Control arm boxing plates

[JeffBoudah]

In the processes of building my own car I designed and laser cut plates to box my rear control arms. I can get more cut at anytime.

Pictures are my welded prototypes, and the finished design. Material is 12ga. 1018 Cold Rolled. The bend lines are also etched for ease of fabrication.

$25 + $10 Shipping

[Mr.Blue]

Looks good

[knucklehead0202]

Very nice! Are there absolutely NO aftermarket control arms that fit the boxes? Just wondering. How much would a set of these plates cost?

[JeffBoudah]

Yes, aside from the ES poly bushings there is nothing aftermarket for us. This is a DIY thing, you'll need a welder, and some fab skills. I plan to offer the plates only, pulling junkyard parts and selling finish welded arms is just assuming too much liability on my end IMO.

Plates are $25 + shipping. (I've shipped a few sets already with usps, it was $10)

[HiFiMerc]

I might have to swing by and pick up a set sometime.

[JeffBoudah]

There's a $20 handling charge especially for you... j/k

I'm heading up north for some backpacking this weekend, but free the next few. You can use my welder if you want, ever TIG before?

[pantera77]

Are there absolutely NO aftermarket control arms that fit the boxes? Just wondering. How much would a set of these plates cost?

Some company used to make rear arms for 92-97's which would fit (you'd have to modify the lower arm to fit a bar rear sway bar or make an aero bar work) but I don't think they've made them in a while.


I received my plates today and they look great. Someday I might have a car together enough to install them on.

[JeffBoudah]

I received my plates today and they look great. Someday I might have a car together enough to install them on.

Glad you like them, now get to work!

[HiFiMerc]

There's a $20 handling charge especially for you... j/k

I'm heading up north for some backpacking this weekend, but free the next few. You can use my welder if you want, ever TIG before?

No, but I happen to work at a metal fab shop where my dad is a welder. He could probably weld them up on his break or something.
They would look nice TIG welded. Then hung on the powder line for a nice finish. Ooooh yeah.

[Grand Marquis GT]

I just got mine, and they are beautiful!

Thanks again. And my son loves them too!

[His Royal Ghostliness]

I just got mine, and they are beautiful!

Thanks again. And my son loves them too!

Other than looking good they are also well designed! Notice they don't have continuous weld seams from one end to the other - full-length welds would make them even stiffer torsionally, but also more prone to cracking, and with one continuous weld once a crack starts there is nothing to stop it from spreading from one end to the other. On the other hand when parts are stitched like this, even if one section of the weld is to crack the crack will only run thru that section of the weld, and the rest of the part will remain structurally intact (for a while at least, eventually other areas will crack as well, but considering the application here likely not in the lifetime of the car). And there is also the matter of draining water and other liquid stuff that can find its way there - more gaps mean less moisture retention and thus less likelihood of rust rooting in and eating the arms from the inside out.

One tip for folks with rear sway bars - before you weld these on, tack the spacers for the swaybar bolts to the control arm walls, and do so with bolts on place and torqued down. Then when you add the stiffener plates the spacers won't move on you while swaybar is removed.

Also the price is great, this is less than 1/3 hour labor at most fabrication outfits, and you absolutely cannot DIY-fab something like that at home in less than an hour, no way!

P.S. - not affiliated with the seller in any way, never even met the guy and likely never will, but I do play with custom-made stuff sometimes and I am painfully well aware how long and what efforts even seemingly simple projects can actually take when the starts aren't aligned just right

[JeffBoudah]

Glad you and your son like them Tom.

And thanks for the compliments all, I do all sorts of fun laser cut stuff on the side. I just have a cad package and a reasonably priced supplier that doesn't mind doing small setups for the average joe.

For spacers, I actually opened the holes and fully welded a thicker tube across on my proto arms. The cut outs in the finished arms line up with the holes in the arms, and should be big enough to install the spacers. (i didn't have any, so the size of the cut outs were a guesstimate)

I would recommend dropping them in before you weld them up too. For the uppers, having a spare bushing is a must to maintain the proper spread on the axle housing side.

You can see some of my other laser cut projects on my FB page. www.facebook.com/hexstoves

[Cmasucci]

Jeff, tried to send you a PM, but don't know if it was sent. Would like to purchase a set of these. How does one pay?

[JeffBoudah]

PM replied. I do take paypal.

[knucklehead0202]

PM sent!