Hey Jes, you building a front 44?

Did U move up to 35" mtrs from your 33" mtrs with your dana 30? Looks good Jes. I should be running on my hp44/9" shortly, but I'm keeping it full width and 4 link. I like the 3 link, does it perform very similar to a long arm setup that's U'd get for a TJ/XJ/ZJ with the long arm and the upper short arm coming off of the long arm? U got this done just in time for the Arizona trip, hope to get a report on how it does.
What rear axle are U running?
Troy
 
Capt. Nemo said:
I hate to break it to ya man, but those are some looooooong arms.

BUSTED! (I think I hear Goatman coming.)
Click to expand...


Yep, here I am. :)

However, my beef with the typical long arm setup is how low the mounts hang. I've always said that a long arm can be designed without the mounts hanging below the frame, it's just not an easy thing to do. Most of the store bought long arm kits are junk, IMHO, and yes, I'm including the ever popular Clayton. This URF Racing design that CRASH and Jes are making is really nice.

It's looking very good Jes, you have to be feeling better now after all the work. I better make sure my front shocks are in good shape...........3 weeks. :D

:cheers:
 
REALLY nice job! It makes mine look like a rookie did it. WAIT.. a rookie DID do mine! :laugh3:
 
Jeff 98XJ WI said:
Couple questions...First, is that crossmember 2x6 or 2x4? It looks more like 2x4 to me, but maybe not. Second, is the top of the upper link mount on the crossmember bolted through the floor to a part of your cage? How about Crashes? Also, Crash used some tubing to build a skid frame/reinforcement assy extending behind the actual crossmember. Are you going to do something like that or is the crossmember you built good enough? I didn't get to it yet, but I am considering doing something similar to mine, but using a hoop over the double cardon joint welded to a 2x6 crossmember mounted similar to yours and then welding the upper control arm mount to the top of the hoop. Similar to the hoop going over the pumpkin. However, I wasn't planning to use a through bolt to any sort of internal cage. There isn't much room for a lot of bracing either, so I don't know if a 1/4" thick hoop would hold up? Jeff
Click to expand...

Yes, the crossmember is 2X4 not 2X6(a typo). The top of the upper link mount will be bolted through the floor to a plate welded to the tranny tunnel. Is it necessary? I don't know but it can't hurt. Otherwise, the crossmember is done, there's plenty of separation between the 5/8" through bolts to spread the load. I also used the stock crossmember mounting bolts just for the hell of it.

JeepFreak21 said:
It looks like you guys got the crossmember side of the lower link mounts spread out a bit more... is that because you didn't have that NV4500 to work around? Also, does that upper control arm bracket (axle side) just look REALLY close to the track bar bracket (frame side)?
Billy
Click to expand...

Actually, I think mine are a little closer together since my axle is an inch wider and my links are 7 inches shorter. No, the upper link mount is not close to the track bar bracket. We actually had to modify the RE bracket to clear the tie rod on full compression/full steering lock.
 
Oh, and here's a shot of the rig...
picture.JPG

...as CRASH's neighbor said "Bling on the bottom and ding on top". :D
 
Jes said:
Oh, and here's a shot of the rig...
picture.JPG

...as CRASH's neighbor said "Bling on the bottom and ding on top". :D
Click to expand...

Looks like 7100's in the front, what about the back?

-Mike
 
It's really nice to work on Jes's junk, because he doesn't skimp on parts. I wasn't forced to work with 30 year old axleshafts and ball joints, everything was new.

We burned up a lot of welding wire on this project, not to mention a gaggle of cut-off wheels and SawzAll blades ( I think there are 25 seperate pieces of steel on the front axle brackets alone). I think we each have about 12 full days into the project to get it looking like the last photo!

To answer questions about the upper link mount, it is every bit as tight as with my NV4500. The Atlas complicates matters a bit, so in the end, we have 1/4" between the UCA mount and the tranny, and another 1/4" between the UCA mount and the driveshaft. Is it necessary to mount the UCA to the chassis on the top? Probably not for most, but with the increased popularity of high speed antics in WCGIC events, it seems like a good idea ot control torque loading and prevent cracking. The 2x4 box we use for a crossmember is 1/4" wall.

We cut it pretty close on finishing this thing before BOTW, but since the design is basically a carbon copy (suspension wise) of mine, I feel very comfortable about the lack of testing. Mine works superbly in the rocks and on the street. Jes drives his junk probably upwards of 20,000 miles a year, so it has to be very streetable. We both still need a swaybar, even with the 275/78 7100's. There is no resistance to twist in this suspension design, so cornering loads are the sole responsibilty of the springs.

CRASH
 
Those look like 35's, did Jes move up to those from his 33's? I know since the 44 hangs down further in the front, 35's are nice to get the axles off the ground. With my hp44/9" I'm going with 37" mtrs and if that breaks stuff to often, I just got 5--65% 35" mtrs. Looks great. Everything has to be in great working order to do the trails U guys do and drive that rig 20K a year on the street. Very hard to get a dual purpose rig that built and do those trails and expect it do drive U to work the next day. Very nice. :)
Troy
 
Big Red said:
Those look like 35's, did Jes move up to those from his 33's? I know since the 44 hangs down further in the front, 35's are nice to get the axles off the ground. With my hp44/9" I'm going with 37" mtrs and if that breaks stuff to often, I just got 5--65% 35" mtrs. Looks great. Everything has to be in great working order to do the trails U guys do and drive that rig 20K a year on the street. Very hard to get a dual purpose rig that built and do those trails and expect it do drive U to work the next day. Very nice. :)
Troy
Click to expand...

315/75R-16.
 
Without a doubt, the cleanest 44 build to date :thumbup:

Where did you place your coils in relation to the axle? It looks like they're a little bit behind it.

Paul
 
XJZ said:
No kidding, that thing will be the new NAXJA poster Jeep! :) It's all a work of art, very nice.
Click to expand...

The ultimate dual purpose rig. Do JV trails and whatever hard stuff out there and drive back home and to work the next day. Cannot ask for more than that from 1 vehicle. Extremely hard to accomplish both and to a high degree.

Do U have any front pics with the tires in the shot to see how far the tires stick out? I see the closeup of the 44 compared to the 30, but this is close up and hard to see how wide the axle is. What the wms to wms of the axle, about 60"?
 
Last edited:
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