Building Uniball Upper Control Arms

[ccbruin]

I am looking into building my own uniball upper control arms for my F150. Options are either using tube or a boxed design. I know the forces on the upper arms are substantially lower than on the lower arms, but I am not sure what material would be adequate. I am leaning towards the boxed in design. Using 1/4" plate seems ridiculous, but anything thinner seems too thin... What do you guys think?

kinda like this: http://www.autoanything.com/suspension-systems/readylift-off-road-upper-control-arm-kit

[zukrider]

Why

[ccbruin]

Because I don't feel like paying 800 for them when I could make them for less and I enjoy building my own stuff.

[zukrider]

But why. Why are they necessary? And better asked, do you under stand stress and geometry? And do you truly trust your welding? With your life? Not trying to be an ass, but this isn't a project I would take on.

[ccbruin]

My ball joints are needing replaced, and I figure its a good excuse to step up to some uniballs that last longer, are stronger, and allow more travel. Especially since I have coilovers now. And yes to all your other questions. If I didn't then I wouldn't have posed this question

[Haku]

Edited.... because ....whatever. If you think you can do it, then do it.

[Java]

I'm just a guy with tools and dreams, but I say WTF, it's your truck, your comfort zone, fabrication isn't rocket surgery and you're not going to get experience any other way. go for it! I would. :thumb: Actually, you've seen my garage, I am. :) I'd rip off a proven design for the new ones and keep the stock arms in my trail spare box, just incase. I'd use the heaviest steel you can work with, and if you have any doubts about penetration you can atleast tack it up and borrow better equipment. Seems like a good time for overkill, and using heavier steel won't add any substantial weight to your truck.

[ccbruin]

I have already sourced the cups, uniballs, spacers, bushings and I have a pair of Camburg arms I am going to use to make a jig. I have made nearly 20 bumpers over this summer, so I know what fabricating takes. I am not a "seasoned" fabricator, thus i posed the question to get suggestions. I have someone at work who is a structural welder and does it for a living. If his work holds up on 1,000 ft guyed towers, I'm sure it would be enough. I already have them modeled in SW and ready to run FEA once I decide on a thickness. All this discouragement sucks, i'm going to take on this challenge anyway. I like challenges.

[zukrider]

It isn't discouragement. It's a life or death realization. Make it happen! I go overkill myself, cause as Paul stated, the difference in 3/16 and 1/4 will be minimal. And mostly unstrung as well. You also said nothing about having existing arms available to you for jigs. Have fun and all that, just make sure they are good to go. Losing an upper control arm at 35 will be deadly, not to mention 80!

[Hypoid]

All this discouragement sucks, i'm going to take on this challenge anyway. I like challenges.What is your major???

[carpenle]

Sounds like a fun project. I do not have any advise, but will def. like a build post.

[xaza]

I don't think Joe was meaning to discourage you. I think he was making sure you understood the dangers involved in mishap or failure. I agree this is more of a project than I feel I could handle but being put in that type of situation at work has helped me to strive farther. I say push your potential and test thoroughly before family jumps in and truck is loaded up with a ton of weight on highway. Good luck with things and I am sure some of the fabricators on here will be able to help you more. You could try weighing your control arms and comparing to the ones you are mocking :wrench:

[ccbruin]

What is your major???

Mechanical engineering with a certificate in engineering management. Most likely going to do the BS/MS program and get my undergrad and masters in 5 years.

[Brucker]

So what has building a few bumpers over summer taught you about fabrication? Seriously, I would like to know? Things like how proper safety, planning, designing, layout, prep, and having good materials, and real metalworking equipment and tooling is a must? How about some of the other shop basics, like cutting, grinding, sanding, welding, etc? Learn anything about making jigs and other fixtures? If so, then I think you should be able to pull off what you are setting out to accomplish.

