Setting up links for variable height suspension

someguysjeep said:
oh, i so feel the quandary your in right now. having to deviate some of the OE locations that you don't have/never had. i went through it too.

it's suggested you have the platform you need to start from the top down. ditch that hardware, find you a nice piece of plate you can fix to those existing holes and have room to set the brackets flat. and build down to an OE LCA location.

countersinking the bolts might be a good idea (tapered flat heads). so you have no vertical profiles to avoid.
this version would have no supporting bends. meaning the flat plate needs to take the force. my next ? might be, what is the minimum or recommended thickness for construction like this?
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I would not use countersunk bolts at all. If they seize in the holes, they will be a bitch to remove. I would use Allen head cap screws or 12 point flange heads and move the mounts to locations that allow their use. Even if I had to eliminate a pair of them.

If you look at the pics of the 2 different trusses on the Currie axles, you can learn just about everything you need to know. Keep them as tight to the diff as possible to allow for uptravel and the larger size of the 60 pumpkin. Even then with our set ups, we still have to notch into the tub metal so the top of the mount just kisses the bottom of the cargo floor sheet metal at full stuff, hard bump.
 
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mrblaine said:
I wouldn't depend on the 4 bolts, they need to add to the legs down to the tubes that I said to weld in place after the u-bolts for the stinger are out of the way.
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Yes I understand that. I was just saying to add them to the bridge.
If I'm understanding you're talking about a bridge like the one from TMR that I linked? It welds to the tubes on the sides where the u-bolts are right now.
 
Wildman said:
Yes I understand that. I was just saying to add them to the bridge.
If I'm understanding you're talking about a bridge like the one from TMR that I linked? It welds to the tubes on the sides where the u-bolts are right now.
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Can you see the pictures of the Currie axles I put up?
 
Yes I can and I'll be using his build as reference a lot I think as I'm going through this.
 
mrblaine said:
I wouldn't depend on the 4 bolts, they need to add to the legs down to the tubes that I said to weld in place after the u-bolts for the stinger are out of the way.
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nor would i. those bolts just stiffen things the structure comes from the frame off the axle, tied in 3 points that close is stronger.

mrblaine said:
I would not use countersunk bolts at all. If they seize in the holes, they will be a bitch to remove. I would use Allen head cap screws or 12 point flange heads and move the mounts to locations that allow their use. Even if I had to eliminate a pair of them.
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i see now. only a pair really matter.
 
I want a bridge that is as tight against the top of the diff housing aspossible. And it needs to tie into the axle tubes to be welded.
As someguysjeep said the bolts are just to help strengthen the bridge.
 
here i'll brighten your day by showing you the mistake i'm gonna have to fix.

at least you don't have to cut this bitch back off.

35971949_1841307619265469_3073012442742128640_n.jpg
 
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Wildman said:
I want a bridge that is as tight against the top of the diff housing aspossible. And it needs to tie into the axle tubes to be welded.
As someguysjeep said the bolts are just to help strengthen the bridge.
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Strengthen is sort of a relative term. What the bolts do is resist the twisting forces that the mounts will impart to the flat top of the truss under load. The truss can't hardly move side to side due to the angled legs down to the tubes. That leaves the front or rear edges that can dislocate upward or twist. With the mounts down low to the top plate, the leverage is minimized and even just one good bolt would stop all movement.
The bottom of the control arm mounts welded to the top flat plate act as gussets on top of the plate and transfer all the twisting forces so that the whole surface of the upper has to move as in the back has to go down if the other edge is trying to lift. It makes for a very rigid structure that will not move under load. That TMR piece is phenomenally overkill and you could use 1/4" with no issue.

Put another way, the top of the truss has to resist twisting as in the front going up and the back going down or vice versa. A small part of it can't move because the mounts reinforce the flat platform and make it act as a much thicker piece. With it tight to the top of the pumpkin, it can't go down so that leaves uplift. The opposite edge from the uplift force acts as a fulcrum and increases the leverage in favor of the plate by transferring it back to the other edge.
 
