I know there has been alot of link systems done and I've searched and read alot of the posts. But it sucks when you find a post that's so old the pics. don't work anymore.........So let's get some setup pics. going and maybee some detailed shots with a little info about the setup too. Type of coils, link materials, etc.....

So nobody wants to share or what? :shaking: Let's see your 3 links, 4 links, 1 link, coils, coilovers, quarter elipticals, etc.....

One link and coils:

does any body no how quarter elipticals suspension works on zuks

my 1/4 elp works great its the Spidertraxx kit.

One phat rear (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=425443) :flipoff2:

Never even heard of that eliptical set up before.

My shop is setting my sami up with links in front and rear but I don't know what it's called. When I asked, they said it's basically the same set up as a TJ long arm kit with coils and shocks.

Would that be considered a link set up?


:confused:

That Yota is bad ass! But I'd like to keep this Zuke's only setups.....

Same setup been done on Zuks.:flipoff2: But I guess I'll stay off this thread then.:p

Oh OKIE......What kinda setup are you runing? I want to link my Zuke but not sure how I want to do it yet like this |\/|..... /\/\....|Y|...../Y\......XX.../_\....So much to choose from?

I'm running this lYl setup myself. And works great, just ask the Texas boys:

ZONA I know you've seen quarter eliptcals before and just don't know it:

i'm gonna be setting up a link system on my 87 zuke over the next few weeks and i plan on taking some pictures. i don't know how long before you plan on starting your project but when i get mine going i'd be happy to send you some pix.

i'm gonna be setting up a link system on my 87 zuke over the next few weeks and i plan on taking some pictures. i don't know how long before you plan on starting your project but when i get mine going i'd be happy to send you some pix.
It will be a while befor I switch to coils, I'min the middle of doing a tub swap and 22RE, Tranie, and dual sticks....

let's see some more! :flipoff2:

This is my rear set up.

Cross member I built. Its for the upper link tabs.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1111.jpg

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1112.jpg

This is the Y link.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1115.jpg

Link ends.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1116.jpg

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1117.jpg

Few other shots.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1118.jpg

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1119.jpg

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1121.jpg

HTH

Here's some of mine. I'm switching to toys sometime soon so does can anyone tell the me the centerline distances on the toy axles. I wanna see if I'll need new uppers.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=238168&d=1144201573

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=238169&d=1144201591

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=238170&d=1144201591

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=238171&d=1144201591

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=238172&d=1144201608

I

Here's some of mine. I'm switching to toys sometime soon so does can anyone tell the me the centerline distances on the toy axles. I wanna see if I'll need new uppers.


That really depends on which year of toyota axle, and from what vehicle.

Toyota forum FAQ (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=459180)

The information is in there, very first post.

That really depends on which year of toyota axle, and from what vehicle.

Toyota forum FAQ (http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=459180)

The information is in there, very first post.


Thanks, but I need the vertical centerlines. I couldn't find it in that post.

what rate coil is everybody running? i have 175's in the front and rear . they seem way to soft for me!:bounce2:

i run 200pound in the rear of my zuk

front is leafspring

Both of those setups look good, have any action pics.? You know the famous FLEX shots?

come guys tell us what length, diameter, spring rates all the important stuff those of us that are building theses need to know. Oh yah front and rear info please

This is my rear set up.

This is the Y link.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/100_1115.jpg

Link ends.



Nice clean work but you are loading that rod end wrong. It would be better if it were rotated 90 degrees. My buddy had the same setup and I know he had to replace that rod end a few times.

does anybody have any pics of some front links? specifically trying to figure out what to do about my front upper links, looks like the header may cause a little bit of a problem. thanks

More than two years on mine:

what rate coil is everybody running? i have 175's in the front and rear . they seem way to soft for me!:bounce2:

I'm running 150's and they seem about right with the 33's. When I was running 31's they seemed a little too stiff.

Oh, they are coils from eibach coilovers.

I'm running missing links in the front now, but I plan on going to a wristed radius setup sometime.

Both of those setups look good, have any action pics.? You know the famous FLEX shots?


Heres one for you.
My samurai looks a little differant now, but that is me.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/Natchez_Memorial_Day_2005_132.sized.jpg

I am just starting my build and this is new to me...but I am jumping in with both feet. I am going 4 link front and rear and going to 105" WB

Nice clean work but you are loading that rod end wrong. It would be better if it were rotated 90 degrees. My buddy had the same setup and I know he had to replace that rod end a few times.

Thanks Azrckcrawler, I'll change that joint before I get it back on the trail.

Heres one for you.
My samurai looks a little differant now, but that is me.

http://www.zukikrawlers.com/albums/holeshot/Natchez_Memorial_Day_2005_132.sized.jpg
Taking it up "Butt Crack" at Funny Rocks :flipoff2: What's your WB?

