TOTM: Front control arms

[BlueGerbil]

For a short arm supension, that sees quite some highway miles, some dirt roads and some not too hard wheeling (read "weekend warrior"), what are your thoughts about Currie control arms? Price wouldn´t matter in that case, just looking for the best short arm suspension for my new rig. Longarms are no option.

 

[tbburg]

Personally, I'd go rubber bushing both ends, all 4 arms for a light trail/dd.

Regardless of use, with stock geometry, I would not go flex/flex or hard poly/hard poly. At the minimum, I'd keep rubber on at least 2 of the joints, probably the upper arm axle side joints. I'd skip the poly and go to a flex joint; something rebuild-able/adjustable, with plastic/Teflon races like the Johny-Joints, but again, that's because of my experience with the poly.

If I'm forced to make a recommendation on poly, I'd say only use poly on one end of each arm unless the arm itself is articulated(can twist in the middle), and still at the minimum, keep the upper arm axle side bushings rubber.

 

[XJRunner]

whats my options to upgrade my upper arm bolt on the axle side? it has a stock rubber bushing and the bolt is tiny and I'm scared its going to break. Can i put a uniball in the upper mount?

 

[chris_amrein]

whats my options to upgrade my upper arm bolt on the axle side? it has a stock rubber bushing and the bolt is tiny and I'm scared its going to break. Can i put a uniball in the upper mount?

I was told you could ream out the stock bushings (to remove the weird little nubs inside the sleeve) but I had no luck. I used a drill bit, then I bought a reamer but it "spins" the bushing in a way that it won't cut them down.

I ended up pressing out the stock bushings and welded in a sleeve and will be using a poly bushing for now. I want to say it was a 2" x .250 wall sleeve I welded in there. This was on a 2wd beam and I still need to do this to my Dana 30 so hopefully it won't be too much trouble welding on the cast housing.

 

[XJRunner]

thanks! I'll try that. I have a 3/8s bolt in there right now i think and it scares me how small it is