Making my own torque arm
10-14-2002, 11:50 AM
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Making my own torque arm I found out that my boss welds as a hobby. So we got down to talking over lunch about welding and it turns out he's really quite good and has his own equipment and so on. So then I asked him if he could fabricate me a torque arm for my car (since I don't have 300 bucks to shell out for one). I was wondering, what would be the best design to mimic? And also, what material should I select? I was thinking of going with tubular chrome moly. Does that sound like a good choice? And if so, will he have any problems with his MIG welder? He says that he has things set up to weld steel, and isn't sure what the characteristics are of chrome moly and if his configuration would weld it properly. Anyone have any information on this?
10-15-2002, 12:11 AM
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Re: Making my own torque arm I'd say to stick with a full length design, and make sure to design in enough driveshaft/tunnel clearance.
Where I think you need to concentrate your efforts is the front mount; you need the torque arm to be able to rotate, plunge, and "swing" as freely as possible.
Good luck; take some pics when you've got it all put together. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />
PS- by the time you have this all said and done, I'd be surprised if you had less than $100-$150 just in supplies, not to mention labor (I know that you're getting the labor for free, but hey, your time is worth something, right??). Projects like this take a LOT more than you think they will at the beginning.
Where I think you need to concentrate your efforts is the front mount; you need the torque arm to be able to rotate, plunge, and "swing" as freely as possible.
Good luck; take some pics when you've got it all put together. <img border="0" title="" alt="[Smile]" src="gr_stretch.gif" />
PS- by the time you have this all said and done, I'd be surprised if you had less than $100-$150 just in supplies, not to mention labor (I know that you're getting the labor for free, but hey, your time is worth something, right??). Projects like this take a LOT more than you think they will at the beginning.
10-15-2002, 12:11 AM
#3
TECH Enthusiast
Re: Making my own torque arm If he's a good welder, he should know the capabilities of his owne equipment. I would make one of mild steel and copy the LG design or the Edelbrock or something on those lines. You know you can buy the Edelbrock for $169.
10-15-2002, 12:13 AM
#4
The Bull
Re: Making my own torque arm Chromoly to the best of my knowledge has to be TIG welded. If you are going with a standard steel, pretty much any cold roll like 1018 should hold up. It'll be heavy compared to a chromoly setup though. Either way, powder coat it when you are done.
As far as configurations go I really like the Spohn setup. It's out of the way for the exhaust, has two built in safety loops and is pretty damn adjustable.
As far as configurations go I really like the Spohn setup. It's out of the way for the exhaust, has two built in safety loops and is pretty damn adjustable.
