this week i started and finished my upper control arms from opentracker. i bought the DIY roller kit from him, and here are some pics of the processes i went through.
i had some low-mile upper control arms from the shop from a car that wanted new ones. i removed the shaft, ball joint, and sandblasted them to bare metal.
i went to lowes and bought some 1-1/4" washers with 1/4" hole, and a 2" holesaw.
the washers i welded onto the control arm to serve as pilot holes for my holesaw:
View attachment 298331
i then used the hole saw and cut out all of the holes on both arms. i found that using wd-40 helped cut it a little easier, plus it protects from burning out the hole saw:
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View attachment 298334
i used a round file to clean up the edges. i then placed the shaft, journals, and bearings as a test fit:
View attachment 298336
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i forgot my camera when i took them to the shop for welding, but here are the finished pics of it primered and painted:
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i put a pretty thick weld on both the inner and outer sides of the journal. it was a little tough to find an equilibrium of speed for the weld to prevent severe warping/melting on the inside of the journal. i had to use a die grinder with a sanding wheel attachment to clean out the inside on the journals to get the bearings to fit smoothly, but it didn't take much. i put a thin film of bearing grease on the outside surface of each bearing, plus the inside hole and the edge to prevent siezing/rust in the future. i put one side in first, then slid the shaft in, then put the remaining bearings in. tightened the two nuts down, and voila! DIY upper control arms from opentracker!
i had some low-mile upper control arms from the shop from a car that wanted new ones. i removed the shaft, ball joint, and sandblasted them to bare metal.
i went to lowes and bought some 1-1/4" washers with 1/4" hole, and a 2" holesaw.
the washers i welded onto the control arm to serve as pilot holes for my holesaw:
View attachment 298331
i then used the hole saw and cut out all of the holes on both arms. i found that using wd-40 helped cut it a little easier, plus it protects from burning out the hole saw:
View attachment 298333
View attachment 298334
i used a round file to clean up the edges. i then placed the shaft, journals, and bearings as a test fit:
View attachment 298336
View attachment 298337
View attachment 298338
i forgot my camera when i took them to the shop for welding, but here are the finished pics of it primered and painted:
View attachment 298340
View attachment 298341
View attachment 298343
i put a pretty thick weld on both the inner and outer sides of the journal. it was a little tough to find an equilibrium of speed for the weld to prevent severe warping/melting on the inside of the journal. i had to use a die grinder with a sanding wheel attachment to clean out the inside on the journals to get the bearings to fit smoothly, but it didn't take much. i put a thin film of bearing grease on the outside surface of each bearing, plus the inside hole and the edge to prevent siezing/rust in the future. i put one side in first, then slid the shaft in, then put the remaining bearings in. tightened the two nuts down, and voila! DIY upper control arms from opentracker!