Lowrider Tech Article at LowRiderMagazine.com

How To: A-arm Molding

How to turn your stock A-arms into show-winning pieces.
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These stock lower A-arms were ready to be customized.

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1. First on the agenda was to remove the excess road grime using a wire brush.

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2. To ensure a good bond between the metal and the welds, the lower A-arms were sandblasted.

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3. Homies crew member Cesar started off by cutting a cardboard stencil.

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4. The stencil was then checked and trimmed to ensure a perfect fitting.

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5. Once the stencil was perfect, it was traced and cut out using a cutting torch.
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6. The 3/16-inch metal plates had all of the excess removed. They were also allowed to cool off before being handled.
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7. Moses cleaned the A-arms using a wire brush. This ensured that the areas to be welded had a strong bond.
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8. This procedure is the same for most lower A-arms, including these '64 Impala A-arms that were being customized simultaneously.
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9. In order to get the metal to do as you want, you'll need to take the metal plate pattern and weld it in sections.
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10. Moses then "persuaded" the metal with a sledge hammer, which was used to form the necessary contours.
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11. The procedure continued with more welding.
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12. The A-arms were allowed to cool off, but were not allowed to warp or become misshapen as this is one of the sections that takes most of the abuse from hydraulics.
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13. The welds were ground smooth to see what sections needed to be retouched.
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14. The coil holders were also molded smooth.
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15. The A-arm was now ready to be ground down and shaped in a free-flowing style.
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16. The A-arms were smoothed out using a hand-held grinder.
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17. Before being sent to the chrome plater, these lower A-arms received a new set of bushings and ball joints.
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18. These lower A-arms were triple-plated in a show finish and were ready to go back onto the frame.

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