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Okay it sounds like it would just be as easy for me to buy some 5-6" wide 1/4" plate and make my own bridge?

Ruff Stuff has this truss but I think it would sit too high.

https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/TR6060.html
TeraFlex answered my email and asked me for pictures of the axle so I am waiting on a reply from them.
Here is a picture of what the TeraFlex truss looks like. The only question is will it fit my older axle? We'll see.

1586542567340.png

If this would work on my axle then I would just cut off their upper CA mounts and weld on the Savvy CA mounts.
 
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the height on that TF is not bad. it looks attached at the suggested point. also suggested was those bolts could be a bear later if they seize. the frame is fancier than it needed to be but looks sufficient.
this is only an observation from 1 center line, whats the other look like?
 
someguysjeep said:
the height on that TF is not bad. it looks attached at the suggested point. also suggested was those bolts could be a bear later if they seize. the frame is fancier than it needed to be but looks sufficient.
this is only an observation from 1 center line, whats the other look like?
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That one bugs me because the mounts are off center on the platform. I'd have to fix it.
 
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Wildman said:
Okay it sounds like it would just be as easy for me to buy some 5-6" wide 1/4" plate and make my own bridge?

Ruff Stuff has this truss but I think it would sit too high.

https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/TR6060.html
TeraFlex answered my email and asked me for pictures of the axle so I am waiting on a reply from them.
Here is a picture of what the TeraFlex truss looks like. The only question is will it fit my older axle? We'll see.

View attachment 151650
If this would work on my axle then I would just cut off their upper CA mounts and weld on the Savvy CA mounts.
Click to expand...
Here is one out of 3/8" x 5" that I did for a JK 44 rear axle.
1586561635867.png
 
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How did you bend the plate? I don't have a way to be able to bend even 1/4" so my plan was to cut the pieces and then weld it back together. Figured I'd do the cardboard templet and then cut each piece out and burn it.
Either that or I go with the TMR truss and trim the ends to make it tight against the top of the diff.
 
Wildman said:
How did you bend the plate? I don't have a way to be able to bend even 1/4" so my plan was to cut the pieces and then weld it back together. Figured I'd do the cardboard templet and then cut each piece out and burn it.
Either that or I go with the TMR truss and trim the ends to make it tight against the top of the diff.
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Cheap HF shop press. For the 1/4" or even the 3/8", just score a line with a cut off disc about half way through, bend it, weld the ends down to the tube and then fill the score lines with weld.
 
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mrblaine said:
Cheap HF shop press. For the 1/4" or even the 3/8", just score a line with a cut off disc about half way through, bend it, weld the ends down to the tube and then fill the score lines with weld.
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Okay I have the HF press so I guess I can bend it.. Thanks again I'm going to be learning a lot as I do this.
 
if you got or can get steel scraps a piece of 2x2x1/4 laid into a 3" channel and welded makes a sturdy bed (on right)
i use 1/2" tapered blades mounted from a piece of 4" channel, few widths for diff bends i've needed to make. (on left) this is only a small 6T.

swag has a nice finger brake set-up for a HF 12T or 20T .

91108661_2591804624434585_110434724555522048_n.jpg
 
someguysjeep said:
here i'll brighten your day by showing you the mistake i'm gonna have to fix.

at least you don't have to cut this bitch back off.

View attachment 151621
Click to expand...

But I have a ton of crap I do have to cut back off on both my axles. But I have a NEW plasma cutter I've owned now for 7 years that has never been fired up. Being able to get back out into the garage and work is a really great thing. I'm hoping I'm not taking on more than I can handle. We'll find out here soon.

When I installed my Nth Degree suspension I decided to weld the brackets to the frame instead of drilling the frame for the bracket. That is going to be a TON of fun to cut back off. And then my previous HACK job on my trackbar bracket has to be cut back off. I've been debating removing the tub just to make things a little easier.

IMG00591[1].jpg


Rear axle trackbar bracket shouldn't be TOO hard.....

IMG00712[1].jpg


Been reading your build thread BTW
 
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