Still not finished, but for the most part most of the main stuff is done, such as links and springs. Not happy that I ended up with a few more inches of lift though, but it travels for days and days, and thats no bull shit!

<IMG width=640 height=480 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/backofCruiser-8.jpg">
<IMG width=640 height=480 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/rearfender-9.jpg">


Jeff

Are you still running the stock reversed flat FJ-40 springs in the front? Hell, it looks level!

Damn nice work!

Hell, more lift means you need some of these 42's :D

Yep, stock up front. I need to work on the front end anyways to fix my drag link which hits my upper frame, so I'll probably just cut the front hangers off, and fab some longer ones for both a tad more of lift and to fix the draglink issue.

42's, not with a Dana 44 front. I'm happy having a front end that does'nt break with 38's under it for now. It looks level in the pics from my crappy camera, but its about 3 inches higher now.

Jeff

Can that camera zoom in for some more close up's? That would be cool as hell if it could.
Jim

I can't see shit, lets see a little more detail on that fine fab work you've been doing there, camera permitting of coarse.

LOL, my camera sucks, most of the pics I take do not come out well enough to post.

Jeff

damn jeff! you been gettin it awn! you did that in the time it took me to do a tire rack...can you say BEGINER?! me of course:flipoff2:
--- looks good. i gotta come by and see it. :rasta:

I can't wait to hear how it turns out when you get a chance to drive it. I would like to know how you set up your IC and if you have much anti-squat. Did you point the IC at the flywheel pilot bushing (estimated COG)?

What size tubing did you use for your rear axle crossmember? What size plate did you use to box in the inner frame rail (4.5x1/4) and did you stitch weld it every few inches on the top and bottom? Did you stitch weld the upper and lower frame sections too?

Is the "IC" the same as the center weight area of the rig? If so, then yes I have both upper and lower links mounted so that they would intersect at around the bellhousing (approx crankshaft level).

Do I want anti squat? (lol) I

Rear tubing is I think like 2" .120 wall I think. I put that on a couple years ago when I built my wishbone trac bar.

Inner frame rail plate is 4" (i think) by 3/16", it may be 4.5, but I don't feel like walking out to the cold garage right now! The frame is stitch welded, the plates are fully welded, (or at least will be)

Jeff

Looks good, Jeff. Man, added to your obvious fabrication skills, I am impressed at how quickly you did this project. I am lucky to get one day per week to work on my Cruisers and am VERY jealous at how get challenging jobs accomplished.

Have you decided how much you are going to let the axle droop with limiting straps, or how you will decide on how long of straps to use?

Thanks for the info Jeff.....I have finally stripped out my rear suspension and now I have to plate the frame and stitch weld it like you did.

Yeah, your IC is where your upper and lower links would intersect if they were extended. I am thinking of setting mine up that way (or close to it if possible). This will dictate how much anti-squat you have. But you won't really know unitl you hit the throttle and watch the rear end.....if it lifts, you have Anti-Squat, if it saggs, you have Squat.

Squat is bad, but so it too much anti-squat. Too much Anti-Squat will cause the rear axle to walk under the rig like a lifted TJ and you will loose traction and begin to wheel hop.

Have you decided how much you are going to let the axle droop with limiting straps, or how you will decide on how long of straps to use?

No I havn't, you have any insight on this for me? I'm not sure how much I should let it drop, and if I should just use one or two straps, basicly you just don't wanna let the axle drop at the same time to far right?

Believe it or not, I only work on mine maybe twice a week. It looks like alot is done, but I still need to remove everything and finish the welds up. Most everthing is just tack welded right now except for the links themselves.

I'd say that I will still be working on it for at least 2 or 3 more weeks. I also need to figure out how to get it out of the garage, since before I had to totally flatten my tires and it would barely fit, and now its a few inches higher.

I'm gonna go take advantage of the day light and try and get some better pics of the undercarage for you guys.

Jeff

Originally posted by dog walker

I'm gonna go take advantage of the day light and try and get some better pics of the undercarage for you guys.

Jeff

Use the flash or a shop light to help with the shadows.

Ok, here's some more (as good as my camera gets with minimal light)
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-16-02-2.jpg">
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-16-02-3.jpg">
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-16-02-4.jpg">
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-16-02-5.jpg">
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-16-02-6.jpg">


Jeff

Holy pinion angle!!!

:eek:

Is it just the picture or do you actually have that pinion pointing to the center if your roofrack???

