bump stop tower bracing and bump pads

[grandrunner]

so im going to be gettin the t&j bumpstop bracket kit put in at the end of the month. i was wondering how to go about bracing the tower or whatever its called, ive seen people plate the outside but is there andything else?anywhere to gusset or strengthen it out.

and also what is everyone using on the axle to raise the lower bump. will the RE extended lower bump work? or would welding in a metal cylinder work as well, im not to concerned about the noise it will make when it hits.

[vetteboy]

When I did mine, I used 4" round UHMW stock. McMaster sells it in 3"-long sections which worked perfect for me:

http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/116/3569/=826gpb

They fit inside my 6.5" Rusty's coils, they did not fit inside my 4.5" Rusty's coiils. Might have to shave the outside down a little bit. I drilled and tapped the bottom for a threaded stud:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2072/53/103/24800499/n24800499_33128532_8751.jpg

and threaded it into the coil seat.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2072/53/103/24800499/n24800499_33134868_1675.jpg

Notice that I plated the outside...this worked for a while, but eventually it started deforming the whole tower and ripping the seam in the middle of the inner fender. The best thing you can do is make sure the bump hits as square as possible to minimize leverage on the inner fender structure.

[FatCity Ryan]

We used to run alluminum blocks. Simular to the above. The factory pad weld broke once, and a larger 7/16 bolt broke once. We finnaly just built raised pads from some thick tube that are welded on.

[ratboy93]

We used to run alluminum blocks. Simular to the above. The factory pad weld broke once, and a larger 7/16 bolt broke once. We finnaly just built raised pads from some thick tube that are welded on.



x2 welded .250 wall tube with a 1/4 plate on top.. ill get some pictures for you

[Cache96]

Why not just put the bumps somewhere else instead of inside the spring? I was thinking of putting them there but now with my coilovers i will just be putting it somewhere else... just not sure where yet.hahahah..

[grandrunner]

yeah i dont know where else i could put them, and i wanted them there because my jeep is a wannabe jeepspeed. so i want it to resemble a jeepspeed as much as possible and maybe way later down the road when its not a DD any more i could race it.

[ratboy93]

your rig would have to classifies as a jeepspeed/ prerunner if im thinking of the right rig.. you have the back zj? or wj?

[grandrunner]

naa. cache96 has the black one. mines dark green

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=1025839&highlight=grandrunner

http://i20.photobucket.com/albums/b223/dunerocker/013-3.jpg

[ratboy93]

ok well still looks good

[Cache96]

Yea i dont know where to put mine either, we will figure it out.. you should race it that would be sick... i love to race mine but dont have the money for it..hahaha

[FatCity Ryan]

Yea i dont know where to put my bumps either, we will figure it out..



Piece of cake:dunno:

http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/FatCity1/BUMP.jpg


http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b392/FatCity1/BUMP2.jpg

[Ryan93]

cantilever for the win

[xcm]

i have that pic of the baldwin truck in the garage. it keeps me humble!

isnt that actually a mezzanine suspension? doesnt cantilever usually just refer to the shocks, like in a LT truck that needs to keep the shocks below the bed?

[Ryan93]

this is mezzanine
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j277/motoman51/azexpo007.jpg
http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j277/motoman51/butchpbr03.jpg

[grandrunner]

thats awesome! but ok lets remember we have jeeps hahaha back on topic. anyone else?

what about acos pros vs the tand j kit. dont worry about the price. just compare the two.

[xcm]

WE have jeeps, you have a grand! =)


acos pro is for the bolt on crowd.
t&j for the fabbers. after messing with the t&j kit, I would source the materials myself and save, theres really nothing more than cutting out steel on the bandsaw, it doesnt warrant the price imho.

[grandrunner]

haha its a jeep! a luxury jeep lol.... yeah i was thinkin of just having my uncle fab up the kit. its pretty simple enough, just wanted it to be strong because we all know how easy these towers bend

[HeavyMetal]

WE have jeeps, you have a grand! =)


acos pro is for the bolt on crowd.
t&j for the fabbers. after messing with the t&j kit, I would source the materials myself and save, theres really nothing more than cutting out steel on the bandsaw, it doesnt warrant the price imho.

after seeing the t&j kit, i went out and made all the pieces myself for mine. the biggest pain was hole-sawing the plates for the bump tube to go through, but other than that i saved a good deal of cashola no doubt..

[vetteboy]

Just so you know what to expect. Here's how the stock coil seat looks with the bump removed:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2072/53/103/24800499/n24800499_33128131_1065.jpg

It's got a few stitch welds that hold it on; just grind 'em down and knock it off with a hammer.

Here's mine when I was mocking everything up...

