- Location
- Grand Junction, CO
It's pretty amazing what you can accomplish when you buckle down and get to work! It's getting hot at this point, so I figured I'd update the build thread and take a break.
I had a lot of rework to do on the front axle, which included bracing the truss over the front diff (welding mild steel to the cast center), cutting off the previous owners shock mounts, upper link mounts and track bar mount. They weren't in the right places for me and the tabs were all pretty thin, IMO. I used the Sawzall, torch, grinder and cut-off wheel. Once that was done, I wheeled the front axle back into place and started fitting pieces up, then welding them in place.
The brace on the back side of the truss seemed like a 'need', the truss was welded at the top/front of the diff with one questionable weld, less than 2" long. I planned to tie my 2nd upper link to this truss (like the PO had) but felt like it needed more strength. I don't like welding to cast, but some more strength was needed. I used a piece of 3/16" plate, cut to fit around the backside of the diff. I preheated the cast with a rosebud tip on the torch, then MIG welded the plate in place. Once welded, I covered it with a few layers of leather (2 thick welding gloves and then my welding jacket on top). After a few minutes, I hit it lightly with the rose bud torch and covered it again. I repeated this a few times, further and further apart.... placing the leather back on each time. I think it cooled slowly, time will tell if the weld is good.
At this point, the front axle is a 3 link (2 lowers and 1 upper) with a track bar. I could probably run it like this, but think a 4 link w/ track bar would be best. All my link tabs are BEEFY, plus the 1 1/4" heims from Ruffstuff... I think once my welding work is done (some pieces are tacked, just in case) it would be plenty strong as a 3 link.
I made my front lowers pretty damn long, hoping that it'll help the front suspension work smoother over bumps and ledges. The upper is 75% of that length. My track bar just contacts the front diff cover, so I'm hoping I can find a way to bend it up just a tad so it'll clear at full stuff. I built it a little long, for this reason.
And I was happy to see that the tires clear the front link at full turn! We will see how they work with 37's, but it's not hitting hard so that's a good sign.
Far as all the measurements... from hole to hole;
I haven't rolled it out of the shop yet, but at this point the chassis is a roller! No bump stops yet, but this is a very exciting step!
Now I need to wrap up the frame work, crossmembers on the ends, plating the places where the frame is stacked, decide if I want to keep the low winch mount or put a new one on top of the frame, bolted on, etc. Really want to figure out a front bumper soon, as well.
I had a lot of rework to do on the front axle, which included bracing the truss over the front diff (welding mild steel to the cast center), cutting off the previous owners shock mounts, upper link mounts and track bar mount. They weren't in the right places for me and the tabs were all pretty thin, IMO. I used the Sawzall, torch, grinder and cut-off wheel. Once that was done, I wheeled the front axle back into place and started fitting pieces up, then welding them in place.
The brace on the back side of the truss seemed like a 'need', the truss was welded at the top/front of the diff with one questionable weld, less than 2" long. I planned to tie my 2nd upper link to this truss (like the PO had) but felt like it needed more strength. I don't like welding to cast, but some more strength was needed. I used a piece of 3/16" plate, cut to fit around the backside of the diff. I preheated the cast with a rosebud tip on the torch, then MIG welded the plate in place. Once welded, I covered it with a few layers of leather (2 thick welding gloves and then my welding jacket on top). After a few minutes, I hit it lightly with the rose bud torch and covered it again. I repeated this a few times, further and further apart.... placing the leather back on each time. I think it cooled slowly, time will tell if the weld is good.
At this point, the front axle is a 3 link (2 lowers and 1 upper) with a track bar. I could probably run it like this, but think a 4 link w/ track bar would be best. All my link tabs are BEEFY, plus the 1 1/4" heims from Ruffstuff... I think once my welding work is done (some pieces are tacked, just in case) it would be plenty strong as a 3 link.
I made my front lowers pretty damn long, hoping that it'll help the front suspension work smoother over bumps and ledges. The upper is 75% of that length. My track bar just contacts the front diff cover, so I'm hoping I can find a way to bend it up just a tad so it'll clear at full stuff. I built it a little long, for this reason.
And I was happy to see that the tires clear the front link at full turn! We will see how they work with 37's, but it's not hitting hard so that's a good sign.
Far as all the measurements... from hole to hole;
- Track Bar is 37".
- Front Lower links 38".
- Front Upper link 28".
- Rear Lower links 29 1/2"
- Rear Upper links 32".
I haven't rolled it out of the shop yet, but at this point the chassis is a roller! No bump stops yet, but this is a very exciting step!
Now I need to wrap up the frame work, crossmembers on the ends, plating the places where the frame is stacked, decide if I want to keep the low winch mount or put a new one on top of the frame, bolted on, etc. Really want to figure out a front bumper soon, as well.
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