lower control arm clearance

[voodoopig]

I just finished up a 4-6” drop on my 96 sierra and found my front wheels don’t clear my lower control arms, I have 15x8 torque thrusts on 225/70/15’s

Any idea on how to fix this beside buying bigger wheels?....thx

 

[TacosnBeer]

You have 2 choices, bigger wheels or if you have room, spacers but, I'd go with bigger wheels. Drop spindles often cause interference with 15" rims depending on the backspacing.

 

[voodoopig]

You have 2 choices, bigger wheels or if you have room, spacers but, I'd go with bigger wheels. Drop spindles often cause interference with 15" rims depending on the backspacing.

thanks for the reply, I do plan on getting bigger wheels but that won't happen until october....i did find a post where someone had cut the "gutters" from their lower control arms to clear their rims, i'm gonna try that for now, I do plan on going to tubular control arms later on so trimming these is no big deal....i just want to get my ride on the rode....thx

 

[TacosnBeer]

the gutters are there for strength... no gutters, no strength. I wouldn't suggest any Dukes of Hazard action.

 

[someotherguy]

the gutters are there for strength... no gutters, no strength. I wouldn't suggest any Dukes of Hazard action.

While I do agree with you, trimming the gutters is the accepted means of making clearance for stock size wheels. BellTech even has (had?) pre-stamped A-shaped gusset type pieces you could buy to weld in after trimming the gutters. Never seen anybody use them, though. I guess anybody with enough skills to weld in those gussets could also make their own a lot easier than buying some.

My '92 ECLB had trimmed gutters and I showed that truck no mercy. When I rebuilt the front end around 225K I replaced the control arms with un-trimmed boneyard pieces, but only because it was easier to press those bushings out and the new ones in (urethane, so I needed to re-use the OEM sleeves), and also the new ball joints, and have them ready to install to minimize my downtime. By then I was already running 20's so I no longer needed the trimmed arms that the original 15's required.

Richard

 

[sewlow]

Both of my trucks have had the LCAs trimmed for many years. Over 26 years between the 2 of them
I've driven the snot outa both of them. Throwing them through the twisties, I'm the last guy on the brakes, the first on the gas.
I wear out the outer edges of my front tires way before the rest of the tire is worn out. I kill shocks.
How do you know where the limit is, if you don't go out and find it?
Nothing better than a Sunday afternoon of blasting through the kick-ass mountain & canyon backroads around here. At speed. Looking for the perfect downshift, that perfect apex, & then mashing the skinny pedal sooner than the next guy.
Canada, here, so limits (? Suggestions!) are posted in Euro-****** metric. I'll either try to double up on the posted speed, (30kmh corners @ 60kmh) or read them as MPH. (80kmh (50mph) = 80mph.)
If there's any type of weakness in a vehicle with the drivetrain or suspension components, I'll find it.
The trimmed LCAs has not been one of them.
On my black truck, I'd inspect the LCAs everytime I serviced it over the first few years after they were done. That truck's LCAs have been done for over 17 years now.
They've never shown a problem with any type of spreading, bending or cracking. Even with all the B.S I've put them through.

 

[TacosnBeer]

You guys are absolutely correct... trimming the gutters is a common practice but, I just don't do things that way... I'd rather spend the money and do it right the first time and not sweat it. That's just me - Once I reused a set a ubolts in my slammed b2200 back in the day....Rollin down I-10 in Florida (****** road back in the day) I hit a rough patch and snapped 1 going 70mph... truck did the hula into a 180 before I could get it to stop. Scared the **** out of me... lesson learned.

 

[sewlow]

Just my POV, but I'd clearance the LCAs long before I'd run spacers.

 

[retorq]

I clearanced mine years ago before I got 17 inch rims. Those lower arms are super thick, you aren't compromising the integrity of anything. Grind away ...

 

[voodoopig]

I clearanced mine years ago before I got 17 inch rims. Those lower arms are super thick, you aren't compromising the integrity of anything. Grind away ...

i spent all day grinding and cutting and just when i thought i took off enough i put my tire back on and checked the clearance, it looked like had trimmed enough to clear the rim but after a short test drive it still rubs on a hard right turns....back at it this coming saturday...it's not gonna be fun expecting temps this coming weekend is 110 degrees