Cut and weld lower control arms

Has anybody ever cut the lower ball joint part of the lower control arm off, moved it forward and welded it back? With every bigger tire/ lift situation, getting enough caster and clearance at the rear of the tire is a challenge. Aftermarket upper control arms solve the caster problem by moving the upper ball joint closer to the cab mount. Moving the lower ball joint forward increases caster and tire clearance. The lower control arms are already welded together, and I have a welding guy that does incredible work. Just to give you an idea, I have seen him weld .004" thick stainless, and his own trailer for his Zodiac raft is 100% TIG welded.

 

i would think you would also need to move the upper arm the same amount. its doable, but i havent seen it done.

 

Sounds dangerous, when you do that don't drive on the road

 

how so? if done right it will be just as strong as stock. if you know what you are doing then its a non issue.
Dont be afraid of things you dont understand lol

 

Sounds logical for suspension geometry but I wouldn't trust the metallurgy any more. Pretty sure it would be weaker. How much weaker and whether it would be enough to matter, I don't know. Maybe if after you weld it, you then weld additional plate or gussets crossing you weld such that you're pulling in new metal (not previously welded) on both sides of the joint on both top and bottom of the arm to help reinforce the new weld joint.
You might want to talk to one of the companies that makes fabricated LCAs and ask if they shift the balljoint any and ask if they could do a pair for you shifted.

 

You're right .. I don't understand the geometry of the front suspension, but from your previous post, neither do you. Didn't say I was scared, but when someone says 'my buddy is a good welder', yeah take that to the bank ..

 

Exactly. Everything you drive or machinery you opperate has ROBOT WELDED components in critical strength applications. I would much rather trust my life to my welding guy than a robot.

 

except its not. anybody out there running on aftermarket upper arms or lower arms are running on hand welded parts.
having a hand welded (as long as its welded properly) is just as strong as a robot.

 

My "buddy" does welding for a living. He has previously worked for Boeing. He knows what he's doing.

 

What size tire are you trying to fit?....

 

How far forward do you plan to move it?

 

Do it.

 

Having worked with welding robots, as long as parts are prepped and set in the jigs correctly, the robot will do a more consistent weld. All about the setup. Whether it's a "better" weld can depend on a number of things though.

 

3 degrees.
Distance between ball joints X 2 X 3.1416 divided by 360 = distance per degree.

 

If you move it forward 3 degrees you're gonna have no caster

 

As long as the filler is as strong or stronger than the parent material there is no problem. That being said adding gusset when using heavier tire makes sense.

 

Caster is like the neck of the bicycle. If you move the lower forward, you increase caster. It's easy to dial in 0 caster with the factory eccentrics, so start at 3 with the LCA and go from there.

 

Could you gain that kind of distance by moving the lower alignment cams, front towards the frame and the rear outward and still realign I'm assuming this is possible but not sure if you will get the desired result?

 

Why weld back on the weak factory ball joint. Why not upgrade while your cutting and welding and throw in a uniball.