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Discussion starter · #46 ·
Ok, just got back into the swing of things from Christmas. I should have a lvl 1 set to demo this weekend, then a lvl 2 set whenever ups delivers my goods from ballistic.
 
I'm in for a set of Stage 3 arms to clear these 19" Linea Corse wheels.

No hurry.

My car is sleeping under a cover with the bare minimum insurance on it.

I'd like to hang onto my stockers if that's okay.
 
Discussion starter · #49 ·
Good to hear. I plan on getting started on the first set of lvl 1s tonight, snap some pics, then convert them into lvl 2s. I just got the flex joints in from ballistic today. Oooh wee they are nice!!! I think you guys are going to be super happy with the finished product.
 
Discussion starter · #52 ·
Its pretty easy actually. I made a jig on my work table that maintains the exact length of the arm. I have my old trailing arm bushing's steel spacer welded to a bracket that is screwed into the table to maintain that end pointing in the same direction, then the other end is just rotated after being cut to meet the kink.

Both arms are actually exactly the same from the factory for left and right, so I just make one kink one way, one kink the other.
 
I would not trust that joint for a car that goes 160+ mph. Perhaps a bent link like the MAP arms but just throwing in sharp angles like that in a part of the suspension that sees a lot of abuse with no gussets is not a good idea IMHO. I, however, am no engineer.
 
Is the stress in tension during acceleration and compression during braking?

Killer, can you elaborate a bit on how that joint is fabbed? Is it just overlapped and welded?
 
Is the stress in compression during acceleration and compression during braking?

Killer, can you elaborate a bit on how that joint is fabbed? Is it just overlapped and welded?
Yes that is exactly what happens. Now throw in some wheel hop on top of that!
 
Discussion starter · #58 ·
The joint is only in tension when braking and compression when accelerating. Also, the offset of the kinked part is not even as wide as as the width of the tube (only about 3/4" offset on a 1-1/8" tube) so there is still a linear path the forces can travel through the arm without anything being cantilevered. See the drawing for what I'm talking about.

A tube of this diameter and wall thickness should be plenty strong for any car. Even a 160mph+ 400hp car.

I fabricated the first lvl 2 arm today, everything went smoothly. Just looking for a second hand oven for powdercoating duty now and I'll fire up an order thread. Thanks for the interest guys!
 

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Thanks, killer, for stepping up on this.

ctsv154's observation is a good one. It seems to me that the whole thing comes down to those two welds at the kink where forces of compression and tension get transmitted from one end of the arm to the other; that's where all the stresses are concentrated. Your weld looks pretty darn good, and without the ability to know what the forces are on the vehicle itself compared to the strength of the modified arm, this will be an exercise in empirical engineering. Who's first?
 
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