Fatman Fabrications - Bolt In Fatman's IFS - Tech

You'll be impressed by the simplicity of this installation. There are always a hundred different ways such kits can be difficult to install or poorly designed, but the Fatman people appear to have nailed this one down quite well. Things fit, holes aligned, and it all went together like a precision puzzle.

Another attractive thing about the Fatman kits is their new cast-stainless A-arms. Surprisingly, they are supplied for the same price as fabricated tube arms available elsewhere. Volume is the secret; one pair is pretty expensive, but after the design and tooling are completed, a thousand pairs gets much less pricey. Add to that the rather clever scheme of fabricating one basic arm that will suit all the many Fatman kits, along with relatively inexpensive arm inserts to accommodate spring and shock variations and models, and you have a way to get stainless arms at a great price.

Finally, there is one important issue that really needs addressing. There are several places where large bolts are installed inside steel sleeves of one sort or another. Experience has taught that if you ever want to get the bolts in and out-especially after they've seen any weather-you'll make sure they are liberally coated with anti-seize. The Fatman kit contains several large, long bolts that really require the application of anti-seize because they are high-strength stainless steel. (No, regular mild stainless cannot safely be used for suspension.) If you fail to grease these up with plenty of anti-seize, you will at least damage the hardware, and at worst get it stuck in the bores so thoroughly you are unlikely to ever get it out again. All stainless, Nylok nuts, and hardware installed in sleeves or tubes require anti-seize to avoid serious problems.