Crossmember desighn......

[ZPD]

to somewhat hi-jack this thread, I have seen cross members for those who have a URF style 3 link. Correct me if I am wrong but you all have a 5 speed? Has anyone succesfully done a URF style 3 link with an AW4? I have spent a few hours under my MJ scratching my head and wiping dripping oil off my face trying to figure out how to do it.

 

[CRASH]

It involves a sawzall and floor/tunnel sheetmetal, but it is doable.

 

[FarmerMatt]

I don't think you can call anything by URF "succesful".

CRASH,
I thought you guys were going to stick it out for the sake of the children... Tragic, just tragic.

 

[CRASH]

We both had a hard time keeping it monogamous.

He was after Rick from the first time he laid eyes on him.............

 

[Dirk Pitt]

to somewhat hi-jack this thread, I have seen cross members for those who have a URF style 3 link. Correct me if I am wrong but you all have a 5 speed? Has anyone succesfully done a URF style 3 link with an AW4? I have spent a few hours under my MJ scratching my head and wiping dripping oil off my face trying to figure out how to do it.

kid4lyf

 

[Jes]

kid4lyf

Are his lower link mounts below the "frame" rails or up flush?

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

to somewhat hi-jack this thread, I have seen cross members for those who have a URF style 3 link. Correct me if I am wrong but you all have a 5 speed? Has anyone succesfully done a URF style 3 link with an AW4? I have spent a few hours under my MJ scratching my head and wiping dripping oil off my face trying to figure out how to do it.

How quickly I'm forgotten. I've been running a URF style missing/hidden 3 link with a 4.0HO-AW4-np231 for close to a year now. Crossmember is flush with the bottom of the frame rails. Actual control arm mounts do hang down slightly from the bottom of the crossmember, but still less than the bottom of the old stock crossmember. In fact, I think they hang down less than the bottom of my old modified stock crossmember that was trimmed to the seam and had a 1/4" plate welded in at the seam level. I didn't do any cutting of the floor and only put a small dent in one spot for exhaust clearance. I did reindex my t-case a tiny bit up, modified my t-case shifter linkage, and modified the AW4 shifter linkage a bit. Things are quite tight but I haven't had any damage yet. Oh, I have limited up travel a little bit but not more than most of the west coast guys have as far as I can tell. Also, Kid4lyf's URF style 3link crossmember hangs below the frame rail. Jeff

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbtGzVo3bMZU

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbtGzVo3bMYy

 

[Ghost]

What kind of crappy drivetrain are you guys running to have to pull crossmembers all the time?

In ten years of XJ's, I've pulled the trans 4 times: once for a tranny swap, thrice for new suspension designs.

Is it really that hard to pull 2-4 extra bolts to get the control arm mounts out of the way?

Well actually I'm running a 4 popper with a ax-5 and will be upgrading to an ax-15 eventually. And if I remove the only links that hold the axle in place it will roll out when i go to do something like r&r a chain or drain fluid form the cases if the member are in the way. I am looking for ways ot avoid this. TY for you constructive critism and words of help and wisdom. This place needs moderators to clean the junk out of it.

 

[Ghost]

The arms on my CAT are nicely tucked up inside the frame rails, but this caused me to have to put a bend in the arms to clear the frame on full compression. Not the ideal situation for strength. The mounts themselves go through the floor & wrap up & over the top of the frame rail. The nut is welded to a plate that is welded along the inside of the frame rail.

My JD is the typical crossmember style suspension mounting. I used 2x4x 1/4 & mounted the arms tucked up in front of of it. For a time I had them mounted below the crossmember, but this lead to some embarassing pics of me stuck like a turtle on his back. Since moving them up I haven't had an issue, but it doesn't have near the breakover angle as the CAT does.

Here's a pic from before I moved the mounts up in front of the crossmember. I had gone through all the trouble of insetting the bolt heads flush so that the crossmember was smooth, yet I build huge rock anchors... Live & learn.

Ty for you post Matt I really appreciate it. The cat is what I want to see more of. The JD is what I'm trying to avoid. I will be building and arm like your with a bend in it. Probably out of 2"X.25 any images of that arm will be appreciated.

 

[Gil BullyKatz]

any images of that arm will be appreciated.

What the hell...

go here:

http://www.naxja.org/forum/search.php?searchid=805095

 

[ZPD]

How quickly I'm forgotten. I've been running a URF style missing/hidden 3 link with a 4.0HO-AW4-np231 for close to a year now. Crossmember is flush with the bottom of the frame rails. Actual control arm mounts do hang down slightly from the bottom of the crossmember, but still less than the bottom of the old stock crossmember. In fact, I think they hang down less than the bottom of my old modified stock crossmember that was trimmed to the seam and had a 1/4" plate welded in at the seam level. I didn't do any cutting of the floor and only put a small dent in one spot for exhaust clearance. I did reindex my t-case a tiny bit up, modified my t-case shifter linkage, and modified the AW4 shifter linkage a bit. Things are quite tight but I haven't had any damage yet. Oh, I have limited up travel a little bit but not more than most of the west coast guys have as far as I can tell. Also, Kid4lyf's URF style 3link crossmember hangs below the frame rail. Jeff

