M Jon R

These LCA's look identical to me but I am curious if a set of '08 LCA's would fit on an '10 and if the aluminum LCA's are better than the steel ones? I would assume the aluminum LCA's would be the better choice for off-road as the Raptor's LCA's were kept aluminum. I am sure Ford switched to steel to save money. Any thoughts?

WarSurfer

Several guys on this forum have put Raptor LCAs on 04-08 trucks so I see no reason why you couldn't go the other way. IMO it isn't worth the labor to swap a stock for stock part unless it's an upgrade - non Raptor to Raptor for example.

If you are going to take the time to strip the front suspension and you are looking for increased off road performance, spend the money and get an aftermarket setup that's stronger and provides more travel.

my .02

M Jon R

I do not want a wider track truck.Those aluminum LCA's seemed beefier than these steel ones. Nobody makes beefed up stock size LCA's for these trucks and I would rather not spend a but load on getting ones fabbed when I could get a direct bolt on that is a bit better than these stock steels for cheap. I will have the front end all apart anyway when I put this Icon lift on. I am exploring alternatives really. New LCA's that are real cheap that are a bit lighter, a bit beefier, ride a bit better.. hell sounds good to me; question is will they fit and are they really any better, even slightly?

WarSurfer

I see no reason why they wouldn't fit.

You could just box in your factory lowers if you have access to a welder - might take an hour total time and might cost $10 for a piece of plate.

Raptors did have Al lowers but they had considerably more material than the ones you are looking at and were pretty heavy - aside from pointing out the obvious I can't speak to which (04-08/09-13) lower is 'better'. I will say that the aluminum shows usage much easier than the steel lowers, scars, hits, etc...

M Jon R

Thanks, exactly the info I am looking for. Plates are definitely a viable option. Visible wear was that bad?

WarSurfer

don't get me wrong, I only know of one failure and it was because the dude hit a HUGE boulder - it would have smoked an aftermarket LCA.

If you are just running Jeep trails and camping, you probably would never notice but if you slide one over a rock it will leave a groove - unlike a steel lower (esp a plated one) where it will just scrape the paint off.

M Jon R

I think I will hit up a parts store and compare the two. I do not see a problem of them fitting. If I can physically tell that the aluminum ones are lighter I will end up doing a swap most likely and make some skid plates to bolt on. If they weigh roughly the same I will just make some plates for the steels. What gauge would be recommended for plates? Would an acetylene welder work?

WarSurfer

use whatever welder you are comfortable with - a mig would probably be a bit easier but since this is adding strength and won't have any negative impact on the original integrity of the part - whatever works...

1/8 plate should be fine, I really don't see the need to go heavier.

M Jon R

Yeah I was looking up mig welders last night. I might pick one up within the next few months. I was thinking about making rear shock guards and such so why the hell not get a mig. I was looking at the Miller 190 (think that was it). Would that be a good one for truck fabs? If not, what would be recommended?

WarSurfer

I have a cheap little Lincoln 110 - picked it up at Home Depot. There are better ones but it's more than enough for what I use it for.