Safe to trim?

[bbaldwin237]

I hate to start a whole thread for this but can't find an answer and don't have a better place to ask. (Though I've been thinking we need a running thread for stuff like small questions people may have.)

This is not my picture, because I forgot to take one before I went to work.

I noticed the last few days during full droop, my lower control arms are contacting the shock mount. I'm not entirely sure how much travel is being left on the table because of it (forgot to measure exposed shaft at droop), but the fact that it's hitting, means there's at least a little bit. I can't see that trimming like this would be detrimental to the strength of the bracket, but figured it was safer to ask those with more experience. I've only been able to find one reference on the forum to someone saying to cut it, but there was no further comments or follow-up.

Thanks for the input.

 

[TheBoogieman]

XJ people have always done it.

 

[bbaldwin237]

XJ people have always done it.

I don't know that I trust XJ folks......jk, I love XJs.

I didn't even think to Google it relevant to XJs but that led me to some results with information. Thanks. I think I'll try and get in there with a small cutoff and trim it.

 

[TheBoogieman]

I don't know that I trust XJ folks.

I don't trust anyone. I had to trim that area on my old 99' when I lifted it 5.5" for baby 33s.
p.s. I still miss that Jeep. I'm still stuck with that same wife though.

 

[macleanflood]

My uneducated opinion is if you cut something off then you should weld something commusurate back in.

-Mac

 

[bbaldwin237]

My uneducated opinion is if you cut something off then you should weld something commusurate back in.

-Mac

That was my other thought, cut it off and add a bit of a gusset in there. Reading over on some XJ posts, it seems the consensus is that there is more than enough strength there to support trimming 1/2" or so. I'm thinking I may even be able to just take a burr and notch a radius into it. The CA has hit hard enough to make a mark on the aluminum.

 

[NskLJ]

I clearanced mine, haven’t had any issues, I think I just put the arm up against it traced a line with a marker and used a 4” wheel to remove the material.

 

[mrblaine]

My uneducated opinion is if you cut something off then you should weld something commusurate back in.

-Mac

My educated and experienced opinion based on doing more of them than is even a tiny bit prudent to remember, is it won't hurt a thing to clearance that flange for droop when it is making contact with a control arm. Lest we forget, it is only resisting shock forces, it is double layers of material, and it actually rests on top of the lower control arm mount and is even welded to it for even more resistance to failure.

 

[mrblaine]

That was my other thought, cut it off and add a bit of a gusset in there. Reading over on some XJ posts, it seems the consensus is that there is more than enough strength there to support trimming 1/2" or so. I'm thinking I may even be able to just take a burr and notch a radius into it. The CA has hit hard enough to make a mark on the aluminum.

It needs nothing but trimming. No gusset or any other bizarreness based on zero understanding of how shit works.

 

[bbaldwin237]

It needs nothing but trimming. No gusset or any other bizarreness based on zero understanding of how shit works.

Thank you, that will be one of the goals over the next couple days.

 

[thedustyboot]

Had the same clearance issue... long arm kit solved it

 

[TheBoogieman]

Had the same clearance issue... long arm kit solved it

Did it really?

 

[jjvw]

Had the same clearance issue... long arm kit solved it

Custom shock mounts will also solve it, if that is how we are going to go about this.