Duffs Long Arm bracket weld

[Geiri]

Preference question I guess...

I am just about to weld those on. Thinking no bolts.
For those of you that have gone that way how do they hold up and do you weld the bolt holes to?

It would be nice to see photos..

 

[Glass Pony]

You could "plug weld" the bolt holes.

 

[jamesroney]

Preference question I guess...

I am just about to weld those on. Thinking no bolts.
For those of you that have gone that way how do they hold up and do you weld the bolt holes to?

It would be nice to see photos..

Preference? Interesting choice of terms.

The Duff suspension components drive me absolutely bananas. The quality, performance, and engineering that goes into them are really admirable. And then they do this. (all the time.) They love to use pinch bolts thru the box tube frame, and since there is no internal crush sleeve, everything ends up coming loose. So then they recommend that you add a few welds. Usually to a previously powdercoated, plated, or finished component. Then you are standing there with a Mig welder in your hand, and you are wondering why you would bother to drill a bunch of holes in your frame if you are going to weld it anyway.

So you drill the holes, install the bolts, snug them, but don't tighten, add the small welds, and then the exhaust pipe hits the bolt threads. So you cut those off with a sawzall, and you stand back and admire your hatchet-job.

Preference? Ugh. I prefer a 1 inch diameter, 2.5 inch long threaded bung welded into the frame rail prior to frame media blast and preparation. Then short hex head bolts inserted from each side, torqued to spec.

If you are going to weld them on, and you don't like the holes...fill them with bondo, or paint spackle. Please do not perform a plug weld on those holes. If you choose to plug weld them, (which is stronger, and structurally superior) as recommended by @Glass Pony then do not ever allow your Bronco to be sold or parted out within 100 miles of me. Because if I ever have to "un-do" your bracket, or if I ever choose to buy your used Duff Arms, there is no way to get those brackets off the frame. Then you end up with a perfectly good set of used Duff arms without frame brackets. And if you send your arms and frame out for powdercoat without the brackets...you realize that you forgot to order replacements. And then you find out that Duff sells replacement brackets and new one's will get delivered from Duff in that same blue color, and you will have a set of duff arms with mismatched frame brackets sitting under your bench for another year. And then you end up using your factory arms "temporarily" so that you can finish your body tub panel alignment.

 

[Jdgephar]

Mine are just welded around the outside of the bracket. Seems to have held up over the unknown number of years they have been there.

 

[bigmuddy]

Mine are just welded around the outside of the bracket. Seems to have held up over the unknown number of years they have been there.

Do you also have them bolted on as well?

 

[Jdgephar]

No bolts, and it was never drilled for them either.

Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk

 

[rcmbronc]

Personally I would weld around the tabs and also plug weld the holes. If you ever wanted to remove them it is going to be very hard either way so why not do it right. New brackets to fit the arms can be had from many different companies if you need some in the future.

 

[jamesroney]

Personally I would weld around the tabs and also plug weld the holes. If you ever wanted to remove them it is going to be very hard either way so why not do it right. New brackets to fit the arms can be had from many different companies if you need some in the future.

Can you recommend a supplier for one those brackets. I've tried all of the major Bronco Vendors, and of course Jim Cole at Bloody Knuckle Garage / Cage Manufacturing - which yields the same as the Duff Product. Then I tried:
Ballistic Fabrication
Ruff Stuff
Barnes off road.
Poly Performance.
Clayton Off Road.
Rubicon Express
Rough Country.
Cav Fab.
Gen Right.
Rusty's off road.
Artec.
TNT
Tera-Flex.

Plenty of link arm brackets, but nothing with that 1 inch thru-hole and 3 inch Bronco frame width. Would love to buy a bracket that I didn't have to fab.

 

[rcmbronc]

You will probably not finds that exact product. Most of the companies make the brackets that weld to the underside of the frame and then you would either need to open the hole up in the bracket or use reducing bushings on the joint. Won't Duffs sell just the bracket also? I am not sure would think they would. With the brackets under the frame you could tie a plate to the bracket side to the frame if you would like.

 

[bax]

I just weld the F out of them

 

[bigmuddy]

Mine have been bolted on for years and work fine. However, I am eyeballing how to clock the atlas higher and now will weld them on.