Forged Steel Upper Control Arms
Guys, you've been looking at lift kits. Everybody is telling you that in order to run the lift you want to run you'll need aftermarket upper control arms: "Your caster is going to be whack". So, you hit your favorite forums, Facebook groups, and subreddits to find the recommended brands. You get some info and hit your favorite retailer. You see the price... W.H.A.T.?!
Here's the thing - quality aftermarket upper control arms are expensive. Really expensive. They range from $500 to $800 to the end user and in most cases they're required if you're running more than 2" of lift on a vehicle with independent front suspension. We're here to tell you it doesn't have to be this way.
We can bring you upper control arms which correct for lift. We can do this for almost half the cost. We can do this leveraging American manufacturing and North-American raw materials. We've been in the automotive aftermarket industry for a decade. We can do it all. Well... almost all. What we can't do? Tooling costs.
We Need You
What we're talking about here is a paradigm shift in aftermarket upper control arm manufacture. Most of the OEMs are currently manufacturing upper control arms with stamped sheet metal. Most aftermarket manufacturers are currently manufacturing upper control arms as weldments - DOM tubing bent with bushing and ball joint / uniball cups welded together.
OEM's used to manufacture upper control arms as steel forgings but have gradually moved away from this process as a cost-cutting measure over the last two decades. There are forging facilities in the USA who will be without contracts as the OEM's continue their transition.
We're here to kill two birds with one stone: save America and bring you a better, stronger, cheaper aftermarket upper control arm. We need you.
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Forging produces a stronger, more precise, and longer lasting piece than alternatives at a significantly lower cost per unit. The flip side to this is forging requires extremely high up-front tooling costs to manufacture the dies used in the forging process. Forging also requires high moq's (minimum order quantities).
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Who We Are
We're a 4x4 consumer cooperative in Lincoln, Nebraska and we've been shaking things up since the summer of 2018. We're member governed and we're here to support a lifestyle of active adventure and exploration. We've been tapping American manufacturers to bring awesome and affordable products to market, starting with lift coil springs and leaf springs. We'll soon be bringing affordable shocks and coilovers to market for select applications.
We don't come to this campaign empty-handed. We've been awarded a NIF Prototype Grant by the Department of Economic Development in the great state of Nebraska to help us make this project a really real reality. The grant award is in the amount of $27,000.
What We're Going To Do
We're going to start with manufacturing forged upper control arms for the following applications:
- 2005-2020 Toyota Tacoma
- 2003-2020 Toyota 4Runner
- 2007-2014 Toyota FJ Cruiser
- 2003-2009 Lexus GX470
- 2010-2020 Lexus GX460
- 2005-2020 Nissan Frontier
- 2005-2015 Nissan Xterra
These arms will be caster-corrected for 3" of lift (roughly 3 degrees, depending on application). As this campaign progresses and as funds allow we will add additional applications. Voting on additional applications will be conducted via polling on our Alldogs Offroad Coop Facebook page. This campaign has five tiers and a single add-on perk.
- An Awesome Sticker
- An Awesome Sticker and T-shirt
- An Awesome Sticker, T-shirt, and Bare Forged UCA's (you supply ball joints and bushings and assemble)
- An Awesome Sticker, T-shirt, and Assembled Forged Upper Control Arms (we supply bushings and ball joints and assemble before shipping)
- An Awesome Sticker, T-shirt, Assembled Forged Upper Control Arms, and an ADO Membership
Our upper control arms will be manufactured to use readily-available OE-style bushings and ball joints. They will also be treated for corrosion resistance. Bare arms can be purchased by DIY-types who will need to source and assemble bushings and ball joints. Assembled arms will be furnished with high quality bushings and ball joints assembled with loving care in Lincoln, Nebraska by yours truly.
Our timeline is to run this campaign for 50 days. If the campaign is successfully funded we will move to production. Our forge has a 6 week lead time. If all goes as planned we will have product on customers' doorsteps before the end of July 2020. If the campaign is not successfully funded, funding will be returned to the customer.
TL;DR
Forged is stronger. Forged is cheaper. We're making it happen.