Jeep Lower TJ Control Arm Brackets - Rustys Offroad

[@MR.3BK]

How much does it usually run to get this replaced in the shop I Hit the dunes hard yesterday and it’s been bent for awhile after I flipped it but It finally broke off And the arms just hanging

[@Jason_Phillips3679]

My passenger side lower control arm bracket bent on my 97 TJ bc I slide into a curb in the rain and it also messed up my alignment and now my steering wheel is way off.

[@blakes2649]

Good video thanks! I hit a tree with my jeep and bent one the brackets so I'm going to have them replaced. Anyways was wondering if you cared to share how much you think is a fair price to have both mounting brackets installed..?

[@AMetalWorks]

Honestly "what's fair" is hard to say. I would say $500+ is out of line. The thing you have to realize is that there is quite a few factors at play with pricing jobs like this. Liability is a big one. The other big one is that you'll most likely have to take it to a specialized vehicle fab shop if you don't know someone that you trust to weld them on as a side job. The fab shop might charge a premium to do work like this depending on the local market and how bad they need the work. The plus side to the fab shop is that they have an actual business that should stand behind their work. I didn't charge my customer anywhere near $500 but this is not my day job... Not sure how many people you have like me in your area but if you can find one that does good work and is professional about getting work done when they say they will. Hold on to that welder and treat him well lol. It's hard to find.

[@blakes2649]

Alvarez Metal Works Hey thanks a lot man that is all i needed to hear!

[@AMetalWorks]

Not a problem. Thanks for watching and the comment. Glad the video helped you out.

[@calebbitz5704]

What gauge are you using. Sorry didn't watch thoroughly. I have a Studebaker Avanti with a Dana 44 I need to welding my leaf spring brackets and radius rod brackets on a new unit. Wondering what type of welder I should use and gauge. I'm gonna practice a lot on scrap before I attempt.

[@Alex-in5dc]

Thank you for this video! Very informative. I’m going to do this job for a buddy of mine this week and I’m new to side jobs, I work full time in a fab shop. How much do you think I should charge..?

[@MR.3BK]

Hey man, not sure if you’re still active but my control arm bracket just broke loose yesterday and I’m looking for someone to do it and or an estimate for a 95 Zj

[@joshmayo5693]

just a question, where did you get the brackets from? and why didnt you just remove the axle all together to get better welds? Looks bad ass!

[@Upstate4x4]

The customer brought them to me. He got them rusty's offroad. I didn't removed the whole axle because that's a lot of unnecessary work that would have made this job muck more difficult.

[@AMetalWorks]

That response from Upstate4x4 is me. That's my other account I didn't realize I was logged into it when I responded to your comment.

[@joshmayo5693]

cool! thanks man! where are you located?

[@AMetalWorks]

I'm up here in Syracuse, NY

[@TheDiezeltruck]

are there control arm link brackets for 2005 Kia Sorento as mine need replacing.

[@Em6726]

Hi Rafa, where should I look to have control arm brackets on an F-150 welded? Do suspension shops do that? Or should I look to a body shop?

[@martinthompson1392]

Would this work on a dodge ram or just jeeps?

[@tobeybaranek4864]

what kind of welder did you use?

[@jake102293]

did you weld them straight or did you put them at an angle

[@AMetalWorks]

jake merrenger I did this along time ago so I don't remember for sure if they were angled mounts or straight mounts. I suspect they were straight. You mount them how they naturally sit against the axle tubes.

[@matth6762]

How did you get the alignment angle right ? Did you have any issues with the control arm going in the bracket straight ?

[@AMetalWorks]

The parts are laser cut and very accurate. As long as your axle tube is cleaned up properly it will sit perfectly on the tube. No I didn't have any issues with the arm lining up.

[@matth6762]

Thanks for the reply.

[@kevincheng4444]

thx for the video!!! I hit my wrangler and bent one of the bracket, so plan to buy one and find a place to weld it. Few questions for it, it is strong enough?and which brand are u using in the video and do u have other brand which u can recommend? I am in Toronto not US so, pretty hard to find a bracket like this.

[@christianlarose1203]

Great Job. i wonder how much someone should pay or get pay for a job like that ...

[@MrMrsregor]

can you still get the nuts off of the lower shock mount ?

[@AMetalWorks]

MrMrsregor yes

[@MrMrsregor]

thanks , nice looking welds too

[@AMetalWorks]

MrMrsregor thank you

[@Motokarts]

What settings did you put your welder at? What type of gas and wire? I have a hobart 140 and Im trying to see if I can do it on my own.

[@AMetalWorks]

+Motokarts Please do not take this the wrong way. I'm only saying this because if you attempt this job and mess up it could cost lives. Please do not attempt to do this job on your own. You asked me some pretty basic welding questions that make it clear that you are not knowledgeable enough to take on such a sensitive job. Spend some significant time welding with your machine on jobs that aren't high risk as far as structural reliability is concerned. Based on your questions I have to say that I feel you are way in over your head when it comes to doing this particular job. My advice to you is to search out the other welding channels that teach people how to weld. Start small. Learn your machine (they are all different). My settings are not going to be the same setting that you need for your machine. Get comfortable with welding and knowing what a good strong weld looks like before you attempt doing jobs like this. You have to understand that if this fails it's going to fail when you're driving the Jeep. You don't want to hurt yourself, anyone else on the road, or anyone that maybe riding with you. Trust me I completely understand wanting to cut the cost of having someone else do this work for you. I also completely understand the desire to want to do all the work on your cars yourself. However this is not the place to learn how to weld. A failure in your suspension could be deadly.