It's just the pic, the oinion is about 6 degrees lower than the output on the T-case. Its set arounf 25 degrees right now, but the bad ass part about the links is that I can adjust it within a couple of minutes + or - about 15 degrees.

Jeff

Originally posted by dog walker
It's just the pic, the oinion is about 6 degrees lower than the output on the T-case. Its set arounf 25 degrees right now, but the bad ass part about the links is that I can adjust it within a couple of minutes + or - about 15 degrees.

Jeff

Very cool.

And about this onion thing.. I have heard of the pumpkin but never heard of an onion..:flipoff2:

Looks good man. Now get it welded up and tell us how it wheels so I can copy it :flipoff2: :D
I need room for the crawler cases...

does it matter the position of the shackle? I saw one with the shackle laying horizontal to the ground, yours is standing up off the axle, does it matter? Oh, yeah, thanks for the pics, looks killer.
Jim

And about this onion thing.. I have heard of the pumpkin but never heard of an onion..

I can't believe you've never heard of the onion!!! you live in a bubble or somthing!

Oh yeah, I stretched my wheel base out a few more inches to, so I'm about 100" now.

Jeff

Originally posted by dog walker


I can't believe you've never heard of the onion!!! you live in a bubble or somthing!

Oh yeah, I stretched my wheel base out a few more inches to, so I'm about 100" now.

Jeff

Great, first Water Boy and now Bubble boy...
:rolleyes: :D

I'm probably going to move mine out a bit more...
104" would be nice...

Jeff to get your rig out of the garage use giant ratchet straps like what you use to tie a rig to a trailer and use them to compress your suspention a couple of inches. That is what ant from the src does with his really tall rig to get it in his garage.

Looks good, i would say 2 limiting straps to keep it a little on the conservative side, you can always take them off and play with it on the trail and see what you like just weld brackets to bolt them in a coulple of places.

Keep up the good work.

Ian-

Originally posted by COMPLAINE
Jeff to get your rig out of the garage use giant ratchet straps like what you use to tie a rig to a trailer and use them to compress your suspention a couple of inches. That is what ant from the src does with his really tall rig to get it in his garage.


That's a really good idea. Never thought about doing that. :D Now I know what to do when I put my 38's on. :eek:

Jeff to get your rig out of the garage use giant ratchet straps

Good call!!

Jeff

Jeff, that looks PIMP, but I do have one question. why did you put the lower links soooooo close to the pig? Ideally you would want them further out, moving in at an angle, but i can be wrong. Plese let me know. I am gonna build my 1/4 ellip soon again. I can't wait

Dimitri

No I havn't, you have any insight on this for me? I'm not sure how much I should let it drop, and if I should just use one or two straps, basicly you just don't wanna let the axle drop at the same time to far right?

No real insight from me. I was simply planning to use two straps set to limit the axle just before reaching full extension on the shocks. That seems like a reasonable way to do it. I wonder how much Lance limits his now.

Jeff, that looks PIMP, but I do have one question. why did you put the lower links soooooo close to the pig?

I had planned to put them on the outside of the axles and then to the outside of the frame, but I just could'nt find a way with out them interfering with the springs or the tires. Besides I talked to some people that did'nt seem to think it mattered much and I also saw a couple of rigs done that way and they seemed to work just fine.

Here's a few more pics,

<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-17-02-2.jpg">
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-17-02-3.jpg">
<IMG width=320 height=240 SRC="http://www.pirate4x4.com/ubb/uploads/4-17-02-4.jpg">


Jeff

Got 2 suggestions for ya,

one, bridge the gap between the leaf mount and your skid pan mount, or you may end up getting stuck on those vertical faces a lot.

second put a brace to your link tube truss thingy to the top of your diff to spread the force out in more places than the ends of the tube.

Looks bitchen though.

Ian-

Originally posted by Medusa
Have you decided how much you are going to let the axle droop with limiting straps, or how you will decide on how long of straps to use?

Ditto the good job!

There are at least a dozen modified suspensions in the group I wheel with, some 1/4 elliptical. Almost every one of them is set up with a single limiter in the center, most are using a short piece of chain, attached with bolts on tabs at either end. They can make adjustments this way. From what I can tell they have a about an inch slack at ride height. The shocks become the outer limiter in this setup.

Something else I have seen on a few of them is a similar device used to control the wrap of the front pinion, since limiting isn't a problem on a SO.