Ford cast Raduis arm mounts....

[Ghost]

I'm going to be putting a front RC 79 D44 in this winter I hope! I am considering mounting the stock Ford Radius arm mounts to the XJ unibody. For those that dont know they are a L shaped bracket that bolts or rivits to the frame. Any thoughts on material to reinforce the unibody and method to make this work? Plan is to use the stock ford radius arms since they are 31" long and should end up about where the crossmember is on my 84.....

 

[JeepFreak21]

Search is your friend.
Billy

 

[Ghost]

Search is your friend.
Billy

Been there done that did not find what i was looking for! Otherwise I would not have bothered to post!

 

[0313]

We used 1/4" L-channel to stiffen the unibody.
Extend the radius arms and build a new crossmember, dont use the bushings on the mounts, change to hiems or JJs or something similar.
If you leave it as is with the stock radius arms it will be about 8 inches shy of the crossmember.

Also some will tell you the radius arms will mount just inside the frame rails, this wasnt the case with mine for some reason, they are paralell with the ground, even with 7 degree c bushings. They do make a 12 or 14 degree c bushing now though, it might help.

 

[old_man]

Ghost, I am doing about the same thing you are doing other than I am putting on a SuperFlex joint.Yes it will end up just in front of the crossmember without extending the arm. I am not extending the arm because they will end up just about the same place my long arms that I built were and it was plenty long enough for me. I used .25" angle to sleeve the rail, I then used a large square tube that I sliced in the band saw to make a bracket that I welded to the .25" angle. You can see a pix at my site http://www.4x4getaways.com/LongArms.htmhttp://www.4x4getaways.com/longarms.html

By the way, if I remember right the arms are forged not cast on most year models and as such can be welded to without a lot of hassle. Most people around here plate the arms to add strength because some have bent the arms.

 

[xj paddler]

I am also looking at doing the same swap( almost)

OLD MAN you said that you had long arms before was that on a D30, or the 44, I have been thinking about doing long arms on the 44 but after reading it seams most folks stay with the radious arms ( what are the pros and cons of this).

later Heath

 

[RCP Phx]

His long arms are radius arms???

 

[0313]

Any way you do it if you want more flex you are going to want to extent the radius arms.
It is the only way to get decent anything out of them.
Ask any of the Early Bronco guys, they will all tell you the same. DONT use the bushings on the frame side of the radius arms and to extend them. There are many companies that make extended ones, there are even designs out there to extend the ones you have by basically threading them on. The only downside to using the stock ones is that they hang down too far. Most companies that make extended radius arms design them to not hang down so far, so they are more tucked up by the frame. Less likely to get caught or drag over rocks and other things. Here is a decent write up of extending your radius arms

 

[Ghost]

Here is a decent write up of extending your radius arms

Ok, I have seen this and wondered weather or not it would actually hold up. My theory on using the stock arms was that I had a much lighter rig then most of you. 4 popper power! LOL! I had talked to a fabin friend about building a set with JJ on the frame end but that is as far as we have gotten.

http://classicbroncos.com/img/radiusarms6.jpg My arms are identical to these and they are cast are they not? I've searched on here several times but there are not a lot of good detailed images of the different approaches that you guys have taken to mount the radius arm suspension.

 

[CRASH]

Stock arms will bend. Guaranteed.

CRASH

 

[old_man]

If they bend they are forged. If they are cast, they would break. Cast is a lot more brittle.

 

[Ghost]

http://crazy4mopar.tripod.com/xjfront442.jpg This is what i was thinking. That did not come up the last time I searched.... Except higher up or even between the frame rails if it's possiable. I dont see how the front shaft and the drivers side arm will get along under there without contact....

 

[0313]

If you want some decent radius arms that are stronger than stock and a decent price check these out. He is on the board as dustyoffroad, but he is more likely to be on the classic broncos board. They are stout and lift up and in to fit bigger tires and tuck up better.


I have stock radius arms on mine, ran the hardest trails in Moab and have yet to bend them. Everyone says they will bend, so I am just waiting for the day they do.

 

[Lawn Cher']

I have an early Bronco D44 with one bent arm in my pile o' parts slated for a future project... I was just gonna build my own arms and reuse the portion that clamps around the axle. The stock frame ends are not designed for travel.

 

[CW]

Here is my setup, I lengthened the arms 4" but just pushed the axle forward and mounted the joints just in front of my crossmember.

Everything is on the floor of my garage right now for a regear and hi steer build, I am thinking about wristing the drivers arm because I am installing polly c bushings to help my caster.

 

[old_man]

Got any idea how you are going to do the wrist joint? I've been knocking that idea around as well.

 

[0313]

Wristing the radius arm isnt one of the best ideas. You have the locking pin to hold it in place on the street, but whats to keep it from folding under while coming down hard off a ledge? Not to mention, you are going to want to wrist the passenger side, not the differential side.

You can wrist the axle housing also, but it seems to be about 50/50 with people who have done it that like it or hate it. You would weaken something that needs to be strong as it is.

Lawn Cher' and I came up with a decent idea that we were trying to figure out.
That is if you have a 44 with the welded on mounts, you can cut them off, sleeve the axle with another larger tube and then weld new radius arm mounts onto the sleeve so the one side (passenger side would be the better side) will basially spin on itself allowing the radius arm to not be bound in the one spot. It would keep the axle in place, not weaken the housing and still be able to rotate.

The only downside would be trying to figure out how to make it lubricated or something along those lines so it doesnt bind up.

Just an idea, any comments on that one, have at it.

 

[CW]

I was going to do something a long these lines.
http://wt4x4.net/tech/heavy.htm
If I don't like it I'll go back to normal arm, and as far as I know I would be the first in an xj with wristed arms so I don't have anyone to ask about it. Most of the bronco guys ive wheeled with are happy with them but they are selective about when they disconnect it, no real off camber stuff, just areas where more articulation is needed. They use it like an exagerated version of a stock sway bar.
This is an option too but it's a little more spendy than the $20 it will cost me to wrist the arm. http://bcbroncos.com/store/product_info.php?products_id=710

 

[xj paddler]

If you wear to do your sleave over the axle large enough you could have a UHMW plastic bearing made to to go into it or a possible 2 piece bolt on like on a conveyor drive shaft. I will try and find some pics of what I am talking about. We use something simular at work.

later Heath.

 

[Gil BullyKatz]

So is it the common consensus that running JJ's at the axle end of an extended Ford Type radius arms would not give enough articulation?