What's your WB?

95'' on Toyota axles.

I was up there that weekend :D

More than two years on mine:

The pictures of a heim or jj in the "proper" direction has me determined to fix mine. I can see distress on the side of my jj were the side load gets to be a tad overwhelming.

95'' on Toyota axles.
I'm @ 101" on Yotas with 38"x15.50"x15" TSL Radials

What heims dose anybody recomend? and All heims or heims and bushings? My rig won't see to much road.

does anybody have any pics of some front links? specifically trying to figure out what to do about my front upper links, looks like the header may cause a little bit of a problem. thanks
:bounce:

To a Dana 60 front:

thanks. the more of these i get of different set up the easier it will be to set mine up. gettin ready to start this week!

To a Dana 60 front:

That setup is sweet, I'd like to do my front like this and my rear like OKIE ZUK!

My front is like this also, just with Toy axles.:smokin:

Heres my front drivers side.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0038.jpg

Front passengers side.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0047.jpg

Panhard mount.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0044.jpg

From the front.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0039.jpg

Here are a couple pics of when I built my 1/4 elliptic. It uses Spidertrax springs/shackles/lower link mounts and I made my own links and upper links/mounts. I've since beefed up the upper link mount on the axle side. Been running this set up for 2 years, like it alot. The front I run a 3 link coil with 150# QA1 coils that I like alot as well.

I've also changed the pinion angle so its not so severe. You can check out the Spidertrax website to get more details on the set-up. I think the lower links are 30" or so long, the heims are 3/4" 5/8 bolt 16K lbs rate (again, I think, been awhile since I thought about that stuff).

one more....

This pic was taken last sunday down in Moab....

Some basic ideas for folks building their first links..

Keep the lower links as level to the ground as you can get away with.

Avoid really long link lengths.

Keep the vehicle as low as practicle. I rather see you open up the sheet metal for tire clearance, then raise the vehicle.

Use a quality rod end. No tractor links. Hell, use junkyard ends before you hit the tractor parts! Jeep, Toyota, Isuzu and Sidekick ends are pretty nice.

Don't get botty fab on us!

Consider checking some of the very good (but long) threads in the general4x4 section.

I'll leave it at that.. just the basics.

-Wayne

thanks for all the input and pix guys, every set up i see give me some new info. soon as i get going on mine i'll get some links posted up of my progress.

Heres my front drivers side.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0038.jpg

Front passengers side.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0047.jpg

Panhard mount.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0044.jpg

From the front.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y194/ironcrow/000_0039.jpg
How are those bushing working out for links? Any binding issues at full flex? I'm considering using them on one end to save to money.

I posted this for a guy on zookpower the other day, he already knew the link lengths that he wanted, maybe someone will find it helpful.


Never tried to use the link calculator, i like to actually see what's going on. I did this in the simple to use program - adobe illustrator, photoshop's cousin. Much easier to move things around than an eraser and graph paper. Also, i do the drawings in 1:1 scale so what you measure with the ruler tool on the screen is exactly what you build with the welder. i started by measuring my whole frame, axels and tires, (sidekick w/36's), wrote it all down and plotted it in illustrator. Then figured angle and length of links,(sounds like you already have that). Here's an illustration you can look at as you read.

http://tracker4x4.com/PICS/linklogic.jpg

Fig. 1 - top view. extend your lower links forward and your upper links back.(blue dotted lines) at the point where they come together, extend vertical lines (green dotted), up to the side view drawing which here is fig. 2.

Fig. 2 - now at the side view, extend the lower link forward and the upper link back, put a dot where these lines intersect the green verticle lines. In figure 2 they are circled in pink. These are called front and rear LCP's. Join these dots and you have your roll axis.(red line) It should be pretty damn close to straight)

Fig. 3 - First fig. your center of gravity (a good estimate is the top center bolt of your tranny), then extend both your lower and upper link forward until they intersect. now draw a line from the bottom center of the wheel(contact patch), to that intersection point. Where all 3 points meet is called the instant center. Now, draw a verticle line -(green here), thru the center of the front axel until it hits your bottom line that you just drew-(red). The point where they meet- (circled in pink again), should be within 50% to 80% of the C.G. height. (so within the blue square in fig. 3) the closer you are to 50%, the more squat you will have, the closer you are to 80%, the more lift you will have. If you are outside of this range, you are supposedly asking for trouble. too much lift causes bouncing and hard on rig'n, too much squat and no traction.

I was thinking 3 link for the front, and i was just going to use tha very same math as here with the exception of only one upper link of course. I did some drawings of a panhard and found that it would push the axel off center by a good 3-4 inches which i really didn't like. After some looking i stumbled on a watts linkage system and that's the ticket for me, but that's a whole other topic.

