The CAT Gets a Little Closer to Buggification (no puppy pics...)

[jmop]

where did you find that 4 link calc? I've looked everywhere for it, and just can't find it

http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=204893&highlight=link+calculator

 

[FarmerMatt]

I've been told puppy pics are not approved. is a family site & naked puppy pics are just too far over the line. I've been threatened with a one year banishment & possible FBI involvement if I continue with the puppy porn. I have since registered with a puppy porn rehab center & erased any incriminating pics from my hard drive. I've turned over a new leaf & it's only clothed puppies for me here on out...

Matt

 

[XJJPR]

I wanna see pics of the puppy driving.

Didn't you notice he has switched from puppies to a furry bear driver!



hinkley

 

[Lincoln]

I've been told puppy pics are not approved. is a family site & naked puppy pics are just too far over the line. I've been threatened with a one year banishment & possible FBI involvement if I continue with the puppy porn. I have since registered with a puppy porn rehab center & erased any incriminating pics from my hard drive. I've turned over a new leaf & it's only clothed puppies for me here on out...

Matt

The one thing that could save Rick and I from an argument of who get ownship of you and it's banned. I think any BOD member in the Fresno vacinity should be beat.

 

[XJoachim]

Well after 2 outings, short day run at Hollister Hills & a long 4 days of wheeling on the Hammers, I can say that I'm extremely impressed. I'm one that always thought that leaves were good enough. I honestly didn't think there would be this big of a difference in performance between leaves & a 4 link. I couldn't have been more wrong. What really blew me away was the effect the rear suspension had on the performance of the front. For instance, I broke my front limit strap on the first jaunt through the dessert out to the trail. I had a severe "unloading" problem in the front end. This is nonexistant at this point. Also gone is the front end lifting the opposite tire in the air as you climb a steep ledge. After 4 days in JV I can't remember an instance where I even lifted a tire off the ground. Even on the steepest of water falls all 4 tires just seemed to want to plant & dig in. I honestly couldn't be happier.

PS
Sean,
The Rock Equipment air shocks absolutly rock. They seem to just float. Going across the dessert, through the whoops, at 70mph. It was incredible. I'm going to look at throwing those things on the front...

That's exactly the impressions i had after converting from leafs to coilovers. :wave:

 

[FarmerMatt]

I've been asked for pics of what's been going on in my evil lab... Just to update this thread I bought a used 609 axle from a guy who was using it as a rear end. The axle came without a center section so I picked up a hi9 complete with detroit. The engine cage & shock hoops are all built & tacked together. All I lack is finalizing the ram assist & a bunch of welding...

Matt

 

[Big Red]

Wow your CAT keeps getting better. Awesome work Matt. You and Richard are sure building up some nice XJ buggies!!!!
I liked seeing your CAT 1st hand at Hollister last year.

I'm kind of particular to CASE tractors being that my wife and my mom's side of the family is from Racine, WI....any chance of a CASE tractor in the future???

 

[BrettM]

single radius arm... interesting. do you anticipate that to be a permanent solution? Is there a center limit strap going in? sway bar?

 

[Lincoln]

The curved box is a nice touch but won't the wife be pissed you cut up her lawn funiture?

 

[lugie]

EWWW! radius arm? hmmm...

 

[Russ Pottenger]

Thats wacha call rock crawler porno.

 

[FarmerMatt]

single radius arm... interesting. do you anticipate that to be a permanent solution? Is there a center limit strap going in? sway bar?

I don't know? I guess it depends on if it works or not. Are you're leaf springs permanent? The one sided radius was my easy way out without having to redo my chasis side suspension mounts. Besides, I was happy with my old radius arms that everybody doesn't like... It will get a center limit strap, but no sway bar as of yet.

Matt

 

[David Taylor]

I don't know? I guess it depends on if it works or not. Are you're leaf springs permanent? The one sided radius was my easy way out without having to redo my chasis side suspension mounts. Besides, I was happy with my old radius arms that everybody doesn't like... It will get a center limit strap, but no sway bar as of yet.

