Looking to run longer rear shocks, since I had to get shorter ones when I cut the shock mounts off the axle and welded a set higher up for clearance.
I have a one inch body lift.
I know CMK cut the whole crossmember out and relocated that up and inch or so.
I also seen a guy hole saw out the current shock mounts on the crossmember, reinforce that area, run the shocks through the crossmember, and fabricate shock mounts out of heavy angle iron, mounting them above the crossmember.
Any other suggestions or advice?
Next winter I'll be putting it up on blocks for a couple months of weekends for a long arm install and this project. I'll likely be rolling the rear axle out from under it and dropping the gas tank.

Ted, that whole raising the corss member up with plate looks way easier than what I did. I think we will be trying it on a local guys Jeep too. Plus you can rasie the gas tank a lot...

Phil

Not that my way is any better than anyne else's, but here is one "nice" point about the way mine worked out:

Bear in mind, I have a 1" body lift and moved the x-member up about 1.25". By mounting the shocks on top of the x-member using JKS BPE's, the top mounts only stick up into the bed of the Jeep by about 5/8". Whenever I go wheelin', I have a piece of 3/4" plywood that I bolt to the floor of the Jeep. It's that plywood that I strap all my toolboxes, coolers, spare parts, etc to.

I did have to hog out holes in the board to clear the protruding shocks. But with the "board" in, I still have a perfectly flat plane on which to put all my junk because the board is slightly thicker than the height that the shocks stick up.

And when the board is out, the factory rear seat still fits perfectly without any mods to the brackets.

Again, I'm sure guys have found better ways to do it than I have. Everything just seemed to work out pretty well with my method ... no complaints thus far.

The other method I would check out is using Currie's TJ upper shock mounts. I don't know if they will work with anything other than their triangluated 4 link though. The Currie mounts weld to the frame rails in front of the axle allowing you to mount the axle end of the shock on ho-made brackets on top of the axletubes.

cm "just be sure and put some duct tape over the holes otherwise the exhaust comes right in ... maybe it's just the fact that I don't run a tailpipe though" k

Thanks - you were the two guys I was thinking of here.
Next winter I'll have access to free long term storage in a barn, jack stands, a MIG, bunch of other crap, probably end up putting an RE long arm kit on it.
Hafta do a lot of welding on the RE skid anyway to make the Atlas fit, so I might as well weld this up right while I'm under there.
I'll cut out the crossmemeber and move it up.

Originally posted by Lucy's Driver

Hafta do a lot of welding on the RE skid anyway to make the Atlas fit, so I might as well weld this up right while I'm under there.
I'll cut out the crossmemeber and move it up.

Why won't the Atlas fit?? :confused: I will be adding the Atlas this summer! :D

You need to fabricate a tranny mount about 6 inches forward of the "stock" location, that's all as far as I can tell.

Make it Roscoe tight.:cool:

If/when you go for the RE long arm kit, ask them about an Atlas-able skid/mount. I *thought* I saw somewhere that RE was working on an Atlas skid/mount in addition to the AX5/15 setup.

If I remember right, I think I saw it on the now defunct harryworld site.

cm "back in the day when Harry Brosofsky was the be all/end all in TJ modding/spending" k

Maybe by the time I go ahead and do it, they'll have a provision for an Atlas behind an AX-15, they do not now (I called). Harry had to do some really major fab work bacause he ran an NV-4500 in front of the Atlas, it was the huge tranny that made him do the access hole thing.
I have a flat skid now, (Metrcalf:eek: - maybe not a nice guy, but nice skid) and when I went Atlas I was able to just (he he "just") cut off his sloped C channel tranny mount and relocate it forward on the skid, welding a plate in the hole where the tranny mount bolts used to be and cutting a new access hole for them under the new mount.
I figure (hope) I can just cut that C channel out again and locate it on the right spot on the RE skid, then cut a hole under it to get at the tranny mount bolts.

I called RE on Wednesday to find out about the Tranny bracket since I am installing the lift this weekend.

They said that I should not have to do anything for a bracket. There is one on the skid. As for the Atlas being added - they said that I might need to do a 1" body lift or pound the tub to get it in there, but nothing for the Tranny.

I have the 4.0L with an automatic.:beer: :beer:

Originally posted by dncswrk
I called RE on Wednesday to find out about the Tranny bracket since I am installing the lift this weekend.

They said that I should not have to do anything for a bracket. There is one on the skid. As for the Atlas being added - they said that I might need to do a 1" body lift or pound the tub to get it in there, but nothing for the Tranny.

I have the 4.0L with an automatic.:beer: :beer:

Not sure what you have to do with the auto, but you'd better check the AA website and download the manual, I do think you might need to do some fab work for the tranny mount.

Originally posted by Lucy's Driver


Not sure what you have to do with the auto, but you'd better check the AA website and download the manual, I do think you might need to do some fab work for the tranny mount.

Downloading the manual. Mentioned the automatic becuase this thread was referring to the AX-15.

OK, the manual says 'no mods for the Automatic', but you have to move the tranny mount for the AX15.

Later :D