[@r.gallegos7205]

Thanks! My daughter ran into a light pole with her tire and bent her left side mount. Gotta replace it soon and this video was informative!! Thumbs up

[@edelgado1]

Hi Rafael. Did you weld those brackets with the Harbour Freight 90 Amp-AC, 120 Volt, Flux Cored Welder? By the way, Ive seen your 2 part video on the roof rack for the Jeep. You really killed it man. What a nice job! Im definitely use your videos for an old Cherokee XJ I purchased. Im retired and it will be my hobby. Thanks for sharing your skills.

[@AMetalWorks]

no i got rid of that thing years ago. It would never lay down a weld that looks like the ones on those brackets. I used an Everlast Power I-mig 200 for this job. Hell i used that welder for just about every job I've done a video on. save you money if you are thinking about buying the 90 amp and go look for a 200 amp welder from another manufacturer.

[@edelgado1]

Thanks. So the trick is 240v 200 amps? I gather Chicago Electric from Harbour Freight is a brand to stay away from?

[@AMetalWorks]

Yes that is really the best route as far as power goes. There are some dual voltage machines out there that are 200amp but they won't run that high on 110v. That maybe something you look into if you do not have 240v. That type of machine will grow with you when you can get the higher voltage power supply. And yes I would stay away from HF welders. you could get a much better machine by spending just a little bit more. It has nothing to do with them being a Chinese machine either. All three of my Everlast machines are Chinese made and they run great. Have been for years. You just have to find the better quality Chinese machines and you'll be very happy with it and the price point. Keep in mind the "American" manufactures are starting to sell lower cost machines to compete. If you're in the market to buy one make sure you do your research before you by to make sure you're getting the best bang for you buck. If you use it all the time it will pay for itself really quickly. Don't by into the "Made in America" hype though. All of these machines break down at some point. My thought process is to by the one that works well but is still cheap enough for it to pay for itself within a matter of months. This way if it breaks on me then it's not an issue because I'm ahead of the game. If I'm 3 grand deep into a welder and I'm new at welding it could be years before it pays for itself. The machine should pay for it's self before well before your warranty is over lol.

[@edelgado1]

Great advice. Thanks. I had the tendency to buy the HF 240V/200A. But judging by your beads Ill spend the extra few bucks. My Jeep needs floor work and I want to make the rack and bumpers. Also, I have a few proyects in mind like Vertical turbines for eolic power. Thanks again Rafael. Will keep looking at your vids.

[@joshreeves87]

how much should I average the cost of having two LCA mounts cut off and new ones rewelded on my TJ? thanks

[@colin24292429]

How much to ship me a set of em to Ontario Canada?

[@AMetalWorks]

I don't sell them. Contact Rusty's Offroad. I'm sure they can take care of that for you.

[@mrktna]

Rusty"s offroad is awesome!

[@fl420saltlife6]

my wj frame brackets is bent on my passenger side .what do i do ?

[@AMetalWorks]

You want to have someone look at it that knows what they are doing. Some bends aren't major issues. However you want to make sure there isn't any structual damage that could result in the mount ripping off the axle.

[@1970chevelle396]

The original brackets were real thin metal. The aftermarket ones look much better.

[@AMetalWorks]

Yup!

[@pantherpanzer6695]

and how about one for a 1997 Dodge Ram 2500?

[@mmiller1188]

The stock control arms are even thinner ...

[@AMetalWorks]

Yeah that's terrible...

[@mmiller1188]

Alvarez Metal Works the ones you did last year for me are still holding up. If i can ever get driveline issues sorted out I am going to get control arms that aren't stamped sheet metal haha

[@seahorse5677]

Axle mounts are supposed to break away. In a front end impact, if the mounts are stronger than the control arm, the frame will be destroyed. Control arm mounts are designed for safety on the road, not the trail.

[@AMetalWorks]

Not true but I don't have time to argue with you about it. People will believe what they want to believe.

[@FilmJunkieOutdoors]

@@AMetalWorks why??? bc i’m going through this with my tj wrangler right now and i don’t know what to do. litterally sitting rn. i’m guesssing i’m going to get these rusty’s ones but do i take this to a body shop? or do i do this myself lol i’m 23 but pretty handy. never welded before though

[@carllarsen6234]

Good work on the video. Simple, and informative..

[@christophermichaelson9050]

Great video, but I'm surprised that you used continuous beads on the axle tubes. It's best to do 1/2" to 3/4" beads, on alternate sides of the bracket, and let the work area cool in between. Otherwise, you risk warpage.

[@AMetalWorks]

These welds aren't long enough for that to be an issue. Also 1/2" to 3/4" beads are way to short for this sort of structural part. The weakest part of a weld is the start of the bead and the end of the bead. By starting and stopping with beads that short you run the risk of cracks developing in the weld. And let's not forget the spring perches are supporting the axle tubes and will help to prevent that area from warping.

[@Bottle.fed_RT]

do u think these brackets could be stick welded?

[@AMetalWorks]

yes

[@kevincheng4444]

thx again