arm that will support weight.

good luck on getting a drop spindle made. spindles are cast; its not like a decent fab shop can just make a set. with that said, there is a guy who SAYS he is working on a control arm kit right now. if it is produced, it will be the way to go. 3" drop with factory torsion bar settings. but...... we're still waiting and havent heard anything yet.

 

[migga]

well damn....i wish that guy with the spindle switch n flip deal would hurry up with pictures...........

 

[boominXplorer]

could you just extend the stock upper control arms to correct the camber? I would figure you could.

 

[james t]

nope, they are cast aluminum. weld to them and they will be as weak as using wood.

 

[boominXplorer]

Now i see that you can weld the ranger ones. Could you extend one side 1 inch and do the other side like and inch and like 1/8 or a 1/4 to bring the caster back in. My best friends dad works at a machine shop and if I can figure out a way or making them other than from a cast i might be able to mass produce

 

[james t]

your guess is as good as mine. only thing is, its just a guess either way. you wont know if it will work or not until you spend the $$$ to try it, then spend the money to get it aligned. if its wrong, you have to start over. then of course you need to spend more money on some coilovers and fabbing them up to get even a livable ride quality. this is why i gave up.

 

[boominXplorer]

were your tires like this / \ or like this \ /. I'mgonna order some this week if i get enough on pay day . I figure if i can make them work i think alot of people would be interested.

 

[james t]

after the arms went on? they were like this | |
its not the camber that was bad, it was the caster.

 

[boominXplorer]

I was talking about like toe in / toe out

like .......

Front
\ / or..... / \

| | ...... | |
Rear

This is a top view.