webley2000
Active Member
Why would you.
Irishrover
Well-Known Member
:behindsofa:
By lower suspension arms I presume you mean the wishbones ?
There is bound to be rust present which will be inaccesible and greatly affect the weld quality. If you are thinking of putting a run of MIG weld along the join there is the probability that the wishbone will deform due to the heat.
Brand new wishbones are readily available complete with new front bush and balljoint for around £25 plus VAT upwards depending on manufacturer.
By lower suspension arms I presume you mean the wishbones ?
There is bound to be rust present which will be inaccesible and greatly affect the weld quality. If you are thinking of putting a run of MIG weld along the join there is the probability that the wishbone will deform due to the heat.
Brand new wishbones are readily available complete with new front bush and balljoint for around £25 plus VAT upwards depending on manufacturer.
smnbyt
Active Member
To give them more rigidity and strength, read it on a vw golf forum
bushwwacker
Well-Known Member
+1
Are Golf wishbones the same?
I doubt you're gonna be putting much more than 150 bhp through a Gaylander?
Replace or rebush your's if your desperate...
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Epicuser
Ex Freelander Owner
But you have a Freelander..........,
smnbyt
Active Member
webley2000
Active Member
What then if you hit a pothole or some other nasty.
Where does the stress that the wishbone would have absorbed by bending get tranfered to.
As Irish rover says there only £25 quid a pop.
A Freelander is not a lowered street car.
bushwwacker
Well-Known Member
'Tis...
I'm not a welderist by any stretch but AFAIK the unwelded bits of a welded bit are to reduce stresses within the welded joint and stop it cracking...
webley2000
Active Member
'Tis...
I'm not a welderist by any stretch but AFAIK the unwelded bits of a welded bit are to reduce stresses within the welded joint and stop it cracking...
It tis not.
Its a big butch proper Landrover.
Spacemonkey...
Well-Known Member
Thank fook- I traded in a lowered Golf to get my Freelander. Never again do I have to **** a brick to save weight whenever I see a speed hump now...
Nodge68
Well-Known Member
Nail hit on the head
The wishbone is designed to bend at a given load. The idea being that should you be off road and clout a big rock, the wishbone will bend as will the track rod!! This stops more expensive damage to the body and steering assembly.
Having said that, my wife managed to demolish a 2ft high loose lay stone wall one day with our 50th anniversary 1.8. The poor Freelander plowed it's own ramp using the front wishbone as a bulldozer!! The damage was confined to the strut and the track rod. The wishbone looked fine but I changed it as a precaution along with the wheel.
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SES88
Well-Known Member
The wishbones are cast, only a fool would weld them up! Cast steel has very different properties to a sheet of steel, you'd need to pre-heat them for a start
Unfortunately there are too many numpties on VW forums and the like who'll do anything for some extra lows, more often than not making things dangerous and unsafe in the process
Unfortunately there are too many numpties on VW forums and the like who'll do anything for some extra lows, more often than not making things dangerous and unsafe in the process
webley2000
Active Member
I think you will find they are 2 pressed mild steel sections spot welded together.
The one I replaced was £29 quids inc Vat including ball joint.
Ball joint on its own was £16
SES88
Well-Known Member
They're normally cast, haven't spent that much time looking at my wishbones to be honest
Nodge68
Well-Known Member
Some cars use a forged lower arm/ wishbone. The Freelander uses pressed steel wishbone.
