Getting ready to do something to lift the 2002 GV...was going to just do the simple coil spacer + body lift and widening mod, as I'm not planning on going stupid big on this one (already have a stupid big Samurai on 4 links, coilovers, 37s, etc) but then started thinking about the geometry changes that come along with all that.... And down the rabbit hole I went 😅

I'm not wild about the stress the forward control arm bushing is going to see after the widening mod, and started thinking about fabricating lower control arms instead.  I've been looking at how Calmini, Altered Ego, etc. did their arms as a baseline, and would like to build some adjustability into them as well as widening the track to accommodate the drivers side axle mod on the passenger side.

Are they incorporating lift into the arms themselves somehow?  It looks like the coil bucket and tubing is all in the same locations as stock arms.  Or are they really just moving the lower ball joint out to compensate for the increased angle after the lift? 

It's hard to see what exactly they've done without having the arms sitting next to stock one to compare to....

The answer is - it depends.

It depends on whose arms you're looking at.

Most, if not all, use the Sidekick/Vitara ball joint, so you get a replaceable ball joint, they move the ball joint out to correct the camber problem caused by the lift, and forwards to allow for a larger tire to be fitted without issues fouling the arch at the back of the wheel.  At least one manufacturer, I don't recall which one repositions the lower coil seat, I don't think it was done for lift - as the arm moves down the angle of the coil seating surface changes and it causes the coil to "bow outwards", which has been known to cause problems with the brake calipers on full lock.

If you're building your own arms though, you get to do what you want,

The combo of the widening and the frame drop is a really good one and will get you reliable and driveable lift for a smaller ride (something n 32ish tire) I'd look at that if you have some fab skills.

one of the examples from our webpages https://www2.zukiworld.com/feature_project-zr3-the-way-a-tracker-should-have-been-built/

-Eric

That's a bit more than I really want to get in to....  one of the local guys here did that, and while it does work well, I also know that's something that's going to occupy my garage space long term because I'll quickly be thinking about cutting a little bit more here, a little more there, and suddenly a V8 snuggles in there real nice... And down that rabbit hole I go 😅

Making a jig off a stock control arm, then adjusting the ball joint position isn't a huge deal for me.  It just seemed like if I'm doing all the "little" things at once, it made more sense just to wrap them all up in one control arm instead, with the additional plus of having some adjustability in there in the event that I drill holes off a bit. 

As I said, I already have the full tilt Samurai build, and I'm not trying to replicate that performance level, more along the lines of something a bit more capable than stock, something to do some trail scouting with that doesn't need to be trailered in, and maxing at a 31ish tire.