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2072/53/103/24800499/n24800499_33132309_2609.jpg

My travel situation didn't require me to hole saw through anything. I used 2.5" x .25 tube for the bump cans and drilled/tapped holes for set screws in the side of it to hold the bumps in place.

[FatCity Ryan]

Wow! That bump is set really low. How much lift, and what size tire are you running?

[vetteboy]

At the time, it was pretty low. The first pic I had shows it at a little over ride height:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2072/53/103/24800499/n24800499_33134868_1675.jpg

I dunno what the actual lift height was, but I had 38.5's and the limiting factor was the inner fender and the stock top shock mount location, for the most part.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs088.snc3/15535_584460160239_24800499_34448938_7730020_n.jpg



With all the crap gone I was able to lower the ride height a little and gain some more uptravel:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4255347933_d61b8d33a0_o.jpg

[GrimmJeeper]

WE have jeeps, you have a grand! =)

Quit being such an e-thug, toughguy. Ryan is cool peeps. I didn't see you out in the desert with me beating your rig like he was. Come to think of it do you even wheel your jeep?

[xcm]

yeah, because e-thugs allways use a smilie face at the end of their sentances.

[Darky]

yeah, because e-thugs allways use a smilie face at the end of their sentances.
I usually do and I think I'm pretty thuglike. ;)

[GrimmJeeper]

http://i298.photobucket.com/albums/mm262/jsmurley1289/ImPrettyGangsterMyself.jpg

[grandrunner]

hahaha nice convo guys lmao. thanks mike

[Darky]

That's pretty much what I look like on the inside.

[GrimmJeeper]

I'm more ghetto than most of the black and mexican guys i know, product of your environment ftw.. nothing like growing up on the border between Gardena and Compton :gee:

[FatCity Ryan]

At the time, it was pretty low. The first pic I had shows it at a little over ride height:

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/photos-ak-snc1/v2072/53/103/24800499/n24800499_33134868_1675.jpg

I dunno what the actual lift height was, but I had 38.5's and the limiting factor was the inner fender and the stock top shock mount location, for the most part.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs088.snc3/15535_584460160239_24800499_34448938_7730020_n.jpg



With all the crap gone I was able to lower the ride height a little and gain some more uptravel:

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4009/4255347933_d61b8d33a0_o.jpg



Any pics of how you fit the winch in there?

[vetteboy]

The factory front crossmember has a set of holes in it that match the standard 10" x 4.5" pattern on most of the small winches...at some point there was a factory 'hidden' winch option that came with some reinforcing pieces to drop the winch behind the bumper.

Turns out that with a little creative trimming on the bottom of the factory crossmember, you can use those same holes and put the winch behind it instead. Tight, but doable...here's the clearance to the balancer:

http://pages.prodigy.net/dmacock/winch/DSC02498.JPG

and the steering box:

http://pages.prodigy.net/dmacock/winch/DSC02497.JPG

(and yes, the steering box sneaks by without having to remove the winch).

I basically used the stock front crossmember holes for mockup, and built a sort of vertical 'winch tray' across the front with 1/4" angle. Then tied it into the frame rail plating, front tubework, etc.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs088.snc3/15535_584932199269_24800499_34466796_1131972_n.jpg

The freespool lever is a little annoying to get to, just gotta reach under for it. I relocated the solenoid pack up by the battery and have it permanently wired to a switch in the cab.

[CumminsJeep]

oh my lord.....:drool:

[grandrunner]

alright i got all the parts ordered. what do you all think a good height to make the lower bump pads. 4inches?

[FatCity Ryan]

You have to take the springs off, let the air out of the bump and compress them. Then cycle the axle up to where you want it to stop. There's your measurment. You don't want your shock to be the bump stop, or the limit strap.

Plus, watch any interferance with your axle and the oil pan.

[grandrunner]

yeah right now my axle hits the oil pan before the shock bottoms. so im bumping it right before that. and the straps are on just need to find a new place to connect them since my new steering is in the way. i used to have them on the sway bar mounts on the axle.

[Cache96]

That sucks about your axle truss hitting the pan, better measure right.. lol.. what kind of bumps did you get?:rof:

[grandrunner]

i got fox 2.0. 2.5 stroke. i got a dam good deal on the deaver coils and the bumps.

[Cache96]

cool deal, my Fox 2.0 10" are going to be for sale in the next week if you know of anyone interested.

[HeavyMetal]

cool deal, my Fox 2.0 10" are going to be for sale in the next week if you know of anyone interested.
are they remote reservoir?

been looking for a pair of 2.0x10" remote resi shocks to buy

[grandrunner]

put em up for sale under the craigslist and rdc section

[Cache96]

are they remote reservoir?

been looking for a pair of 2.0x10" remote resi shocks to buy

Yup with resi.

