OP
Question for the fabricators amongst us
- Thread starter mrblaine
- Start date
OP
The lower control arm is a U shaped mount. It does not have the 4th side to make it a box until you bolt in the control arm and tighten the bolt against the sides of mount and bring the bolt sleeve in the bushing into play. Once that happens, now you have 4 sides of a box and in order for the mount to be dislocated, the two sides have to be bent into S bends which doubles the strength since you are bending each side twice. Without the 4th side of the box, you can bend one side very easily. With the 4th side, you have to bend both, twice.
OP
They have 2-3 hardness levels. I've used the softest of the offerings for all my bushing orders. I had some small ones here because I ran out of the big ones and had to do a quick job so I didn't have time to get the right parts in. I expected to have to redo it. It had far less vibes so now all I use are the small ones that fit in 1.5" tube.
So you can probably use steel that is thinner than 1/8th and it will be fine given that the mount will see less stress than the control arm mount does.
OP
I could but I don't trust my welding for that thickness to something that is frame thickness. I trust my welds on 1/8" though.
So you trust yourself on using 1/8th for the mount - I do too now that I know what I know. Why change?
They have to have a sleeve. If not they will never be torqued (compare JKS BL vs Savvy BL and also how control arm bushing work)
That’s because softer isn’t better when you reach the point where the mount is more pliable than the engine mount. Poly on every mount the drivetrain will be lower than a poly engine and rubber TC for example.
In most cases I would agree, but we are using it as a isolator in this case versus a bushing in the traditional sense. The sleeve keeps us from over squishing the bushing but in this case maybe we change that torque to change the properties of the bushing slightly.
OP
I always run a bolt sleeve. I also increase the wall thickness of the tube which reduces the bolt diameter so I have a better faying surface on the end of the tube.
OP
I need the bolt sleeve to create the other two sides of the box. It stabilizes the tabs and there is no change in isolation given that you can't squeeze the tabs in and cut the flanges off of the urethane on the end of the tube.
3/16" material if you can bend it, or some 1.25" and 1.50" , 1/8" wall tubes.
i used rubber leaf spring bushings pushed into a piece of tube, if they can handle that job they can handle this 1.
i did reuse the trans mount after i cut 5/8" out of it (04).
tabs at the frame were 1/4".
i think i used a 9/16 bolts because they were on hand but 1/2" is sufficient , grade 8 .
i made 2 versions, 1st was a beefy chunk of 3" I beam cut down the web and contoured around the exhaust and TC output. it worked but i was not happy with it for some reason. even though i coulda dropped the jeep on it and not bent it, it was a bit much.
the next was a slip tube version like many outfits sell. it worked fine but i didn't like the skid i'd made (3/16" steel and heavy). rather than try and guess what pre-made skid might fit around it......i pulled it all off and just got a Savvy.
can you make a 97-02 mount LP? if there is room between the skid and TC, i'd think you could find a way.
they only reason i bothered with any of it was to have the support independent of the skid. i have so much to do, removing the skid and supporting the drive line every time, and always having that support in the way, was just a PITA.
also i have seen mention that mounting directly to a cross member is a bit rigid for the drive line, your turning a 3 point support sys into a 4 point, and moving the vibration dampener from directly under the drive line to out at the frame.
i got most of this typed while y'all were still goin, and may be redundant to the issue.
i didn't run a sleeve through the leaf bushings, they have a nice fat cap beyond what fits into the tube they were tapped into the mount tabs tight and there was no metal to metal contact. the bolt only kept it in place.
OP
OP
I don't think you can cut the actual trans mount down but you can low profile the adapter that bolts to the trans. I cut one down yesterday until it only moves the trans mount down by around 3/8". I should be able to get some pictures today.
I have done several of the slip tube styles. I started doing them many years ago before I ever saw one offered by a vendor. They work well but they are not as elegant as they can be.
yes sir 3/16 would do more than fine and even 1/8 locked to a bushing would suffice i guess. but the tab is 1"'x 2" and of no significant weight or space issue, just what i can readily get for free off the laser at work.
you are correct... sorry for the mistake it was not the actual mount it was the adapter plate.
5/8 worked for me, because i was building around it, another guy tried it and it was a hair to much to pair that much trim to a stock skid and not have a contact point. 3/8 would do fine 1/2 would be real close 5/8 will touch.