fireteacher

of course it looks bent but the other side is straight is whats getting me. we were on the trail and there were HUGE rocks that i HAD to get winched over and we stacked logs around them to minimize the damage. the sliders did there part but they dont go all the way back! there is a nice scratch/grove where it is bent and thats whats making me think its supposed to be straight.
the runner drives and tracks great and i cannot notice anything wrong with it. should i worry if it is supposed to be straight? its the piece close to the middle of the tire...tie rod?

BruceTS

Lower control arm is bent........

Time for aftermarket one's that can handle the abuse from boulders.........

Elton

what he said and its bent

fireteacher

thanks, how easy is it to replace? is it critical to replace now? if not, ill deff replace before i go wheeling again! any recommendations?

Elton

these shouldint bend http://www.sonoransteel.com/rubicon_express_links.html

fireteacher

wow, i saw bmbachem's post and there the same thing!!! 400 a pair...whew!

waskillywabbit

iTrader: (-1)

You want WHEW...go price the OEM one's that will bend.

fireteacher

is it critical to replace NOW? i will replace but need to see if i can drive for a bit before i get em.

Yoda

It throws the rear alignment off, but could possibly run it. Cheap would be to try and straighten it as a temp measure....but you run the risk of breaking it.

mt_goat

Maybe it's possible to straighten and reinforce with some carefull welding? I'm not sure about the bushings in those things though, and how the heat from welding could damage them.

fireteacher

if i were to try to bend it back and it brakes, i am screwed and cant drive it can i?

mt_goat

I reinforced my Budbuild traction bar to help it better survive a little rock action by welding a couple of strips of angle iron to the bottom.



You can see the angle iron a little better in this pic:

bflooks

perfect timing for this post! i have had my drivers side bent for a while now. i drove it for a few months, wheeling it lightly the whole time. the thing is you have to keep an eye on tire wear. as mentioned, it throws your rear alignment off. now...one trip it bent so bad half way through, that the drivers side rear tire was rubbing the front of the wheel well!!!!!!! i will post pictures in a second. in order to get it off, we had to strap the front axle to bring the holes together just to get the bolts out, and then we hammered it back to a point where i could drive it home.

and just to highjack this thread a bit, here is what i am thinking about doing (i can't afford the $400/500 for sonoran arms):

i am going to take stock arms, that are NOT bent
cut them in half right in the center.
get DOM tubing with 1.?? inner diameter and .5" wall in 18 3/8" length
slide the 2 halfs of stock arms in to DOM
weld DOM at the bushing cylinder at each end

the measurement is the length of the stock arms, inside of weld to inside of weld. i figure the DOM tubing is MUCH stronger than stock, and having the stock tubing inside will only make it stronger. this SHOULD run me about $40-$50 for the DOM tubing, and the welding will be done by a friend that is making Lee's bumper

so, seeing this has to do with this topic, i am looking for suggestions as to pro's and con's and if anyone has done this already. i am sure fireteacher will benefit from this information as well.

nc994run

You should be able to find a rear LCA at a junkyard for about $50 or so thats not bent

HaveBlue

With the installation of the projectors, I lost the use of high-beams in one headlight. No worries, though. I used the matching Hella 90mm high-beams and found homes for them. Here's a preview:



I will post the finished product by Tuesday night.

fireteacher

wrong thread or the ULTIMATE HIGH JACK?

Elton

i think so i was like wtf does that have to do with this thread... lol what a showoff

fireteacher

can you guys keep an eye out for a junk yard lower control arm for me. the JY's here are stocked full of heeps but never any runners. you think a second gen is the same size? i know where one of those is!!!

mt_goat

That sounds like a good way to do it. One thing to be carefull of is welding around the bushings, are the bushings easy to remove on those?

nc994run

I know my junyard at home has the LCA's....I'll be going home either the weekend of October 7th or 14th, so if you still need one them, let me know and i can get one.