Front Coilover Mounting

[Cache96]

Mine will be going on top of the axle..

 

[BADaXJ]

Well progress has been painfully slow but I finally got to set it down on it's own weight. Front was 1/8" higher than the rear with no bumper, radiator, battery, etc. This was also with no preload, so it should sit just about right with the extra weight and a bit of preload. I stood on the front (200lb) and it went down about a 1/4" so I'm not expecting much sag. I can also mess with the dual rate stop if I need to, and have the high rate effective just below ride height. Anybody ever try that, so you have the higher spring rate for driving on the street? Anyway, here's the good stuff, more to come when it's finished. Credit to Vanimal for the idea, which I pretty much copied :worship:

1/4" main plate with 4 1/2" bolts per side tied into the engine mounts, 3/16 for the side and outside plates. Finding a home for the resi's was a pain, and if I did it again I'd very seriously consider emulsions! Had to move the proportioning valve and pdc but neither was a big deal.

 

[Cache96]

That looks really good, Are you thinking of any bracing on top side to side? you can use tube and put in these interlocking tube clamps to make the brace removable.
http://www.lowrangeoffroad.com/inde...apters/chromoly-interlocking-tube-clamps.html



Here is my engine cage, still working on it. Its going to have coilover and bypass mounts

 

[Vanimal]

looks like mine but nicer haha.
i ran a bar between the top of the towers that bolts on so i can easily remove it. I mounted my res's on that bar directly under the hood vents. It's not the best place for them due to engine heat, but like you said, it's a PITA finding a good spot for them. I'm going to put on 90 degree fittings on the bodies and run longer lines so i can get them in a better spot. Haven't had any fading issues with them yet. I run them pretty hard but not for very long so i think that helps.

 

[BADaXJ]

Thanks guys. Making good progress, but I seem to keep adding to the list... I do plan to run a brace between the two towers. It will consist of angle iron welded in a shape that fits over the top and a bar between the two. It will be removable by bolts holding the angle to the towers, since I have to be able to pull the resi's up through the top of the towers, and the shock has to come up through initally as well, because the hoses are too short. An extra 4-6" of hose would have made a big difference... I should also mention that I may consider starting a new thread, since this won't be a jeepspeed build. I just started here because it seems to have the best crew for my initial questions. Having said that, I'm not too concerned with the tower brace, since it'll be mostly used for mild trails and crawling, as well as some street duty.

 

[BADaXJ]

Finally on the road again... I was pretty excited to be "done" after having it stuck in the garage for about 3 years. It was bittersweet though, front aussie is skipping and not locking up properly. Guess it's time to tear it out again. I am very happy with how the suspension turned out though, handles dirt roads like a dream at 45-60 mph!

 

[Cache96]

Looks bad ass man! I took mine around the block and it rode amazing.. alot smoother than before.

 

[BADaXJ]

Got to do some more testing, I'm loving the suspension but after stripping the teeth off two lunch box lockers I've come to the conclusion that the passenger side axle tube is bent/ warped. I'm guessing it was from welding the homemade truss on. I was pretty careful with it, but I'm leaning towards the welding being the cause. At this point, I'm either going to try and straighten it, or go built JK 44's with 37's. Pretty disappointed since I was feeling a little closer to "done" with this rig, although you know they're never really done...

 

[Phil]

Did you see the coil over towers that Ruff Stuff sells for like $100? Thoughts on those?

 

[BADaXJ]

Those would probably work ok, but they would definitely need some extra reinforcement in my opinion. I considered pre-fabbed towers before I built mine and I decided it would be more work to fit them properly than it would be to just build them form scratch...

 

[rockclimber]

Did you see the coil over towers that Ruff Stuff sells for like $100? Thoughts on those?

the amount of work it would take to fit those would defeat the purpose of buying them.

 

[Phil]

Those would probably work ok, but they would definitely need some extra reinforcement in my opinion.

How so? What is your expected failure mechanism, tension, bending, or shear? Due to dynamic loading, static forces, or fatigue cycles? Where would you add additional reinforcement? Through shapes or material? This is relevant to my interests.

 

[Phil]

the amount of work it would take to fit those would defeat the purpose of buying them.

Also they use no diamond plate.

 

[Vanimal]

How so? What is your expected failure mechanism, tension, bending, or shear? Due to dynamic loading, static forces, or fatigue cycles? Where would you add additional reinforcement? Through shapes or material? This is relevant to my interests.

Take a look under the hood and try to find a spot for them that doesnt interfere with, well, everything. Plus you're welding to sheet metal. the amount of work you'd need to do will not be worth it, just make it from scratch.

 

[BADaXJ]

How so? What is your expected failure mechanism, tension, bending, or shear? Due to dynamic loading, static forces, or fatigue cycles? Where would you add additional reinforcement? Through shapes or material?

Assuming these are the ones you're talking about:
http://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/STOWER975.html

If you must know, I haven't done any FEA analysis, calculations of any kind, or fatigue loading simulations

Having said that and just looking at them, there isn't nearly enough weld area for the unibody attachment location IMO. Look at the two little vertical "fingers." If you were welding them to a frame, maybe so, but not with the thin unibody. If you look at my design, the side plates come all the way to the bottom of the "frame" rail, not to mention the 1/4" plate on top of the 1/8" stiffeners and the (4) 1/2" grade 8 bolts sandwiching everything together. It may be overkill, but that's how I roll, and keep rolling. Also, the lower edge, parallel to the frame rails, won't fit the contours and engine mount brackets etc. so a weld on that edge wouldn't be much good. Not only do you have too little weld area, but unless you tie the top into the sheet metal, the moment on the insufficient "fingers" may tear them right out of the unibody. Lastly, you can't add additional reinforcement "shapes" without material :lecture:.
They may work fine, but like we already said, the fit won't be nearly as nice as something built from scratch for the XJ... As mentioned before and most importantly there's no diamond plate!

 

[Phil]

So you had to weld a reinforcement plate onto the top and Sid e of the frame rail before you welded on your shock tower, to prevent tear out? You don't see any issue with the function of the Ruff Stuff towers, other than making sure there is a prepared mounting surface, and the spelling of Rough?

Everything weld to an XJ is welded to sheet metal, mounting surface reinforcement is a given.

 

[BADaXJ]

I didn't plate the top, since I just have the back plate flush to the frame rail. I did weld the entire back side where it meets the top of the frame though. As I recall, there is a pinch seam or something there, you'd have to check it out. I really just don't think it's worth the hassle...

 

[EricsXJ]

I don't mean to take anything away from the shock towers these guys have made, as they really look well done. I was going to go that route also but decided to go with the traditional shock hoops. I bought the universal hoops from Liquid Iron http://www.liquidironindustries.com/product.php?productid=18045&cat=0&page=&featured=Y and the only reason I bought these instead of making my own is I don't have a 180* die for my bender. They went in fairly easy even though I ALWAYS make it more work than it should be. I ran a brace over the engine tying the two together and am sure it will work well.

 

[MoparManiac]

Chris (vetteboy) made some very similar looking shock towers for the front of his XJ.

I wouldn't be surprised if you could get the Ruffstuff ones to work without much work.

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/jeep-cherokee/846092-some-updates-goin-faster-6.html.

 

[Phil]

Lastly, you can't add additional reinforcement "shapes" without material :lecture:.

Sorry, missed this last night. You know perfectly well there is a huge difference in weight and strength between adding a little bit of material to get a shape to resist torsion or bending, and just plating the whole thing or making it out of something retarded like 1/2" plate.