[poorwheeler]

I was mounting my FROR xmember when I ran into a snag. In the instructions and in the pics it showes the xmember sitting on top of the weld on brackets. Well in my truck there was not enough room to sit em on the brackets. I would have had to lower my drive train about 2 inches, which would defeat the purpose of the whole thing. So in order to make it work I had to mount the brackets upside down on the frame and hang the crossmember off the bottom. Which means right now at all times the weight of my drivetrain is hanging on the 2 bolts. Trying to go the other way runs into my cab. This way I was only able to add 1/2" of lift to the drivetrain and it hits my cab. I am thinking all of the installs I have seen on these are newer years with 3" body lifts. Mine is an 83 with a 2" body lift and dual cases. Ill post a pic, but I don't know if you can see what I am saying.

 

[rockcrawlinredneck]

SAWZALL, SAWZALL, get out the sawzall and cut some slots in the floor boards and run the brackets up thruogh the floor. Its not like the cab of your truck is in good shape anyway fawk it lets cut it up!!!!

 

[NoBrainR]

Seams like Brian Elinger said you could put the mounts in any of 4 possible positions and they would all work fine. I can't see any problem from your pic. It looks like the cross member is hanging from the brackets, right ?

 

[Dirty Harry]

You are OK according to the information in this article on the River City Rockcrawlers site.

 

[poorwheeler]

Yah its hanging from the brakets. Just didn't know if the bolts supplied with the kit could hold the constant static load of the drivetrain. Email'd FROR and have not been able to get a response. Do you know the grade f the bolt that comes with the kit? Could I get a tougher bolt for security? maybe some beefy grade 8 washer to make it more rigid. Looking for longevity here.

 

[NoBrainR]

Just guessing, but they look like maybe a 5/8" bolt. I don't think you have to worry about them.

 

[rustyfloor]

Had the same problem...ended up cutting the vertical part of the frame bracket. I'm not sure why they were so long as supplied. The bolts should be strong enough, since they're basically carrying the same type of load as a U-bolt in a sprung-under axle/leaf spring combo. I'd get a grade 8 for peace of mind. Be sure to weld on the corner gussets for the brackets, though.

 

[rustyfloor]

Can't tell from the pic...you may have already welded the corner brackets in place.

 

[steveh]

Your fine, when I wrote the artical, Brian and I talked about this, the preffered method is to set the xmem on top, but the brackets and bolts are beefy enough for it to hang with no problem.

I guess the 83 and older have less room underneath. My truck (85) with a 2" body lift had tons of room on top.

 

[crashinaz]

If you're that worried about it, I'd say weld a plate across the bottom of the frame to the bottom of the mount... Turning it into a horizontal double shear. This would mean you'd have to unbolt the X-member for the T-case when dropping the tranny or T-case, but hey... It's just a few more bolts.