This weekend, we decided to finally tackle the front setup. We chose to go a more non-conventional route and rather than Z-ing the frame (cutting off the frame in front of the firewall and moving it up) to clear the trouble crossmembers, we tweaked the suspension.
Because ultimately this truck will be body-dropped and we want to keep a stock hood, Bobby at Sadistic Iron Werks decided to section the lower control-arm mount. To keep the suspension geometry intact, a new upper arm mount was built. Yes, the steering is affected by doing it this way, but that's nothing that can't be handled with a few Heim joints and steering spacers. So, for now, we'll show you how we laid this truck flat on the frame (suspension-wise), and we'll save the steering for another day. For more information, contact the companies in the source box.
BEFORE What we started with...
BEFORE
What we started with Saturday
AFTER What we ended up with...
AFTER
What we ended up with Sunday
1. We began by taking exact...
1. We began by taking exact measurements of the stock control-arm placement. We measured forward, rearward, depth, and center to ensure exact placement when we build our new mounts.
2. After drawing a quick...
2. After drawing a quick reference of exactly what we we're working with, it was time to get to the fun stuff: cutting!
3. With our trusty plasma...
3. With our trusty plasma cutter, we quickly made waste of our stock mounts.
4. With everything out of...
4. With everything out of the way, we moved to the lower control arm. We'll be sectioning an inch out of the mount. And to kill two birds with one cut, we also measured to cut out the front section of the mount to make room for our upper AVS 'bag plate.
5. Here's the front section...
5. Here's the front section removed to make room for the AVS 'bag plate.
6. Next, we cut off the lower...
6. Next, we cut off the lower arm mount to section an inch from it.
7. Using inch-wide tape helped...
7. Using inch-wide tape helped us cut both sides exactly the same, and we quickly welded the mounts back in place with exactly one more inch of ground clearance.
8. Moving back to the upper...
8. Moving back to the upper arm mount for now, we used our stock measurements to cut our new upper mounts. Not only will this help us move the upper control arms up one inch, it also looks much better than the factory mount.
9. A digital-read caliper...
9. A digital-read caliper takes all of the guesswork out of making sure both sides remain dead-on to factory specs.
10. We measured and welded...
10. We measured and welded new nuts for the control arms to mount to and rounded the edges to clean everything up. Then we could position the upper mount back to the stock location.
11. Once exact, the new mount...
11. Once exact, the new mount was welded all the way around and gusseted for strength.
12. And just like that, our...
12. And just like that, our new upper control-arm mounts gave us that much needed inch of ground clearance.