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88' XJ LT1 Conversion and more
- Thread starter ibeanob
- Start date
Ha ha a pictures says a thousand words. All other tires are on the ground and blocked. The vehicle was very stable but I can see how it looked otherwise. Don't worry I've been doing custom work on vehicles for about 20 years now and almost crushed twice. I am always sure that things are stable
but I appreciate the concern.
but I appreciate the concern.After tack welding I rand beads down the length and the painted with standard paint for now. I am most likely going to line-x the entire bottom of the jeep. I am also considering running more 10 gauge under the frame to make it more like an L beam. I am also going to run the motor mount bolts all the way through the stiffener for extra stability rather than just on the inside of the frame where they are now.
I did the same for the centerpiece on the passenger side as I did for the front. The only difference is the unibody frame was dented upward and this area probably from hitting a boulder. I was unable to completely straighten it so I just ran the new rail along the dent so that I could still weld it.
I removed the gas tank and began inspecting the unibody frame at the rear where I knew the vehicle had been rear ended. I located breaks on both sides at the end of the class 3 hitch frame. The problem with these breaks is there is no easy access to the inside of the frame without cutting into or removing the rear cross support just under the rear hatch in order to properly straighten the rail so that it can be welded. I am going to think about this one for a while before I move forward. Frame straightening on a unibody is one of the few things I have not attempted in the past.
I started to work on the rear stiffeners today. I had been debating about how to straighten out the rear sub frame. I had never attempted any body work in the past and decided to cut open the rear cap on the sub frame so that I could access it. Once I cut it open, I placed a custom cut piece of wood inside the sub frame so that I could bang on the sub frame with a hammer and still keep it somewhat straight. This seemed to work pretty good for the passenger side. I noticed the driver side did not need as much work so I just beat on it with a hammer without the wood inside and was able to straighten it.
Next I am going to weld in the rear stiffener. I also went to my local steel shop and picked up some 2 1/2" wide 1/8" thick strap steel to weld on the underside of the rear and the front since the kit did not come with those pieces. The strap only ran $27 which tells you that you could make the entire stiffener yourself for cheaper than the kit but it saved me time so I don't mind.
Next I am going to weld in the rear stiffener. I also went to my local steel shop and picked up some 2 1/2" wide 1/8" thick strap steel to weld on the underside of the rear and the front since the kit did not come with those pieces. The strap only ran $27 which tells you that you could make the entire stiffener yourself for cheaper than the kit but it saved me time so I don't mind.
- Location
- WA state
I cannot see any of the pics.
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
All the pics work for me.
JFYI, I think that's a "cast wedge" dana 44, they are usually a lot cheaper than the welded-wedge ones because you can't cut the wedges off, so you are basically stuck with the Ford radius arm setup. Fine for you probably since you are going for a desert build and probably don't need much articulation in the front, but it's something to keep in mind, especially when designing your front suspension.
JFYI, I think that's a "cast wedge" dana 44, they are usually a lot cheaper than the welded-wedge ones because you can't cut the wedges off, so you are basically stuck with the Ford radius arm setup. Fine for you probably since you are going for a desert build and probably don't need much articulation in the front, but it's something to keep in mind, especially when designing your front suspension.
Yeah I thought about that especially since I am having a hard time locating the radius arms right now. I plan on making regular trips to the local pick-n-pull in the hopes a truck comes in with them.
Finally located some radius arms for the front Dana 44. Just have to clean them up and begin deciding how I am going to mount them. I am torn between using a true Johnny Joint or a Heim Joint. Any thoughts?
Hiems cheap and tough
Yeah but what about the ride. I am building this for the desert. Most trips take 10-12 hours just to get where we are starting. I have been looking around and most are saying Johnny Joints ride better. I am wondering about durability though.
- Location
- Wasatch Range
How about a tough rebuildable joint you can lube?
http://www.summitmachine.com/index.php?p=customParts&cp=jj
http://www.summitmachine.com/index.php?p=customParts&cp=jj
Homes shouldn't be to bad it used that big bushing at the axle end. And it will be more durable I believe.
- Location
- Rainy side of Washington
Have you run either? Have you even held either? And it's "heim" joint, not home or hiem.
I have held both. Sorry I suck at spelling. I prefer hiems, they seem tougher, and I have seen them hold up to a retard on 39s. I like them, I will be running them my self soon hopefully.
Vanimal
NAXJA Forum User
- Location
- escondido, ca
johnny joints have outlasted all of my hiems, from cheap ruffstuff ones, to expensive fk ones.
Expect a lot of binding with those radius arms regardless of what joint you run. The last xj i saw on the trail with those had such bad binding issues that it snapped both arms and was stuck on the trail.
Expect a lot of binding with those radius arms regardless of what joint you run. The last xj i saw on the trail with those had such bad binding issues that it snapped both arms and was stuck on the trail.
- Location
- Wasatch Range
Not really the best way, but A way........ http://www.broncofix.com/viewtopic.php?p=1074871