[jeeperjohn]

I'm more ghetto than most of the black and mexican guys i know, product of your environment ftw.. nothing like growing up on the border between Gardena and Compton :gee:
That makes you a breango!

[grandrunner]

ok after lookin at what needs to be done i came to a hault. in order to work inside my engine compartment i have to remove the ac system on one side and the abs brake system on the other side. PITA i would think. so would just welding a plate to the bottom be just as effective to mount as it would be if i actually went through the coil tower????, the only thing i could think of for going though the inside would be is that im risking some strength i think. or do you all think it would be fine just mounting to the bottom and not going through?

for a reference i was lookin at the jp mag prerunner cherokee build or something like that where they used the daystar stinger bumps and only welded to the bottom and didnt go through as well as vetteboy did on his pics on page 2 of this thread. because if i dont have to go through i would rather not and save myself the struggle and money haha

daystar example with deaver coils
1:http://www.jpmagazine.com/projectbuild/154_1008_1999_jeep_cherokee_sport_project_jr_2_0/photo_10.html
2:http://www.jpmagazine.com/projectbuild/154_1008_1999_jeep_cherokee_sport_project_jr_2_0/photo_11.html
3:http://www.jpmagazine.com/projectbuild/154_1008_1999_jeep_cherokee_sport_project_jr_2_0/photo_15.html

[GrimmJeeper]

Remember what happened to my coil towers in JV, Ryan? if you're ramming into the bumps they are going to start to give up and do the same thing, it's going to take more than just welding a plate onto the outside. Vetteboy redid his upper coil buckets with plate and even he said after awhile they started caving in again. the big advantage to going through to the inside is you can weld tube to the cans where they come through to help brace them from the back. It will work, but not as good as it could. once that upper coil bucket starts caving in it hurts the structure of that whole front corner, even if you bend it back the metal is already going to be fatigued and it will just happen again.

Are you saying the AC and ABS units would have to be removed permanently, or just moved out of the way to do the work? if it isn't permanent don't take the lazy way out, you've done too much good work on that thing to start skimping now.

[grandrunner]

it would have to be removed just untill the plate, welds and hole are cut through. i could care less about even reinstalling the ac anyways. havent had it in 2 yrs and dont plan on it haha. but just wanted opinions on it.

[vetteboy]

Dump the ABS too.

Plating just the bottom saves the coil bucket and wrecks the rest of the inner fender structure. I had all kinds of things ripping and cracking by the time I cut all that crap out.

[grandrunner]

gotcha. ill be goin through then. yeah i dont need to have the abs either, i cut the wires a long time ago. but i dont know how to get rid of the system itself. haha my buddy said they can do it at his shop though. for a price lol

[GrimmJeeper]

just need to bend some hardline and rebleed the system. Your ABS light is probably going to come on though, unless you pull the bulb. not sure if that will F with smogging it or not, I don't see why it would but who knows with the way the laws are in this state :rolleyes:.

[grandrunner]

the lights been on already since i cut the wires. im sure my uncle could help me out with it. hes pretty handy with engines and things like that haha

[Cache96]

why disable abs?

Make sure to remove your airbags sensors or everything.. a friend forgot to do this in his F150 and he landed wrong and the airbags went off...

[GrimmJeeper]

I blew my airbag in glamis as well, hurt like hell :gee:

[grandrunner]

why disable abs?

Make sure to remove your airbags sensors or everything.. a friend forgot to do this in his F150 and he landed wrong and the airbags went off...


well thers not really a point in having abs. plus i heared, but dont know if its true that it helps breaking with bigger tires? i donno. but also heared it helps when crawling thaat you can lock your brakes... yeah my air bag has been disconnected for a while too. when i did my bumper a while back.

[tharlanjr]

ABS in the ZJ's brings the suck when your offroad.

On my old lifted ZJ I swapped axles and kept the abs sensors off then pulled the fuse.

If you leave it in and you need to lock up your tires in the dirt sometimes the abs kicks in and you will keep rolling.

When my niner gets lifted the abs will be removed.

[Cache96]

ahh ok... cool.. i guess i'll be removing mine as well.

So do you just remove the fuse or is there something else to remove?

[tharlanjr]

I unplugged the sensor and the fuse.

You can always go the full mile and pull the whole abs pump.

Your gonna have the abs light on, but you can pull the bulb.

If you get into an accident on the street it might not look to good having just pulled the fuse.

[Paul Airhart]

I'm more ghetto than most of the black and mexican guys i know, product of your environment ftw.. nothing like growing up on the border between Gardena and Compton :gee:

How about Laos & Cambodia? Worked in that area, Scary at night.