: Clearence probs with hp60 and LA's


BIGWOODY
11-21-2004, 04:03 PM
Please don't bother responding if you're not sure what you're talking about. I put a HP ford 60 in my MJ, used RE brackets on the axle, used RE long arms, same set up I had on the d44 before. My problem is the mounting the top link on the housing, on the 44 it had a bridge, worked great. The 60 my buddy used nickle rod and welded the mount directly to the housing, my problem is when the suspension cycles and the diff. rotates slightly it binds and hits the top link on the housing. Problem 2 is, I wasn't able to put the upper link mounts parallel to each other, meaning the upper arms had to be adjusted at 2 different lengths, I'm no engineer by any means so suggestions are welcome. Will the upper arms being at 2 different lenghts cause binding or is it just the fact that the one link is contacting the housing? I took it wheeling today and it seemed to do fine, the only difference I have noticed is it doesn't flex as well as it did with the d44 in the front. The upper link on the diff side sorta "clearenced" itself today on the trail, it bent slightly but it didn't crease, just a smooth bend. Help please.....solutions...anyone?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/gmanstone/DSCF0119.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/gmanstone/DSCF0120.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v478/gmanstone/DSCF0122.jpg

soup4856
11-21-2004, 05:23 PM
Since you set up the upper links mounts yourself, why didn't you mount them to be equal? Also the simple solution the link hitting the housing, is remove the link altogether. But you could also just raise the mount above the housing.

You seem to have a lot of room between oil pan and axle. What coils do you run?

rockdw22
11-21-2004, 06:06 PM
i was also thinking you could just run with out the upper link on that side (flex better, less bind) but i am just a newbee. i maybe wrong

bspencer
11-21-2004, 06:30 PM
cant make ut a whole lot from the pics......... but .as stated above you could just remove that link all together..... (alot of systems only run one upper link) or cut it off and weld a new one on closer to the pinion on hte housing.....its too far back........

or if you can raise your frame end mounts so that the links are at a better angle when the springs compress

TheBadXJ
11-21-2004, 09:27 PM
I originally had the 60 in my xj set up almost the same as yours (i had short arms), and had to have the ucas at unequal lengths (the driver side mount I welded to the centersection using super missle rod (yes thats the real name), and i ended up having to adjust that uca to a shorter length than the pass. side) It worked fine for about 150 miles of street use and 2 good wheelin trips before i ripped the driverside lca, and the pass side uca mounts from the tube. I was gettin on it pretty good, so i figured it was just my fault. Welded everything back up, 2 days later on the trail I romped on it same thing except only bent the pass. side uca. A friend of mine with a similar setup but having both ucas set to the same length (proper spacing and angle on the axle mounts) has never had a problem. I believe that having the arms set to different lengths causes the stress from the axle rotating to be unequally distributed, and therefore preferentially tearing off the lca on the side with shorter arm (hence the reason your driverside uca is binding). I have since had a friend of mine who actually has a jig set up my brackets and truss everything, but i havent had a chance to get it out and try it yet.

With your setup, if you remove the driverside uca and truss the hell outta your pass. side mount you would probably be okay. Some people don't recommend it, but it works. I'll try to post some pics, or if you want i can e-mail them to ya.

HTH

NE-RokToy
11-21-2004, 10:50 PM
Here is a crazy idea.. measure twice cut (more like weld in this case) once.. in other words do it right the first time or you get to do it all over again!

You could remove the upper and probably have no problems but if you were fine with the flex you had before I would fix it, the front suspension will be more stable with both uppers in place.

Hvy_Chevy
11-22-2004, 04:55 AM
That's the same problem a lot of people have with the HP fronts.
It should work OK with just one radius arm. Possibly make the drive side a quick dissconnect, take it out for the trail, leave it on for the road.

A more ambitous solution could be to move the link side mount closer to the frame, wouldn't that give you some clearance where you need it?

BlueAngel
11-22-2004, 05:07 AM
Since you already welded the UCA bracket on the pumpkin, I would modify the RE UCA arm so it clears the diff. Then, fix the other UCA bracket so that they are parallel.

Wes in TN
11-22-2004, 05:47 AM
Since you already welded the UCA bracket on the pumpkin, I would modify the RE UCA arm so it clears the diff. Then, fix the other UCA bracket so that they are parallel.

Exactly what I was going to say. Cut the end off the arm at the chunk and angle it down for more clearance. Then rework the pass side mount to make the uppers the same length. Problem(s) solved.

tjmark
11-22-2004, 07:39 AM
Big woody...

I have been through in your exact situation...

First i would never run just one upper in a front unless you fab a better Much better single upper arm..(look at the bolt size holding the uppers) :shaking:
I have first hand seen many fronts twist around from the single upper letting go.. not a fun trail fix. :(

You can just make a bent arm, that will kind of go around the center cetion... Do it soon cause you will start breaking welds or other things binding that arm..

BIGWOODY
11-22-2004, 10:19 AM
I may try the bent arm fix for starters, I'm not going to run just one upper. I don't think my style of wheeling is gonna work with one upper, I'm on the east coast, many obstacles require lots of throttle and I just don't trust one upper with a puney bolt to deal with a 60, 39's and a heavy foot. I understand that running a factory set up with the uppers attached at the frame and uneven lenghts on them, tearing up all sorts of shit. Will it make a difference on a wristed radius arm set up with the uppers being a little different, ie. one bent, one straight and an inch difference in lenght?

JohnnyJ
11-22-2004, 11:11 AM
I got a headache looking at the pics, have a beer or two next time before taking the pics to keep the shakes to a minimum. :D

Are you trying to say that the arm is longer only because it is bent? If so, then with it being part of the radius arm, it shouldn't matter. If the distance between the two bolts is the same then it should react the same as the other side.

Think of it like comparing a drag link to a tie rod. You compare the mounting point slopes and lengths, not the actual paths of them.

With my HP60 we cheated the mount to the outside of the axle, and a little bit back; but we also built a big ass bridge to make that possible.

TheBadXJ
11-23-2004, 07:41 PM
http://image18.webshots.com/19/9/36/17/221793617PlJBrV_ph.jpg
http://image16.webshots.com/17/9/44/13/221794413TbaRDY_ph.jpg
http://image18.webshots.com/19/9/45/41/221794541HrUENn_ph.jpg

Please ignore the ghettofabbed highsteer arm. I have my btf arms but havent put them on yet. :D