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boxing in EA82 control arms


92loyale59
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I have heard of people reinforcing the front control arems on ea82 cars befor so i picked up another set si i can beef them up . I was just tring to find some photos of some that have been but u havent had any luck . If someone could post a picture or two of them i would really appreciate it.. Thanks

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If you have to ask, your probably not ready. lol

 

You really need to be some hardcore spoob to add that to the mix. If you are not ready for another fuse. then i would suggest wheeling it until you need that.

k

Edited by monstaru
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........not the answer i was looking for. I am lifting my car more and am replacing the bushings in a extra set of controlarms i have i dont see why not to beef them up so i dont bend one off road . Does any one have some reak advice on what to do . I have a pretty good idea just eanted a image and maybe some first hand experience on how well they worked. Thanks

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I believe what is trying to be conveyed here is a general demonstration of murphys law. Right now the control arms bend as a "fuse". If you beef them up, and by all means look at the welds they come with, something else will bend/brake. Its a cyclical system, same reason you cant drop a 300 hp engine in a stock geo and expect it to live.

 

 

enough babble, just weld the entire seam, its pretty self explanatory. I dont see much else you can do

Edited by Subruise
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Okay sweet thanks that as was my initial thought I just am more of a visual learner so I thought I'd see if anyone had a picture of one Bent so I could see were the week spot was so i can beefed up so I could see

Okay sweet thanks that as was my initial thought I just am more of a visual learner so I thought I'd see if anyone had a picture of one Bent so I could see were the week spot was or a beefed up so I could see

Edited by 92loyale59
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Jeff (one eye) tore one of his in half right at this joint.

 

i0cQlHP.jpg

 

If you beef one up to much you will just end up ripping the mount off the cross member,  beef up the mount, tear off the radius rod, beef up the radius rod and mount, then you will just tear off the knuckle.  It never ends haha.

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Jeff (one eye) tore one of his in half right at this joint.

 

i0cQlHP.jpg

 

If you beef one up to much you will just end up ripping the mount off the cross member,  beef up the mount, tear off the radius rod, beef up the radius rod and mount, then you will just tear off the knuckle.  It never ends haha.

BS.At each level you said it takes more and more force to mess up something higher up the fuse chain.With the wheeling a moderate subaru can do,assuming your not a total knob off road you wont break/bend things after you upgrade stuff.

 

My hatch had beefed up radius rods and stock control arms and they held up fine.even after my hatch fell of my trailer at 55 MPH and centerpunched a tree the control arm mounts were not messed up.The entire crossmember was pushed back but the mounts were still more or less fine.The struts were bent to hell,so was the strut towers,and even the steering rack.If your paying attention to your driving offroad there is no way you can cause that much damage to go up several steps of the fuse ladder.

 

If you beef up the control arms you will not bend the mounts unless you let it change your driving style.If you are slow and timid before adding beef,then go full throttle after beefing up parts then anything can happen,but if you still drive the way you did before, the "fuse" gets ironed out so you can go further between breakages.

 

beefing up one part causes more stress to another part true,but the amount of force and effort it takes to bend a stock control arm, compared to bending a reinforced radius rod is significantly higher.Its like hitting a curb at 5 MPH vs 20 mph.

 

If your bending control arms now beefing them up will help,but better driving will help even more.

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BS.At each level you said it takes more and more force to mess up something higher up the fuse chain.With the wheeling a moderate subaru can do,assuming your not a total knob off road you wont break/bend things after you upgrade stuff.

 

My hatch had beefed up radius rods and stock control arms and they held up fine.even after my hatch fell of my trailer at 55 MPH and centerpunched a tree the control arm mounts were not messed up.The entire crossmember was pushed back but the mounts were still more or less fine.The struts were bent to hell,so was the strut towers,and even the steering rack.If your paying attention to your driving offroad there is no way you can cause that much damage to go up several steps of the fuse ladder.

 

If you beef up the control arms you will not bend the mounts unless you let it change your driving style.If you are slow and timid before adding beef,then go full throttle after beefing up parts then anything can happen,but if you still drive the way you did before, the "fuse" gets ironed out so you can go further between breakages.

 

beefing up one part causes more stress to another part true,but the amount of force and effort it takes to bend a stock control arm, compared to bending a reinforced radius rod is significantly higher.Its like hitting a curb at 5 MPH vs 20 mph.

 

If your bending control arms now beefing them up will help,but better driving will help even more.

 

 

Sweet just what i was looking along with the photo!thanks. I dont already bend control arms i just thought it would be a great modifacation since i am going way bigger tires. It wont affect the way i drive . I agree with ubaroo that it would take way more force to bend the other parts of the car after reinforcing the control arm . I will try to get a picture up as soon as im done with the control arms . Thanks everyone

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The point is,  you need more experience to tell you where your weak spots are. People break axles in different spots all the time. Not everyone is going to break/bend the control arm in the same spot.  Beefing up to much moves your fuse from one spot to the next. Period.

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 If your paying attention to your driving offroad there is no way you can cause that much damage to go up several steps of the fuse ladder.

 

If your bending control arms now beefing them up will help,but better driving will help even more.

:huh::rolleyes:

 

Dude calm down.  I was just making a suggestion of what could happen as you upgrade each part.  This is a pretty safe mod that will add a little strength but isn't going to mean you will never have any issues.  I have been wheeling with the NW Washington Offroad group for a few years now and Jeff has been the only one to ruin one in that time.  You are usually ok without, but it couldn't hurt.

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  • 4 weeks later...

I never had an issue with control arms but I sure banana'd a few radius rods and I caved and tore the firewall/floorpan junction where the radius rod bracket mounts.My lift blocks weren't linked to each other so the additional leverage caused the body to fail. The radius rods and their mounts to the body are where upgrade efforts should be directed.

 

I'd much rather the stock control arm twist when a radius rod bends rather than a rigid boxed arm shearing at the bushing end if a rod bends.

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I never had an issue with control arms but I sure banana'd a few radius rods and I caved and tore the firewall/floorpan junction where the radius rod bracket mounts.My lift blocks weren't linked to each other so the additional leverage caused the body to fail. The radius rods and their mounts to the body are where upgrade efforts should be directed.

 

I'd much rather the stock control arm twist when a radius rod bends rather than a rigid boxed arm shearing at the bushing end if a rod bends.

+1

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  • 2 weeks later...

What tyre size are we talking here?  33's?

 

I've seen a radius rod bent with a 3 inch lift and 27s - but that was due to "over enthusiastic" driving - and I mean REALLY over enthusiastic!

I've been offroading my 3 inch lifted L with 27s for years now without issue, I've never considered the control arm to be an issue.  Take things easy and you'll be fine.  Drive like you're in the Dakar and you'll be in all sorts IMO ;)

Cheers

Bennie

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