hp60/coilover swap on the XJ...

[ArcticXJ]

Mounting coilovers to a unibody sucks. So...
Here's a few shots of whats been going on with the M.I.A. supafly cherokee:

The general idea here was to design a strut tower style tie in bar that would connect to two shock hoops, and tie into the frame for rigidity:

Noah, the mad scientist. Here you can see the very bottom of the shockhoops/frame plates, and the general suspension setup.

14 bolt. Not toooo wide.

Some test fitting, and preliminary mock up of the coilover axle mounts.

A better view of the aforementioned, and a complete look as to the design of the shockhoop system. The coilovers wont actually mount in the hoops themselves, rather up on the strut tower bar. The shock hoops actually serve most of their purpose as a structural reenforcement, tying the system into the unibody, and adding rigidity to the front end.

Every once in a blue moon, Professer Noah will accidentally lay down a half decent bead. This is one of the uprights that ties the strut bar into the top of the "frame" rails.

More to follow....

 

[ArcticXJ]

Shock hoop, up close. You can see where the frame tie-ins are, as well as the tie-in to the top of the fenderwell. The strut tower bar runs through a cutout in the upper fender well (which on an XJ is structural, and load bearing) and mates to the hoop itself. 1/4" (or so, not positive) plate is then welded around the cutout, and to the tubing, thus tieing the fenderwell into the shock hoop/strut bar assembly.

A better look from the top side at what I was referring to with the plate being welded around the tube, and to the fender.

Side view of whats going on.

Passenger side control arm bracketry.

Driver side axle bracketry. Some trickery going on here as well. "A confined space" would be an understatement. Here the over-the-diff truss is visable, as is it's clever incorporation. The next pic is cooler...

This is a trick little upward-swiveling peice that will rotate up and out of the way to remove the diff cover. We were contemplating the incorporation of a complete poison spyder-like rock ring into this. And for some extra bling, a small gas strut like you'd find on a rear hatch mounted inside the diff housing that would automatically lift the diff cover up out of your way as soon as the bolts were removed.

Welp, thats about all for now. Next week, I'll have pics of the strut tower bar tying into the front bumper, through the grill shell. Goodbye hood latches, hello hood pins.

 

[xjj33p3r]

Awesome setup. I really like the front Diff cover design.

 

[ArcticXJ]

Kinda cool, huh. I reeeealy wanna do the gas strut that I mentioned above the last photo! That'd be about the jeep equivalent of a platnum' chizzain and gold teef. :roflmao:

 

[xjj33p3r]

Do you have any type of sub-frame for those heavy axles? Or will the stock control arm mounts and leaf springs mounts do fine?

 

[ArcticXJ]

The control arm mounts arent stock. Theyre beefy, and welded to 18" of 1/4" angle iron that is partially sleeving the frame and serving as a mount for the current tranny/t-case x-member. Regardless, its all going to be strengthened though.

As far as the stock leaf mounts..... :roflmao: Yeah, those are garbage. The fully dressed 14bolt weighs 500 pouns. The front 60 isnt much less. There's no way in hell I'd wheel this thing hard without first going and fabbing up some subframe sleeving/cross members. Ive just got too little money, and too little time to do it all at once.

 

[xjj33p3r]

Good golly those are some heavy suckers. But that's good to hear that the body side mounts are reenforced for the time being. I don't think those stock leaf mounts could handle the extra 400 lbs without some type of "help"

 

[xjj33p3r]

Oh, and is there going to be a removeable center section for that strut tower? I would deam it useful if you'd ever have to take the cover off

 

[ArcticXJ]

No. Im just gonna run it till it pops.















No, really though Ive got some flanges that are going to be spliced in just inside the uprights.

 

[XJ_ranger]

what happens if you have to remove part of the engine? or pull the head to change a gasket?

i am thinking through my "cage" and want to do something similar to this when i make my cage, but worry about working in the engine bay with the welded in spanner.

 

[bj-666]

This design looks kinda cool but i don't see it having any real strength increase. (the way it looks to work is those 4 bolts hold it to the diff and the one bolt holds it to the bridge) seems to me your relying on the strength of 1\4" flat stock at a spot only a little over and inch wide. With all that being said my bridge only ties into the tubes and it has been fine.

 

[ArcticXJ]

what happens if you have to remove part of the engine? or pull the head to change a gasket?

:wave:

No, really though Ive got some flanges that are going to be spliced in just inside the uprights.

 

[ArcticXJ]

And for the rest who are wondering, YES the over engine truss portion WILL be removable.

 

[SeanP]

CO's on an XJ are sooooo gay

 

[ArcticXJ]

I know. Fags.

Almost as gay has hummer rims.

 

[XJ_ranger]

i dig the bridge grabing the diff cover...

i made my bridge out of channel, and set it to be flat when the pinion is 13* up, so the angle presents a problem for me to grab the diff cover bolts like i had wanted...

im not sure that the pivot helps you much other than the bling factor it seems that the slop in the sleeve and bolt would be a hinderance and not help much?

someday i will be cool enough to do this... - maybe

 

[ArcticXJ]

Jeep is finally sitting on it's own weight. CO's are mounted and good. Steering linkage done, 'cept for drag link needs to be shortened. Oh and theres no trackbar... yet.
Pics in the morning.

 

[Lincoln]

CO's on an XJ are sooooo gay

Coming out of the closet finally?

 

[JeepFreak21]

Coming out of the closet finally?

Where have you been?
http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthread.php?t=19808
Billy

 

[SeanP]

bwahahahahaha!!!!

The wonders of the internet...everything gets cached.

lookin good. I still owe you some completed pictures of my front end.

Billy, been turning wrenches on the chevy. Wanna stop by?

SeanP