What size tubing for truck arms on 70 c10?

[thinkfastroth]

I'm thinking about building my own rear trailing arms but not sure on what size tubing to use. Should I use 1-5/8 or larger say 2in also which wall thickness .120,.156? Any advise would be great help.

[dontlifttoshift]

Use the stock ones.

They are made of I beams for a reason, so they can twist. They need to do that in order to work properly. I know there are lots of companies out there selling them made from square and round tubing but it doesn't work the way they should.

[chevelletiger]

Use the stock ones.

They are made of I beams for a reason, so they can twist. They need to do that in order to work properly. I know there are lots of companies out there selling them made from square and round tubing but it doesn't work the way they should.

They would work,if they had an articulating end on the frame side or axle side.
So what's the answer on wall thickness?
I'd say .156 or .187.
Those trucks weight lot

[thinkfastroth]

Thanks for the input,the plan as of now is Johnny joints and 2in with .188 wall.

[Skip Fix]

NASCAR guys used trailing arms for a long time, pretty sure the pictures I remember were still an I beam. Might look some old vintage NASCAR articles.

[dontlifttoshift]

They still use them, they are still I beams. That may be part of the rules package or it may be because tubing doesn't work.

Some sort of spherical bearing will help but it will still bind in roll. The other down side is that a spherical will amplify the brake hop compared to a rubber bushing in the front.

[CSG]

For Reference the CPP ones show 2"OD by .25" wall.

[RobNoLimit]

OK, here's my $.02. 1. NASCAR uses trailing arms due to the rules. If they could use a 4-link or 3-link, they would. 2. The I-beam design allows the arm to twist, which is needed to let the housing articulate side/side (tip). Yes, you can use a pivoting end, Monster Ball, Johnny joint... and but the motion is still not as good as an I-beam. Also keep in mind that these trucks didn't come with 600+ hp, and while cup cars have big hp, the don't need to launch from a stop light. SO, a little bar flex doesn't matter in these areas. 3. For a stock I-beam, keep the rubber bushing, unless you are drag racing, then go urethane. I have watched a lot of people swap to the 'firmer' bushing, only to loose handling and ride quality. Aftermarket arms that are tubular with fixed urethane bushings may look cool, but this would be a big step down in performance and ride quality. 4. When it comes to tubular arms, and we do build them at No Limit, 2" square tube x .120" wall is fine for the arms, but the axle end will need to be larger. We use a 1/4" thick formed end with sleeves for the U-Bolts. We also use a 1 1/4" shank Monster ball with urethane cups for a pivoting end with some give. As a pure bolt-on package, this is the best you can get. - but still not as good as our FatBar (compared using the exact same coil-over). So keep in mind, that there is a performance ceiling with each suspension design, and making design 'A' as good as it can be may still not be as good as design 'B' in average form. Hope this helps.