I am looking at widening the front track of a Honda Insight, I basically want the stock arms extended about 2 inches, pretty simple yet Im not equipped to make them myself. Who would be a good shop to contact (west coast or Vegas preferred) and what do you think I should expect to pay?

 

Depends on a lot of things . . . are they being made from scratch or are you getting someone to chop your stock arm, space it out with some steel, and then weld it back up?

Material selection is probably the next big cost factor, then potentially if a jig needs to be made, etc.

 

Stock arms are aluminum so it would be a complete custom set. I assume a jig would have to be made to get the both sides to be the same. Its not a race car so weight isn't critical.

 

You'd need to have someone make them from scratch.

Do you know any engineers? If someone could create a CNC file, a new LCA could be cut out of a block of aluminum.

Or maybe a fab shop can make one out of chromoly tube.

I'm assuming wheel spacers won't work because you're trying to widen the track to gain a ton of camber for wheel fitment?

 

Making one (or a pair) is going to be the most expensive route for sure. I don't have an arm in front of me, but you're looking at someone spending 2-3 hours drawing a model for you that would work (and need a stock arm to start with), probably $200+ or so worth of aluminum for 2 blocks that big (just guessing here on size), and then machine time to run them.

Going to a tubular chromoly design would cut down on material costs but then you have cut/fitment and weld/jig time that you don't have in a billet design.

I would have to say a pair of one-off billet arms would be at least $750-1000.

 

Thank you for your response, I am in the final stretch on my first insight build and while I could have done it cheaper, spent 600 on trial and error fitment. $1k would be well worth it since it would be a guaranteed mirrored pair. I never thought about the jigging time that CNC saves!

 

If this is going to see harsh streets, I'd suggest going iron vs aluminum. OMNI made a pair of forged front LCAs for the Integras, (OEM was solid iron) but the aftermarket cast aluminum LCAs are prone to bending and damage, which is why you'd ideally want to forge em for strength. Especially as you are elongating them without Honda to test vibration, durability, etc.

 

Inisghts have McPherson struts. The LCA doesn't bear load like one on a car whose shock/spring bolts to the LCA.

A billet (not cast) aluminum arm that was properly designed would work fine.

A tubular chromoly set would probably be easier to make.

Casting an arm out of iron or aluminum would be more expensive than milling/fabricating it out since we're talking about a volume of 2 pieces.

 

Thanks B, FYI this would be for an off road style AWD Insight. I was considering fitting a modified Element subframe and suspension as I want to use stock Element axles. If I can just bolt on custom arms it would make things much easier and if I can get a matching mirrored set it would be worth the high cost.

 

use as many factory components as you can.

An element subframe can be welded since its made from formed steel.

Chopping and welding an existing subframe to fit...including installing weld bosses, etc is cheap.

If you have access to an element subframe from a junkyard...lay that and the insight subframe side to side and check where you need changes.

 

There are definitely subframes available and the reason I like the Element is because I have one to measure off of (pulling the struts out I can jig the hell out of it). Thanks for the tips though. Keeping it cheap is good!

 

No problem! I like doing fabrication projects like that.

Another benefit to using stock parts is easy availability. You're bound to damage something if you're actually going off road. Be a shame to bend or break a custom part that nobody readily makes or carries.