What are the options for extended raduis arms.
I really don't wanna buy some.
are the stock ones cast? Can the be welded on? As in can I custom make my own extended arms?

I had an idea of completly redesigning it with a single tube from the frame to the bottom of the axle and a tube triangulating around the axle. To the top. In theory recreating what ford did but full tubular and having the options with heims.
this results in the problem of coil mounting and how one would do that. It would work great with coilovers but this is a build on a budget.
Btw this is a shortbed f100 4x4 not a bronco but the front ends are identical

 

Have you looked at the James Duff Bronco parts site. Your idea seems to match their drop arms.

 

ol days a threaded rod wuz added on the frame end. The rule was "10'n 10".
@ 10 inches (frm the axel) a 10* bend wuz added. The bend allows tires to turn w/o rubbin the A-arms.
The length of the extension (2 add more articulation) remains unknown 2 me.
Lemmie know if U find out - there must B a limit. I assume it's coordinated with lift hight & other impending mods?
A torch to heat the cast metal & a press or sledge created the bend. Don't 4get to forge weld if adding length becuz it's cast metal.
What's the application of vehicle?

 

I believe that the arms are forged. Could be wrong, but that's what I remember.

If it's a budget build, what exactly is the reason for the longer arms in the first place?
Most fabbed up arms do run into the problem you were talking about, of how to mount the coils again.
You could design a base spring cup around the later style ('80 to '96) coils with smaller diameter lower clamped in perhaps. Would possibly allow more movement as it's more "pivot friendly" I believe.

I can understand not wanting to buy any, as they're all very expensive. It's why we stopped making our own in fact. They were just too labor intensive to sell for a profit.
We've made "Lars Bars" many times locally, but that's easy since we can just borrow the jig (sometimes), have a few tubes bent up, buy the joints and the radius arm brackets from Ruff Stuff or that other place in San Luis Obispo, CA (I forget the name of the company, but can remember the city!) that are nice and pretty inexpensive.

But that leads back to what are you trying to achieve? The stock ones work well, would contribute to more stability on the road, and only cost you a little wheel travel overall.
Yes the longer ones let your suspension move farther with more ease, but if that extra inch of wheel travel is not really going to benefit your full-size, it might not be worth the trouble in the end.

Although.... They do look cool!

Good luck.

Paul

 

"...What's the application of vehicle?..."
/OR/
"... what exactly is the reason for the longer arms in the first place?..."
&
"...leads back to what are you trying to achieve?..."

w/autos (or any change to a System) the Q is all ways 'application'. A change in 1 place effects the rest of the System. There may B other important or cheeper or...methods to achieve ur 'ends'.

Keep talkin!

 

So I've got some recent experience with this. I've been trying to get more flex out of the front, but I'm also a cheap a$$ and don't want to spend $800+ for long arms and still have to deal with C-bushings. For not much more you could do a 3-link from Ruff Stuff.

Still more than I wanted to pay right now, so I looked at their DIY Universal Radius / Long Arm Kit. Exactly what you already had in mind, but what do you do with the coils? So I sent them an email asking if they consider making something like this to work with coils. Here's their response:

This sounds very promising and I just saw that they've rolled out some new products, so maybe this has moved up on the list.

So you could wait and see what they come up with or make yourself a set of Lars Bars like Paul mentioned (and yes, the stock arms are forged, not cast). That's what I just got done with and probably cost around $200.

 

my proceedure was used by (I think it was) K bar S (NM or AZ now outta business @ mid 90s) and BCBnonks. If I wanted longer arms I'd get the frame end bracket frm WH (think they had the best), the C bushings are cheep, & mod my own as per the 10/10.

Good Luck, thnx 4 ur help over the yrs

 

My Lars Bars are done.

This is before cutting about 3" off the 3' tube I bought. I only went 10" longer than stock.


These are the finished product.

 

WoW, that wuz quick!
Heard alot bout these a few yrs ago (I don't keep up very well).

What's the advantage over stock?
What particular other mods (ie duz it hafta have 4 inches of lift or more. must U use specific frame mounts, tires, etc)?

Thnx as usuall, Darrin!

 

I've been working on these since August.

 

looks done now!

"What's the advantage over stock?

What particular other mods (ie duz it hafta have 4 inches of lift or more. must U use specific frame mounts, tires, etc) R needed for this installation?"

 

Same advantage ad any other long arms, more flex. You don't need to have any lift but long arms aren't really needed on a stock Bronco. For the frame mount, any chassis link mount that fits with whatever heim link you get is what you need. I used 1.25" heims with 2" x .25" DOM.