I finished the front suspension A-arms...Well, for the second time. To see the video ->
Click HereI tried to modify and reuse the Raptor's A-arms, but my measurements and calculations were wrong for how far the ball joints would articulate. The resulting A-arms had very little movement in the compression part of the cycle. That would have surly caused major damage the first time I hit a big bump. So back to the drawing board to redesign and re-fabricate all 4 A-arms.
Attachment:
First A-arm ball joints small.jpg
I found a set of Raptor ball joints on eBay that are for building custom A-arms. This time I set my ride height at nominal of 125mm (5") and rotated the ball joint in their neutral position. Then I built the custom A-arms with a curve to match the ball joint position. That ensured maximum articulation in both compression and drupe.
Attachment:
Rebuilt A-arms small.jpg
I was able to reuse the Raptors suspension bushings/bearings, brackets, and grease in the top A-arm. The upper A-arms will have about the same force on them so the bushings/bearings should be plenty strong.
The lower A-arm will carry the spring load, so they need to be much stronger. I used 4-link bushings/bearings from Energy Suspension (PN 9.9105) to carry the load.
Attachment:
Upper A-arm bushings small.jpg
I got plenty of use from the A-arm jigs I made
I now have about 90mm (3.5") of suspension travel in both compression and drupe.