Anyway, hope the simplicity of the diagram helps out a little, seems like people make this too complicated alot of times. Alot of people say things look great on paper but it's better to just builld and learn from your mistakes, just remember that these formulas were created from other peoples mistakes, and it saves alot of time and money to learn from theirs instead of your own

i thought it was the other way around, too much squat = no traction, too much lift = bouncing and harder on components

more antisquat gives you the lift, increasing contact pressure, giving you traction and lifting the rear. If you break traction, the rear falls. Then it hooks up, and you get the lift again, somewhat similar to axle wrap with a leaf spring.

that was always the impression I got anyway...

that's what i said :laughing: jk - thanks, you're right, i wrote it backwards and it's fixed now.

My current LWB. Four link rear, three link front. Ford Ranger coils with all Johnnie joints.

http://www.fototime.com/{18A4D338-1710-40A7-B008-7EC9C757EBC5}/picture.JPG
http://www.fototime.com/{48468874-8CD5-4C1B-9E70-65817233C7D7}/picture.JPG

My old shorty. Three link from and rear. Fox 14" coil overs.

http://www.fototime.com/{C7CB462B-1036-4B7D-AA9F-CD0397E7CA70}/picture.JPG
http://www.fototime.com/{0C101D24-7FFC-481E-97B0-C3E14739BD3A}/picture.JPG
http://www.fototime.com/{CA81E7C9-E45C-4CE0-AB0A-BDF44241D90A}/picture.JPG

How are those bushing working out for links? Any binding issues at full flex? I'm considering using them on one end to save to money.

The bushings work great at one end. No binding that I can tell. It is a great way to save some dollars.

I always have liked that Diesel powered LWB sami..... :D

I never did get a answer on what are some good heims or bushings to go with and what size etc.?

I never did get a answer on what are some good heims or bushings to go with and what size etc.?

I'm running EXM-10/12-3/4'' heim joints. Got all my rod end parts from here.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/

The heim I'm using has a 3/4'' N.F. thread on the shaft end and will take a
5/8'' bolt on the ball end.

I'm running EXM-10/12-3/4'' heim joints. Got all my rod end parts from here.

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/

The heim I'm using has a 3/4'' N.F. thread on the shaft end and will take a
5/8'' bolt on the ball end.


I'm a litlle more partial to these types of rod ends. Rebuildable, and just don't give any trouble.
http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/flexjoint.htm

I run the RE joints myself.

RE here also.:D

Who makes the RE joints?

Who makes the RE joints?
Short for Rubicon Express...

http://www.rubiconexpress.com/


They were one of the first to master these joints!

I knew that, I just had a "BRAIN FART" and it wasn't coming to me. :shaking:

RE here also.:D
I have 3 years of wheeling on my 9/16s RE's. Not one problem.

ttt

LWB, I was gonna ask ya what coils you are running because I'm putting a 22re in mine and think it would be close in weight to your diesel.....but then I noticed you said you were running Ranger coils.

NOBODY ELSE HAS ANYTHING TO SHARE? :shaking: :(

still workin on mine, will get a link for some pic as soon as i can, maybe by the end of next week

what rate coil is everybody running? i have 175's in the front and rear . they seem way to soft for me!:bounce2:

ive got 220 in the front but i also have a 4.3, seems to work well for me

i am running the RRO kit cut in half and the wheelbase is 103in. i am also running a 22r and i went with 225s in the front and 200s in the rear. i also have a heavy exo so one size softer on the springs might work well for your truck.

I want pics.....lets see pics.....and lots of them!:flipoff2:

I want pics.....lets see pics.....and lots of them!:flipoff2:

Check for Soonerzuk's 3 link thread. I'm doing a step by step for rear.:smokin:

Well........LIKES2CRAWL did you look at Soonerzuk's 3 link? Lots of PICS!

yeah that's looking "KICK ASS"! Makes me wish I lived closer to you so I could have ya link my rig.....I'm still likeing those coil/lower link mounts you got going on. :smokin:

It's getting late, I better get back to work and finish, so Soonerzuk can take it home with him tonight.

:D getting a little further on mine, hopefully be able to get a link for you to check out a few more pics by sunday, maybe it'll help a little

ttt

There are some pics of mine on the other thread labled pics of my zuk. I'm running the large rubicon express joints on mine. Hold up great. Just keep em lubed and clean and adjusted. Just a little prevent maint and they will last a long time. Just rebuilt mine and they are looking good. after 5 years of hard abuse. I replaced the bolts just as a precaution as the zink coating was wearing off the grade 8 bolts. Cheap insurance to avoid a breakage.

Yea I saw that, prety cool rig.