For those that have used either the DJM or Western Chassis Control arms... hows the quality? I know RobG used the WC Control Arms and loved em... Has anyone used the DJM Control Arms? It says you need to reuse the factory ball joints, as with the Western Chassis ones you don't need to... Anyone have any input?

-Mike

P.S. SpeedJunky could ya chime in? Im going with the DJM Flip Kit, and I know you have that in your 4/6 DJM Drop kit... How are the DJM Control Arms?

 

Ive heard that the WC control arms are pretty heavy at something like 55-lbs a piece. I also heard that BellTech is coming out with some lower control arms aswell

 

Western Chassis all the way…

The W/C arms do not feel much heavier than the stocks arms, but I have not had a chance to weigh both.

 

Just installed the Western Chassis lower A-arms (9-9-03). Happy with the drop provided. Quality seems very good. Urethane bushings all around including the new end links for the sway bar. Here's a couple of things to be aware of. Included with the A-arms were 2 bolts for the lower shock mounts. Should have been 4 bolts (2 per side). They were grade 8 as indicated by the head markings but had a 1.5 inch shaft length which is rather long for the Bilstein shock. The bolt length won't interfere with anything but I went shopping for grade 8 with a 1 inch length to use. The other item that needs to be addressed is the zerk fittings on the ball joint and the A-arm to frame mount points. They are provided but are straight fittings. Now, you probably could get a grease gun on the ball joint zerk but you cannot get to the A-arm to frame mount area to grease! When I went shopping for the bolts I also picked up 90 degree zerks for all three points and changed them. Did one in the truck and the other before mounting. The truck dropped nicely and I may or may not use a 1 inch drop spring for the front. I will be going to 20 inch wheels and depending on tires used that will determine if I want more drop in the front. I prefer lowering without having to get the entire drop with a spring.

 

Mike,

I had a set of DJM lower arms before I bought the WC arms. There is a huge difference in quality between the two. For one, DJM uses cheap a$$ mild steel, sh***y welds and small bushings in their arms where as WC uses chro-moly steel, bigger bushings and a support plate on the underside of the arms for even more added strength.

The other reasons I sent the DJM crap back was when a friend with a Dakota R/T told me he broke one of their lower arms cruising down the highway. I don't need that kind of drama going to the grocery store

 

I got the Western Chassis complete drop kit. The a-arms are nice, but the set I got was not treated before they where coated. Now they are rusting to hell. WC has told me it's something I did that caused the problem. Plus, if they did send me a new set (which they won't), they won't pay anything for the unistall/reinstall. So basically the warranty they provide with there parts is TOTAL GARBAGE. Oh, the coating on the hangers is also flaking off and rusting to.

On a happy note, I am running stock 18" wheels, with the a-arms and a WC smooth rider 1" springs my truck has about 6" of ground clearance now. It roughly comes out to a 4/4 drop. Takes about 2 months for the springs to settle, but once they do you will notice a huge difference.

The truck was higher in the rear with only the A-arms/stock springs in front and the hangers and shackles in the rear. Once I installed the 1" drop spring the front was level, after 2 months the front dropped another 1/2".

Will post some pics of the drop next week when I start driving her again.
Soon I will install the C-notch.

 

I have the WC arms with custom wound coils up front and Flip Kit with "C" notch in the rear for about a 4/6. The custom coils were necessary to achieve the ride quality that I wanted. Edelbrock shocks give me good ride control with only a rare bottoming on the most severe, high speed dips. Bear in mind that I have a standard Supercab chassis.

Their sway bar hookup was poor as it broke the bolts after about 200 miles due to the severe angulation. I fabbed up a revised setup and solved that one. The biggest problem IMO, with any A-Arm drop kit is bump steer.

I have read (again) that Bell-Tech is working on 2" dropped spindles. If they ever come out, I shall try them and see if there is an improvement in the bump steer situation.