XJ traction bar finished...

[Timmay]

I decided to fab a semi bolt on traction bar to cure my axle wrap in the rear.

I used 2x2x1/4" for the main crossmember and the bar itself. Poly bushings are from PolyPerformance and the adjustable sections are 1" B7 allthread and 1" square nuts ground down to fit in the 2x2.


Tube inserts ground down...

Welded in the tube with the old fluxcore...

Bushing kits welded to 1.25x.120 HREW and all of it welded to the allthread.

Axle mounts are CNC plasma cut from school.

Here's the crossmember all welded up.

http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i273/Timmay822/Traction%20Bar/CIMG7955Medium.jpg[img]

[img]http://i74.photobucket.com/albums/i273/Timmay822/Traction%20Bar/CIMG8091Medium.jpg

It uses a shifty shackle to allow the bar to flex with the axle...

This is how the crossmember sits...

The bar all tacked together...

Everything...

Holesawed 1" holes in the framerail and sleeved with 1/2" home depot poop pipe.

Fully welded the bar and painted everything with hammered rustoleum.

 

[Timmay]

Crossmember in place for the final time with 6 - 1/2" grade 5 bolts holding it there.

Extended the vaccum line for the evap box to remount it between the traction bar crossmember and tcase skid.

Trimmed the vaccum lines from the engine also.

Bent up a little mount for the evap box to sit on the crossmember.

How it sits..

Some hammered paint to match everythng else...

A self tapper to hold the front of the box up.

 

[Timmay]

Everything bolted in for the final time.

Took it for a test drive and theres a noticeably difference in the amount of power making it to the ground. It works awesome, couldn't ask for anything better.

Opinions? Anyone done one of these before? I searched for almost a month before starting the project and came up empty handed.

 

[Beej]

It looks really good, like most of the things you have posted here.

I can't speak to the design, due to the fact that I know little of such things, but your craftsmanship and attention to detail is obviously very good. Why are you giving yourself a thumbs down?

 

[BrettM]

good work. I also noticed when I 3 linked the rear of mine how much more responsive the power is on the street.

a few things... a D35?? with the extra power to the ground it will be even easier to break. the threaded adjusters on the axle end are a good idea, but with the junction of the Y being welded you won't be able to adjust pinion angle much at all, if the tolerances were perfect you wouldn't be able to at all.

 

[Timmay]

It looks really good, like most of the things you have posted here.

I can't speak to the design, due to the fact that I know little of such things, but your craftsmanship and attention to detail is obviously very good. Why are you giving yourself a thumbs down?

I didn't even notice I did that.... didn't mean to... Im actually really pleased with how it came out.

good work. I also noticed when I 3 linked the rear of mine how much more responsive the power is on the street.

a few things... a D35?? with the extra power to the ground it will be even easier to break. the threaded adjusters on the axle end are a good idea, but with the junction of the Y being welded you won't be able to adjust pinion angle much at all, if the tolerances were perfect you wouldn't be able to at all.

:shhh: I love it when people think thats a D35. It's a '01 shaved, locked, geared, and disced 29 spline 8.25.

And the pinion angle, I know, I realized that after I finished, I still have about 5 degrees worth of pinion angle adjustment. Theres enough deflection in the bushings to let it happen. When I swap the new axle in either a toy 8" or isuzu 12 bolt...) i'm going to stretch the wheelbase about an inch, I plan to just extend the threaded adjusters and make new axle brackets, no biggie.

Here's some pics of the fake D35.

 

[BrettM]

:shhh: I love it when people think thats a D35. It's a '01 shaved, locked, geared, and disced 29 spline 8.25.

nice

 

[Timmay]

nice

Thank you sir. Your rig has inspired me to look outside the norm for a rear axle choice...

Sometime this summer i'll be doing a waggy44/isuzu 12 bolt combo with a longarm hidden 3-link + panhard.

44 will be stuffed with yukon shafts, 4.56s and an aussie, and the 12 bolt will get welded and keep factory 4.56s, discs, and shafts. That is, unless I find an 8" first. :angel:

 

[TORX]

Very nice work! I like the exhaust cut out, nice little detail. One question about the axle wrap, I remember your running S10 leaves are these the problem for the axle wrap or do most lifted XJ's encounter axle wrap?

TORX

 

[JnJ]

Fixed the img tag for this one would show up.

 

[Timmay]

Very nice work! I like the exhaust cut out, nice little detail. One question about the axle wrap, I remember your running S10 leaves are these the problem for the axle wrap or do most lifted XJ's encounter axle wrap?

TORX

Pretty much anything that has leaf springs SOA will experience axle wrap. My S10 springs are broken in nicely so they got soft and I noticed it a lot more. I could hear the overload leafs slapping into the rest of the pack when taking off from a red light.

 

[Timmay]

Here's some daytime pics. It doesn't hang down as far as I thought.

I fixed my exhaust before installing it and its quiet as can be. No "unusual" clunks, rattles, or squeaks, just traction.

I like it

 

[JetWrench]

It doesn't hang down as far as I thought.

That tucks nice- from the first pics it looked like it was pretty low. I could use one of those- my MJ bastards flop around like crazy, but arent really noisy because I used the XJ overloads. It jacks up and rear steers pretty bad from a stop.

Said it before, I'll say it again- the best real world tech on this board.

Looks like you're burning up those trxus's pretty fast from the look of that right rear though!

 

[SeanP]

really, really nice work. i thought I overengineered my anti-wrap bar

where did you find the swivel shackle?

SeanP

 

[FitchVA]

where did you find the swivel shackle?

SeanP

i believe he made it

 

[Timmay]

That tucks nice- from the first pics it looked like it was pretty low. I could use one of those- my MJ bastards flop around like crazy, but arent really noisy because I used the XJ overloads. It jacks up and rear steers pretty bad from a stop.

Said it before, I'll say it again- the best real world tech on this board.

Looks like you're burning up those trxus's pretty fast from the look of that right rear though!

I used to have that rear steer issue. Now it just torques to the pass side. Damn them soft springs and no swaybars...

The rear trxus are used, fronts where new. But they are definalty wearing, Detroits will do that.

really, really nice work. i thought I overengineered my anti-wrap bar

where did you find the swivel shackle?

SeanP

Yep, Fitch is right, I made it.

 

[BrettM]

I used to have that rear steer issue. Now it just torques to the pass side. Damn them soft springs and no swaybars...

engine torque leans the vehicle to the passenger side, and so does your traction bar when it's on the driver's side of the axle, so you have 2 things contributing to that. if you put it on the passenger side of the axle the traction bar would cancel the enginge torque and it wouldn't lean when you hit the gas.

 

[GSequoia]

However pesky exhaust gets in the way...

 

[Matt S.]

Timmy, impeccable work. I think its safe to say that many people look forward to your future projects!

Isn't fabbin' fun!

 

[rubiconcherokee]

hellova job. looks awesome