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbtGzVo3bMZU

http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8IbtGzVo3bMYy

Jeff you aren't entirely forgotten :kissyou:
I saw your info when I was searching Kid4lyf's. You had some good stuff there and I appreciate it. When I was under my MJ I saw how what appeared to be the only solution would require modifying the shifter and bracket for the AW4 and I was glad to see that is what you did.
Why did you have to re-do your exhaust? Why did you have to clock your T-case? I will crawl under it again tonight or tomorrow and maybe it will be obvious but right now I don't get why you had to do that.
TIA

 

[Ghost]

Any more images then this?

THe measurement tonight looks like I'll have an arm arround 30" or so. How long is that one?
I think I got the mount figured out then. I was thinking of a nut inside the rail also. ty again Matt for you response and assistance. Gil for the record I went through thread for hours this week looking for stuff. You search only proves my point. If you dont give it the right info... it willnot give you what you wnat. ty for you toung in cheek assistance.

 

[Gil BullyKatz]

Gil for the record I went through thread for hours this week looking for stuff. You search only proves my point. If you dont give it the right info... it willnot give you what you wnat. ty for you toung in cheek assistance.

To be honest...

I remember those threads very well...

That's why I knew what to look for...

Cabo Manufacturing is fabbing me some mounts that mount to the inside of the frame rail so it seems I will also have to give my extended radius arms a bend somewhere...

Remember to take pics of your project when you fab it please.

 

[FarmerMatt]

Here's a side pic. Maybe this is more what you're looking for? The length depends on where it's measured from. How are you wanting it measured?

 

[Ghost]

Here's a side pic. Maybe this is more what you're looking for? The length depends on where it's measured from. How are you wanting it measured?

U R Da Man! That is what I want but I would like it to be all from steel and no cast. What bushings are you using to get the arm to turn up? Is your front rotated to force it up? Do you have any shots of it fromthe side that shows how much that bend helps? I assume you welded that tube to the cast with pre heat and post heat? Basically from the c bushing hole to the bung hole! HE HE I said Bung Hole! :wierd:

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

Jeff you aren't entirely forgotten :kissyou:
I saw your info when I was searching Kid4lyf's. You had some good stuff there and I appreciate it. When I was under my MJ I saw how what appeared to be the only solution would require modifying the shifter and bracket for the AW4 and I was glad to see that is what you did.
Why did you have to re-do your exhaust? Why did you have to clock your T-case? I will crawl under it again tonight or tomorrow and maybe it will be obvious but right now I don't get why you had to do that.
TIA

Ok, I know we're kind of treading on another thread, but I'll post one more reply anyway. I clocked the t-case about 1/2 a hole to bring the front output up enough so that it would clear the top of the 2" high crossmember which is mounted so that it's bottom was flush with the plated frame rails bottom. If I were to do it again, I would still clock the t-case, but I would have mounted the lower control arms back a little bit further so the drivers side arm would mount in the crook created when the driveshaft was fully drooped. Then I could have mounted the arms up a bit more and their ends would be flush with the bottom of the crossmember. Clocking the t-case also raised the bottom of it such that a flat piece of steel can now be bolted to the bottom of the crossmember and extend under the t-case for a skid. I've yet to actually do this though.

I had to reroute the exhaust to clear the lower arm mount on the passenger side and to pass over the top of the new crossmember. That was a tricky build with may trial fittings and tacking together of little exhaust tube pieces.

As for the AW4 shifter, I bent the bracket that is bolted to the case in a bit to push the cable as close to the transmission case as I could. This put the cable end closer to the case also, so I redid the shift lever on the tranny to push the cabe attachment piece closer to the tranny case to align it with the cable. Works fine. I also cut a few small pieces off the tranny bellhousing to provide increased clearance for the long upper arm. Jeff

 

[Jeff 98XJ WI]

U R Da Man! That is what I want but I would like it to be all from steel and no cast. What bushings are you using to get the arm to turn up? Is your front rotated to force it up? Do you have any shots of it fromthe side that shows how much that bend helps? I assume you welded that tube to the cast with pre heat and post heat? Basically from the c bushing hole to the bung hole! HE HE I said Bung Hole! :wierd:

Unless you are running a Ford D44 with the cast in C wedges, you can remove the welded on C wedges and rotate them up. I've got a set of weld on C wedges sitting in a box for sale if anyone wants them. Jeff

 

[Ghost]

Unless you are running a Ford D44 with the cast in C wedges, you can remove the welded on C wedges and rotate them up. I've got a set of weld on C wedges sitting in a box for sale if anyone wants them. Jeff

Ding Ding Ding We have a winner! I would not even bother with the radius arm suspinsion if I had an axle with the weld on mounts! I'd go with the stock suspension and weld brackets to it. My axle is out of a 79 F150 and has the cast outers... I gues sthat is what you would call them.