For Part II of the frame build on our '93 Toyota project, we added body mounts and control arms to the chassis. Aaron Iha got down to business, using the same Pro-Engineering program that was mentioned in Part I, by designing the control arms and working out the suspension geometry.
The parameters that Aaron had to work with included measurements of the actual wheel and tire combo along with the wheelbase. Using these as a basis for control arm placement, he began to work through all of the suspension geometry to allow for 12 inches of lift without any camber change throughout. This alone is a huge engineering feat, but he also had to take into account adjustability for caster, camber, and tow.
1. We began with the body...
1. We began with the body mounts by taking measurements from the stock frame and the cab.
Since we were installing a Toyota Supra independent rearend (stay tuned for this part of the build), Aaron built a total of eight control arms. We opted to use the Supra hubs but wanted to do something a little different so we wouldn't be stuck with the six factory link arms attached to the stock Supra spindle. Aaron was thinking way ahead of the game and modified the rear spindles to use a set of upper and lower control arms. He also rotated the spindle 180 degrees and swapped them left to right.
The body mounts didn't really need much engineering because we just had to take measurements from the stock frame and cab. Using these measurements, it was simple to build the cab mounts and front body mounts on our new chassis. With the body mounts in place, we were that much closer to seeing the rocker (not the pinch) of our Project 'Yota lying smack on the pavement, and now that we have control arms and body mounts, make sure to check out the rest of this project as one of the coolest air suspensions ever designed comes to fruition.
2. After the measurements...
2. After the measurements were recorded, Aaron built body mounts using the same 1 3/4-inch tubing.
3. With the body mount ends...
3. With the body mount ends made, each was measured out and set up at their exact locations.
4. Next, pieces of 1 3/4-inch...
4. Next, pieces of 1 3/4-inch tubing were measured, cut, and notched to weld the body mounts to the new chassis.
5. The body mounts have to...
5. The body mounts have to be exact and even on both sides, so every precaution was taken to double-check all measurements.
6. Once the body mounts were...
6. Once the body mounts were lined up, they were welded in place.
7. Each body mount had a gusset...
7. Each body mount had a gusset or bar welded to it for added strength.
8. and 9. An up close and...
8. and 9. An up close and personal look at the body mounts - simple and clean.
10. Aaron spends a few hours...
10. Aaron spends a few hours designing each control arm before he begins to build them.
11. This time around, Aaron...
11. This time around, Aaron decided to use 1-inch cold-roll solid for the control arms. Each piece was measured to length, cut, and then drilled in the lathe.
12. After each piece was bored,...
12. After each piece was bored, the bends were scribed, and each piece was bent accordingly.
13. Next, each piece was tapped...
13. Next, each piece was tapped for Heim ends.
14. With all the pieces in...
14. With all the pieces in hand, it was time to make the jig. Aaron has a control jig, which can be modified for different uses. Here, he marked his measurements for the rear upper control arms.
15. Then, he built a tab and...
15. Then, he built a tab and welded it to the table so he could begin to mock up the rear upper arm.
16. For the Supra spindle,...
16. For the Supra spindle, Aaron set it up so he could thread a piece of 1-inch solid and bolt it to the upper spindle mount. To give it a little personality, the piece was machined to a spike.
17. The spike end was bolted...
17. The spike end was bolted to the table so the arm could be set up in the jig.
18. Each side was then bolted...
18. Each side was then bolted to the jig, tested, and marked for fitment.
19. The marked ends were notched...
19. The marked ends were notched so they could be welded to the front of the arm.
20. Each arm was butted to...
20. Each arm was butted to the end and checked one last time.
21. The control arms were...
21. The control arms were then fully TIG-welded for strength.
22. A good look at one of...
22. A good look at one of the control arms so far.
23. Every control arm was...
23. Every control arm was gusseted for strength, so here the gusset was measured and cut.
24. Each gusset was shaped...
24. Each gusset was shaped and cleaned up before it was TIG-welded into place.
25. After all of the control...
25. After all of the control arms were built, they had to be attached to the new chassis. To do this, Aaron again used drilled and tapped 1-inch solid and built tabs to weld to the frame.
26. Once the tab placement...
26. Once the tab placement was measured and marked, each tab was then welded to the crossbar.
27. Next, the placement of...
27. Next, the placement of the control arm mount was measured and marked on the frame.
28. With the placement marked...
28. With the placement marked and triple checked for accuracy, each side was welded to the chassis.
29. The top control arms were...
29. The top control arms were bolted up.
30. Like we mentioned, the...
30. Like we mentioned, the spindles had to be modified. The lower mount holes were widened so they would accept the uniballs that Aaron used to get the amount of lift we were looking for.
31. A set of the front control...
31. A set of the front control arms. As you can see, this chassis is coming along beautifully.
32. Using his off-road experience,...
32. Using his off-road experience, Aaron is the first person to use uniballs on a slammed truck. They were previously only used on off-road trucks because they have 37 degrees of change from 90 to one side, while the average stock ball joint only has about 24 degrees. This also presented us with a huge advantage for getting the amount of lift we wanted.
33. With the addition of control...
33. With the addition of control arms and body mounts, our chassis is really coming to life. Be on the lookout as we continue to build a one-of-a-kind badass, body-draggin' daily perfectly suited for the trip to MT headquarters day after day.