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.
TECH TIP: For 'bag placement, we need to know two important measurements: half of the overall tire diameter and wheel center when the truck is laid out. A fully deflated 'bag is 3 inches plus a 1/4-inch safety. So, to set up our truck to run 18s, we bolted the top of the 'bag plate on the 'bag, jacked up the truck, and set the 'bag between the frame and the lower control arm to know how much room we needed to lay out completely. Then we can measure wheel center on the hub to ensure we're laying out with our desired wheel/tire combo. See steps 15-17.
13. The upper arm was bolted...
13. The upper arm was bolted up, and the lower control arm mount was capped.
14. Because the new upper...
14. Because the new upper control-arm mount moved up an inch, the control arm had to be notched to clear the steering.
15. After the suspension...
15. After the suspension had been moved up, new measurements were taken for two reasons: first, to ensure that everything still lines up and cycles correctly, and, second, to measure where to place the 'bag mounts.
16. Following our tech tip,...
16. Following our tech tip, we tacked the AVS upper 'bag mount in and jacked up the truck.
17. We needed at least another...
17. We needed at least another 1/2 inch to lay out, so we marked the area on the lower control arm that we would plate as our lower 'bag mount. Mounting the upper bag bracket under the frame instead of on the side allows us more lift, and because this truck will eventually be body-dropped, we'll take all the lift we can get!
18. After our lower arm was...
18. After our lower arm was marked, we cut out the unneeded section and played a quick game of control arm scrap Frisbee. Yeah, it's getting late, but don't worry, we're almost done.
19. After cutting up ourselves...
19. After cutting up ourselves from the Frisbee game, it was back to work making our new arm section. First thing to do was make a template.
20. Next, we traced the template...
20. Next, we traced the template to our plate and cut out our desired shape.
21. All of our edges were...
21. All of our edges were cleaned up and smoothed out.
22. Our new lower 'bag mount...
22. Our new lower 'bag mount was fully welded to plate the lower control arm. Inserting this plate lower into the arm also helps us get more lift.
23. After the plate was welded...
23. After the plate was welded in place, our grinder quickly smoothed out our canvas.
24. After we bolted in the...
24. After we bolted in the lower arm, we tested the 'bag placement one more time and then fully welded our top AVS 'bag mount into place.
25. A common mistake is not...
25. A common mistake is not using proper gussets for the upper 'bag mount. AVS also stocks a full line of laser-cut gussets to take the guesswork out of 'bagging the front end. With everything welded into place, the whole front end was taped off and sprayed with a heavy-duty black to keep away the rust.
26. With the addition of...
26. With the addition of shocks and the AVS Contitech 'bags, you can see how clean everything turned out. You can also see how much lift is achieved: We actually clear the tire by almost 5 inches! Stay tuned as we put the finishing touches on this daily.