Producing upper "A" arms should not be a big task, especially when you are basically just reproducing someone else's design. There are really only 5 points that you have to be concerned with. The first two are the bushing that go to the frame. These must be in the same plane and although they have bushings must be perfectly aligned if you would like to keep the bushings in working order for any length of time. The next would be the uniball. Again, it must be perfectly placed as to not wear prematurely and to help keep the correct suspension and steering geometry. Then you just need to make sure that your clearances are good through the center for the coilover and that the arms are narrow enough to clear the tires and all other components. But since you are just going to be imitating someone else's design then really you should just have to worry about the bushings and uniball placement and keeping tight tolerances. And like you mentioned, a nice fixture should help with that.

As far as material, I would build arms out of layered plate or round tubing. Strong and light compared to boxed (square or rectangular) tubing. Thicknesses would depend on application and material. Either way, anything over 3/16" would be massively overkill. Remember, throwing more material at something doesn't help with design flaws. Just makes the object weigh more which could actually be more damaging then it is help.

A good fixture is key. I would start with a flat plate and build off of it. I would use bolts or pins to hold my bushings and uniball in place. So if the material warps to much during the welding process, you can still get the arm out of the fixture without hurting the fixture. And warping will happen no matter what you try. Your goal is to limit/reduce it as much as possible as you can not completely eliminate it. Tacking the parts together in multiple positions and then welding very slowly while everything is kept in the fixture till completely cool will be your best bet. If the completed arm is off at all, start over. This is one project that needs to keep the tight tolerances that were designed into it's suspension. And by tight we aren't talking =/- .050", more like =/- .005".

Then once you have a finished product, do as others have urged. Test, test, and more testing before public use. Remember, you are not the only one you put in risk when it comes to anything automotive. You are responsible for the thousands of innocents you also share the roadways with.

Never let anyone telling you something is impossible make you believe it. Heck, by your age I was fabricating all types of different racing components and tube chassis from scratch and competing in UROC. But then again I had been working in and around shops since I was 14. And since then I have made a good living and a successful business by creating all sorts of things that people said were impossible. I wish you the best with this project.

[ccbruin]

It has been a good learning experience and process. I get discounted steel through my internship which is awesome and access to our welders. I learned about the easiest/best way to fab things and now implement them into preliminary design and SW drawings. I am also now confident in my bending and notching skills. I feel I am competent at nearly everything it takes to make a tube bumper (or anything really), except for the welding aspect. All i do now is tack things together for fitting purposes. I just love doing it instead of buying it, i think its fun and theres no better way to learn.

[Cr33p3r]

Alec, kuddos for giving it a go! But for a bit of advice after building several suspensions for Fords, Follow what Brucker is saying and keep in mind that a really good reason for the round material being preferred over square welded materials is two fold, 1) it has better rotational flex and 2) is harder to break being less chances for welds to fracture.
Round stock isn't just easier to work with but it definitely has more positives than square welded materials. Also with the Fords and most likely true with any other vehicle is to make absolutely sure your not only are your jigs perfect but your cuts are perfect as this area is not on to be off and think ok so there is a small gap I can just fill it with weld and it will be ok. Does your existing uppers on the passenger side have the sliding 2 piece A arm?

Good luck on the build and keep pics following it too!

[ccbruin]

Having heim joints now seems to me a better idea instead of having bushings. A little more expensive, but worth it?

[The StRanger]

Having heim joints now seems to me a better idea instead of having bushings. A little more expensive, but worth it?

And Heim's are adjustable !

[Haku]

Yeah, they are worth using if not for any other reason then adjustability. You will get more vibration and noise with them, but I think that is a good tradeoff. You'll be able to adjust both camber and caster if you use them and set it up right.

They are more expensive then bushings, but maybe not as much as you think. I think the Ruffstuff 7/8" heims are only $69 a pair and come with the threaded bung, jam nut and misalignment spacers. Get the ones with the 3/4" through hole since they leave more meat on the ball compared to the one with the bigger hole. I think you can get bung for square tubing too, but I'm not sure on their sizing in that application or if its useful to you.

[Dutch]

I would make the control arms out of either plate or tubing. 1.5" OD .188 wall DOM would be plenty strong if you can fit it and work around it. Looking at that link I would think you would have no problem working with that material and keeping all your clearances.

Looks like the ones in your link are made from stacked plate.