extending radius arms

[stevelknievel]

this is probably a stupid question but has anyone done or seen a set of home fabbed extended radius arms for a late 70s solid axle d44 front end?

[300]

Yes but none ever looked very good. Basically added a thick walled section of pipe to the pin end of the arm and put a new pin out at the end of it. It would definitely decrease the strength of the overall part.

[stevelknievel]

thats what a friend of mine thought when he stopped by a few days ago but i also thought it would be a weak point, i was pondering whether or not someone may have had a better design, perhaps bending up a small truss to reinforce it.

[300]

Take a look at the version that West Coast Broncos does. We have only been able to bend one in 20,000 race miles when I had to veer off the highway into a ditch to miss a local that pulled in front of me. They use the original cast part that bolts around the axle and the rest is fabricated.

[kylesgorter]

I've seen it done with good success on a 69 f250. I'm fairly certain most arms were cast but I think the older ones were forged carbon steel. I'd verify that before modifying them.

If it were me, I'd make custom arms and pivots two piece design either two complete arms or a single larger arm with a short link. With this, you have tons more adjustability and you can cut down major on wheelbase change through the suspension cycle. Take a lot more know how in terms of geometry not to mention fabrication, but that would be my plan of attack. Good thing about arms like that is all you really need is some heavy wall tubing, bungs, and the pivots ( depending on specifics of design of course) so spare links could be carried easily. Difficult part is the setup and where the pivots would need to be. Might be too much work for some, but I think it would be very beneficial to the handling of the truck