busted an A-Arm! Anyone ever done this before?

[Joseph Dell]

was working under the car and was checking out the suspension. look at the cracks on the lower A-arm. how the heck did this happen?

 

[99 R/T 10]

I don't see it JD, can you get closer?

 

[Viper Wizard]

Is it just the paint or casting marks your looking at? Take a few more pics of the arm and maybe a little closer.

 

[Blue Pilot]

I see a crack on the right side of the cross brace on the a-arm. The crack goes vertical.

 

[Blue Pilot]

I also see the HP numbers you are putting down. Although there should be no twisting force an the a-arm itself, funny things start happening when you more than double the HP on parts that were not engineered to handle it.

However, I would guess it came from a bad cast.

 

[Joseph Dell]

Here is a better look:

I see three sets of cracks. are they just surface or are they real? the other side doesn't have any of these...

JD

 

[1TONY1]

Two of them "look" like casting marks....the middle one looks like a crack right where the casting mark would have been. Maybe this is why we gring the casting off the side of a connecting rod....it is less prone to break in that area.

 

[99 R/T 10]

Looks like it could be a crack (at least the middle one), but it also looks like a casting mark on the the high point of the A-arm.

 

[AviP]

Which wheel is this? How many miles on the car?

 

[Qualitywires.com]

Jdog,

that is what happens when you don't call your bud..bad karma happens. Man! You better lay off those dounuts! LOL!

 

[Gerald]

more than cracked. Seperating, look at the difference in the level... Replace it asap, JD..

G

 

[Joseph Dell]

Left rear. 17000 miles. 1000rwhp car, though.

I'll replace it this week. Big thanks to JonB for going the extra mile to find me a used one and sending it fast!!

JD

 

[Qualitywires.com]

so did you beat your sig on the power? I won't know...you never call me!

 

[Joseph Dell]

lol! i better update my sig...

 

[Qualitywires.com]

Jd before you update your sig...you better ask your wife! LOL!

 

[Nadine UK GTS]

Hi Joseph, yeah I've had them crack on my '97; several years ago and Jon B came to the rescue with take-off arms for me. Mine were cracked around the rubber bushed / frame ends though, also I discovered a toe link cracked right through. I check mine regularly now, initially the cracks were hidden by the paint, it wasn't until I scraped the flakey paint away I discovered the horrors at the time!

 

[Camfab]

They look like casting marks, but if your going to change it out you should have the part magnafluxed. If it indeed is cracked, I would take a hard look at all your suspension components.