best/easiest way to reinforce LCA mounts

The dana turdy axle end LCA mounts.

I have heard of these things tearing off to much.

I have some square pieces of plate I was going to slip in to tie the two pieces together and tie it to the tube, like the red outlines in the pic. It would also serve as more of a ramp.

yesterday my freinds grand cherokee got some bad DWs. so when i checked it out today both of his lower axle mount control arm brackets were ripped half the way off and bent up. we plan on getting a new set from rubicon express and welding those on. he also ripped the frame end track bar mount off the frame.

Here's my next hack job,







I made it out of my bumper tubing, I can send you a chunk by the Rob express. It's 3x6x.188

Mine will still sit under the axle, but not quite as far. They will also be drilled about .5" to 1" further away.

The LCA axle mounts are welded to the axle tubes on just one side, the outside. The easiest and best way to keep them from ever tearing off is to weld a bead on the inside. A plate across the front can be a good idea, but not necessary to keep them attached, and I would still weld the inside of the mounts.

I bent one of mine up a while ago so I ordered Rusty's LCA brackets and had those welded on. They're quite a bit thicker than the originals and I haven't had a problem since.

Would a set of LCA skids prevent this from happening if they were installed before any damage?

Yes they would help (Kevin's parts has the best deal), and to what Goatman said, put a bead on the inner portion of the OEM mount.

I think relocating them, like the rear shcok mounts, so they can't get hit if they are not hanging there.

Gary E said:

The dana turdy axle end LCA mounts.

I have heard of these things tearing off to much.

I have some square pieces of plate I was going to slip in to tie the two pieces together and tie it to the tube, like the red outlines in the pic. It would also serve as more of a ramp.

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The problem with that small piece is that your LCA is still unprotected. Over constant abuseyour bolt holes will get egged shaped when you LCA's hit something, but then you have those HUGE 35's maybe you won't be hitting stuff as much,

After bending one a few years back, I simply welded a piece of 4"x 4" x 1/4" plate to the bottom of each for reinforcement. This provides added strength to the mount and a ramped skid as well. I've whacked them pretty hard since, no problems.

The skid's like Kevin's attach only to the factory bracket, but the ORGS & AFM 4x4 style also weld up to the axle tube itself.

Ronbo said:

The skid's like Kevin's attach only to the factory bracket, but the ORGS & AFM 4x4 style also weld up to the axle tube itself.

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I bought a set of SkidRow LCA skids. They also attach to the tube, but with u-bolts.

Re: Re: best/easiest way to reinforce LCA mounts

XJCHUCK72 said:

The problem with that small piece is that your LCA is still unprotected. Over constant abuseyour bolt holes will get egged shaped when you LCA's hit something, but then you have those HUGE 35's maybe you won't be hitting stuff as much,

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I don't think so. Let's not over analyze this situation, we have someone who has asked a very good question, about something that should be done by anyone who wheels an XJ. The fix is easy, weld the inside. There is more that can be done, but isn't necessary, to protect the mounts. I wheel as hard as anyone here, and that's all I've ever done, with no problems. It also can be a good idea to put a skid on the front IF you want to.

You don't need to protect the control arm, it can take more abuse than the mount. You also won't egg out the holes unless you run with the bolts loose, and it will clank so bad that anyone would stop and tighten them up. Let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill.

Re: Re: Re: best/easiest way to reinforce LCA mounts

Goatman said:

I don't think so. Let's not over analyze this situation, we have someone who has asked a very good question, about something that should be done by anyone who wheels an XJ. The fix is easy, weld the inside. There is more that can be done, but isn't necessary, to protect the mounts. I wheel as hard as anyone here, and that's all I've ever done, with no problems. It also can be a good idea to put a skid on the front IF you want to.

You don't need to protect the control arm, it can take more abuse than the mount. You also won't egg out the holes unless you run with the bolts loose, and it will clank so bad that anyone would stop and tighten them up. Let's not make a mountain out of a mole hill.

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Thats wonderful and all, but it's up to the original poster to decide what theyare or what they are not going to do. If you read the title, best/easiest, you clearly have demonstrated the easiest and I agree with your opinion, as far as the best I do not.

I truely feel if you have battered your LCA mounts, they need to be replaced or at least well fortified. I know Garry has probably batter his up pretty well, as you know. He also has the skills tools ect.. to fab up just about anything he wants.

I have seen the abuse on the ones on my XJ, maybe my driving skills suck or I didn't get a spotter all the time, my LCA's are torn up, and no matter how much I tighten them, they come loose. The thicker material with a good lock nut or something like that will prevent this.

With that said, this forum is for idea's, not necesarily a debate on the best solution, because ultimately the originator will decide what they are cabable of doing. BTW Richard I used your pics for reference in making my LCA mounts, thanks for your hard work, it is well appreciated.

I think I will just install those plates I allready have made and call it good. I will also try to weld to the inside some also, but I probably won't go as far as to take the CAs out. The plates will tie the two sides together and tie them to the axle tube as well as providing a little ramp or skid.

I am sure Richard has seen many tear the welds and its probably the most common failure, but it looks like in this post that the metal tore not the welds.

http://jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=405225&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Who saw this one in person what broke the welds or the metal?

Gary E said:

I think I will just install those plates I allready have made and call it good. I will also try to weld to the inside some also, but I probably won't go as far as to take the CAs out. The plates will tie the two sides together and tie them to the axle tube as well as providing a little ramp or skid.

I am sure Richard has seen many tear the welds and its probably the most common failure, but it looks like in this post that the metal tore not the welds.

http://jeepsunlimited.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=405225&perpage=20&pagenumber=1

Who saw this one in person what broke the welds or the metal?

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Gary,
I saw that one, and they did tear the welds. Crash welded it up for them. I've seen a bunch of them rip off, and it's always at the weld. It will start cracking through the weld from the edge of the mount and the crack will gradually get longer until the mount rips off. Anyone who has not reinforced those mounts should inspect them regularly and look for cracks that have started. The plates you're talking about will work fine, just be sure to weld the top of that small plate to the axle tube if you don't want to drop the control arm and weld the inside of the mount. I don't remember if I've ever seen them tear off from the back, but it's likely that they will come off from the front.

Chuck,

Not a problem.....you make a good point. I think I responded to a tendancy that I've seen happen more and more often on this forum, and that is advising people with a much more involved solution than is really necessary. I guess the difference is implying "you need to" rather than "you could also". There are all kinds of 4x4 rigs running around with unprotected control arms, including all those modified CJ's and YJ's with link suspensions, and about every buggy out there. So, I think skid plates are nice, but not necessary. I also think that if you have trouble keeping the bolts tight, you have a different problem, and that is easily the reason for the holes wallowing out some. Get a longer breaker bar...

I have the ORGS MiniSkids and I think they are the best. For the $20-30 why waste your time with anything else.

I went with the ORGS mini-skids after my bracket tore off. I think 2 years of 'wheeling with rubber bushings in the control arms, as well as many "Mr. Rock meet Mr. LCA Mount" incidents took their toll. I now have articulating arms and am hopefully a better driver.