Matt

How did you decide on the drivers side ? Upper mount already there ?

 

[CRASH]

How did you decide on the drivers side ? Upper mount already there ?

Not enough yellow....did you run out of paint?

 

[FarmerMatt]

How did you decide on the drivers side ? Upper mount already there ?

Yep. I didn't change any of the mounts on the axle except for the track bar. It was easier to do this rather than redo the axle mounts. I had to build a new track bar mount on the frame side to make room for the upper axle mount & also because I push the front end forward about 3.5". With the 4d's I should be able to hit a verticle wall straight on & climb. I want to give the obsticle on Hwy 20 another run... Those pics of you guys are making me itchy & Chocolate Thunder sounds very appetizing. I already know Dirty Sanchez. He works for me...

Matt

 

[Paul S]

Yep. I didn't change any of the mounts on the axle except for the track bar. It was easier to do this rather than redo the axle mounts. I had to build a new track bar mount on the frame side to make room for the upper axle mount & also because I push the front end forward about 3.5". With the 4d's I should be able to hit a verticle wall straight on & climb. I want to give the obsticle on Hwy 20 another run... Those pics of you guys are making me itchy & Chocolate Thunder sounds very appetizing. I already know Dirty Sanchez. He works for me...

Matt

I had a feeling that little obsticle on Hwy 20 was driving some of your Mods.

Was your axle relatively far back to begin with? moving it 3.5" forward with a pitman arms seems tough. Where is you TR in relation to your pitman at full stuff?
I moved mine a couple inches forward & my TR comes up above my pitman, only about 1/4" behind it. On my 609 I'm thinking of mounting the TR under the histeer arm like yours so that at full stuff it can move forward of & below the pitman.

P

 

[FarmerMatt]

At full compression my pitman arm fits snuggly between the tierod & the front axle. My old front end was about the same as yours is now. It was as close as I could get it behind the pitman arm as I felt comfy. The pitman arm I'm using here is a dropped arm left behind in my shop from Scrappy (left over parts in my shop are community property) & I mounted the drag link above with a heim & put it in double shear. By doing this I actually ended up mounting the heim about 3/4 of an inch higher than my previous, stock pitnam / heim mounted under, config & gained that in clearance. Man things get tight... I'll be right at 5" of compression & 9" of droop which is about what the rear is at...

 

[Matt S.]

At full compression my pitman arm fits snuggly between the tierod & the front axle. My old front end was about the same as yours is now. It was as close as I could get it behind the pitman arm as I felt comfy. The pitman arm I'm using here is a dropped arm left behind in my shop from Scrappy (left over parts in my shop are community property) & I mounted the drag link above with a heim & put it in double shear. By doing this I actually ended up mounting the heim about 3/4 of an inch higher than my previous, stock pitnam / heim mounted under, config & gained that in clearance. Man things get tight... I'll be right at 5" of compression & 9" of droop which is about what the rear is at...

Could you consider the CAT a "part" and leave it behind there? :jester:

 

[Goatman]

At full compression my pitman arm fits snuggly between the tierod & the front axle....

That's how mine is on the buggy. The tie rod is out front, then the pitman arm, then the track bar, then the UCA mount.........all very tightly fit together at full stuff.

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

I've been asked for pics of what's been going on in my evil lab... Just to update this thread I bought a used 609 axle from a guy who was using it as a rear end. The axle came without a center section so I picked up a hi9 complete with detroit. The engine cage & shock hoops are all built & tacked together. All I lack is finalizing the ram assist & a bunch of welding...

Matt

What steps did you end up taking to reconfigure the axle to be used in the front? I recall something about needing to redrill the carrier pattern due to the housing being used in the rear with a flipped center section or something like that and then the axle shafts not being the right length for your front use. Oh, why the square over engine bar as opposed to round tubing? Jeff