Barnett air bump kit

[RedHeep]

I've been doing some searching and I'm looking for a couple of opinions from you guys that subject your front ends to more abuse than normal.

The raffle jeep was originally set up with 8 inch coils and 2 inch spacers to match the 8 inch rear leaf springs that turned out to be 10 inches of lift. The bilsteins in the front were purchased with this bigger lift in mind. When I got it home, I took out the springs and spacers and swapped in 6.5 inch coils from clayton. Now my shocks are just a bit long.

I don't mind the decreased up travel, since I'm trying to keep it low with the 35's on it, but I can't find a good bumpstop setup to keep from bashing the shocks everytime I hit something bigger than a pothole. So I was looking at the air bump kit that I saw here in the jeepspeed forum.

Can you run this kit on a non-competition XJ without some type of bracing in the engine compartment? I read that some of you guys recommend an engine cage with the bumpstops, but I'm not desert racing, just weekend wheeling. Do you guys think if I needed some sort of brace that I could get away with a strut bar design from one spring tower to the other?

I'm curious what you guys think. I like the way the jeep is set up, but I know I'm banging the crap out of the suspension bits without a good bumpstop setup.

 

[xcm]

depends on the drivers self control... in actuality, the stock design is inadequate, as after abuse, the stock rubber towers will move....

the magazine article on the air bump install, has little tabs that go between the top of the bumpcan, and the sheet metal... im sure that'd be adequate.

 

[FordGuy]

I have had the set up for years and it works great. You just need to make dam sure it cycles correctly and have your track bar adjusted right where you want it before you weld it in. Once welded your never taking it out. You also want a 2 or 3 inch bump, not a four. They can be ordered in whatever travel you want, they just put a spacer inside.

 

[crazyjim]

I agree their bump kit will work great for crawling, and some every once in a while go fast play time. However, if you plan on slamming whoops every time you go out, I would do some extra reinforcing.

 

[RedHeep]

Thanks for the advice. I don't have much in the way of go fast desert stuff here in NC, so I'm thinking that it will work well.

Now I just need to figure out how to attach the strike pads on the spring mounts.

 

[zachhooters]

I just got back from the chilli cook off sporting the barnett kit with fox 2.0 bumps and they worked great

 

[crazyjim]

Thanks for the advice. I don't have much in the way of go fast desert stuff here in NC, so I'm thinking that it will work well.

Now I just need to figure out how to attach the strike pads on the spring mounts.

Drill a hole through the middle, and put a bolt / nut through it. I ran RE 3.5" bump pads originally, which will probably work great for you, but I mushed them all up. This time I ordered HDPE from McMaster Carr. I plan on recessing the middle a bit to take a bolt.

 

[RedHeep]

I've got a funky spring retainer that came with the clayton bracket kit. I think there's probably a way to get rid of it and retain the spring some other way. The nice thing is there's already a threaded hole in there for the retainer, so I should be able to use it for the bumpstops.

I think I have some laying around from my first RE lift still in the box, if I haven't thrown them out.

Thanks Jim.

 

[foxwar71]

I've got a funky spring retainer that came with the clayton bracket kit. I think there's probably a way to get rid of it and retain the spring some other way. The nice thing is there's already a threaded hole in there for the retainer, so I should be able to use it for the bumpstops.

Im using the Clayton coil buckets on the 60 Im building for my jeep. I ordered just the buckets themselves because I plan to eliminate that little retainer and add a bottom bump pad for whatever bumps I end up running (either some Prothanes or airbumps). My plan is to make a piece of plate 3" round with a tab built into one spot to act as the retainer tab. On top of that will be a length of 3" round stock HDPE/UHMW as the pad. I'll drill and tap the bottom of the plastic for a piece of threaded rod. The rod will then go thru the plate and coil bucket and screw into the existing lower threaded nut. I stole some ideas from Vetteboy's airbump install HERE.

 

[hb davis]

I have been running the JKS hyd bump stop kit for a couple of years now. It just bolts to the existing sheet metal with no extra support it works fine. I have it hard lots of times rock crawling and going fast, everything is holding up fine.

 

[MoparManiac]

I've got a funky spring retainer that came with the clayton bracket kit. I think there's probably a way to get rid of it and retain the spring some other way. The nice thing is there's already a threaded hole in there for the retainer, so I should be able to use it for the bumpstops.

I think I have some laying around from my first RE lift still in the box, if I haven't thrown them out.

Thanks Jim.

I used a 3" diameter UHMW cylinder for my lower bump pad, and just shaved some out of the bottom of it for the little plate retainer.

Not a big deal.

 

[RedHeep]

Yeah, I'm sure I can figure something out. I just need it in front of me.

I'm going to go with some of those profender bumps they've been advertising on pirate. I saw the one thread where the guy took them apart and compared them to fox. Seems like saving a little cash won't hurt for my setup.

 

[xcm]

its not like fox has done anything to push the offroad sport or scene forward... but hey, its your money.

 

[vetteboy]

Yeah, I'm sure I can figure something out. I just need it in front of me.

I'm going to go with some of those profender bumps they've been advertising on pirate. I saw the one thread where the guy took them apart and compared them to fox. Seems like saving a little cash won't hurt for my setup.

It was linked earlier, but here's what I did:

Honestly with that much stuff inside the coil...you don't need coil retainers.

Regarding the profender stuff...last time I was at Rausch Creek, I talked with the Profender guy for about 2 hours and went over every piece of their product he had on his rig. I'd feel very confident running their stuff.

its not like fox has done anything to push the offroad sport or scene forward... but hey, its your money.

 

[RedHeep]

I've tried about 7 times to multiquote and the damn military internet connection just sucks, so here goes.

Please don't turn this into a political statement about what product is better than the other or why we should support one company instead of another one. I'm just trying to find some folks that have used the kit and the best way to install/use it.

VB - Thanks for the pictures, it makes it much clearer. Now I just need to find a local supply that carries that stuff.

 

[RedHeep]

My bumps are at the house, so I'm almost ready to tackle this when I get home.

Should I order the Barnett kit early? I'd like to wait another month to let the finances catch up, but I don't know if it's a low production item and I want to have it when I get home so I can get started.

 

[crazyjim]

They had mine in stock when I bought mine.

 

[sjstar]

just bought mine on monday and got mine a couple days ago. Yet i am still waiting on my frame stiffeners. I hope they dont take a month to come. Cause this floor of parts is killing me. There phones are not ganna go quiet the longer i wait.

 

[cracker]

The raffle jeep was originally set up with 8 inch coils and 2 inch spacers to match the 8 inch rear leaf springs that turned out to be 10 inches of lift.

Wow,

I didn't know they did that. I would have kept the skyjacker 8 coils and trimmed them a tad to get you down.

 

[RedHeep]

The 6.5's work well. I bought a matched set of coils and leaves from Clayton, since that was the kit that we bought.

Everything works really well, there was just never a provision for a proper bump stop or limit strap and the shocks are about 4 inches too long. I'm working on a fix for that too.

I don't really have any desire to go over 35's. I can go where I want here on the east coast and I plan on doing more trail riding and camping with my boys than extreme rock crawling.