caliswangin916

iTrader: (3)

can i bend/pinch my rear lower control arms together at the hollow bottom and be ok? i'm trying to not have to blow money on tubular lca's or having to notch the lca.

i shortened my rear end 1", and have a tire/wheel combo that sits the tire right next to the lca. there is very little gap between the tire and lca. the tire will spin freely as is but the gap is litterally about paper thick. i need more clearance!!!!!!

UMI Performance

iTrader: (77)

Hello,

I know you mentioned you didn't want to spend money on control arms... but if you changed your mind here is a fix- www.umiperformance.com/2017OF

Just thought I would throw it out there.
Thanks!
Ryan

Magnet

iTrader: (36)

Are they rod-end LCAs? You could just buy the off-set bushings from UMI if so.. they are cheap too

leadfoot4

iTrader: (1)

I would venture an educated guess and say "No you shouldn't". The bushings are held in place by compression, and if you squeeze in the center of the arms, it's very possible that you'll alter the shape of the arm over its entire length. This, in turn, would change the amount of compression on those bushings, possibly allowing them to loosen in the arm.

I suppose that you could tack weld the bushings to the arms first, but the steel of the bushings is quite thin, and furthermore, the heat from welding would probably melt the rubber of the bushing, at least in the area immediatly adjacent to the welds.

You might want to consider the UMI arms....

c0ncEpT

iTrader: (4)

If it really is that close I would just notch a small area in the control arm where the metal curls up.

this is the area I'm talking about

SJM Manufacturing Inc

iTrader: (5)

I wouldn't advise notching them as you're altering the structural design of the formed material.

Another solution would be our offset bushing set for 199.99 which include 4130 chrome moly material XM series rod-ends and new bolt kit. http://www.sjmmanufacturing.com/deals.html

Ours does not have a fancy powdercoated finish. You'll save ~60.00 over the above mentioned kit configured with a bolt kit and chrome moly material. You can purchase a can of spray paint for a few dollars color match to your car or whatever color you wish and not worry about scratching or chipping paint and matching the finish for touch-up. If they chip from rocks or debris hitting them, you can easily repaint them to your liking.

Ours are among the lightest designs on the market. When installing aftermarket components on your car, heavier doesn't always make it a better component.

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

You could weld in some metal and box in the bottom of the control arms, then trim the metal where it's close.
That way you don't weaken the structural integrity of your LCAs .

UMI Sales

iTrader: (1)

I wouldn't recommend notching them or grinding them doing so would weaken the structure of the control arm and allowing it to flex and possibly bend and then be a bigger problem. That's just my opinion.
Thanks
Brad

Magic Man

The main force on the arms is in line with it so I don't think a slight grind to give you clearance will hurt.BUT with as much money that it looks like you have in the car how can you think of it as blowing money to get a set of replacement arms?

caliswangin916

iTrader: (3)

thanks everyone. i ended up cutting a big portion where the curve is and used a 1/4 spacer but still don't have enough clearance somewhere. i cant tell if it's the lca or not enough bfh. gonna have to wait until i get home to inspect it.

i have now about 3/8" to 1/2" at the lca while the car is sitting. but the inside of my tire is rubbing somewhere while driving.

my biggest concern about new tubular arms is the rod ends making noise. looks like i've doomed myself.

can anyone tell me what the minimal recomended distance between the lca and tire should be?

99Bluz28

iTrader: (35)

PM sent.