1988 BII Build

[88_Eddie]

What length of arms are you going for? Are you going to tie them into a transXmember?

they were about 32" without the tube adapters or johnny joints in them. so maybe 35" with the joints in, depending on how far i thread them in.

yep, plan is to build a new cross member. i'll probably hack up the old one and use some of the remaining 2x2 box tube i have from the arms. i've got about 5 feet of it left and no plans for it.

EDIT-just went down and measured, they're 36.5" bolt hole to bolt hole with about half the threads remaining on the johnny joint, so i was close

 

[brinker88]

mmmm...Pure sex. Lookin good my friend!

 

[88_Eddie]

mmmm...Pure sex. Lookin good my friend!

i missed this, thanks brink

 

[88_Eddie]

didnt get to the track bar tonight. figured i better get the steering box back in so i know where the pitman arm is gonna sit. then i can make sure it wont get in the way of the track bar.

so i started out by replacing the seals that came in the seal kit and putting the box back together. what a PITA. i think i'll just buy a new box if it ever leaks. i think it's back together correctly, but i wont know til i install it.

i tossed the axle under the truck as well. i'll get the box in tomorrow night and start looking at the track bar layout.

coil retainers look like they're about perfect, but i need to flex it out to be sure.

the arms come back to the x member, so it should be pretty easy to build a new one.

track bar angle may be a little weird though

we'll see what i figure out tomorrow after work

 

[brinker88]

I'd buy or build an offset trackbar mount for the axle.

 

[crawlin91]

Good progress, what coils are you running?

 

[88_Eddie]

4.5" XJ teraflex coils. got them used (as you can probably tell)

i think i may build my new x-member and arm brackets and then see where everything lines up. but yeah, i think it'll need to be offset at least a little

 

[88_Eddie]

crossmember is done!!!....in my head lol.....grandparents unexpectedly came to town for the night, so i was hanging out with them. we're done with the 100+ degree days for a while, so lots will get done this weekend. i hope to have this built

 

[brinker88]

That seems a little extreme. It will be heavy as hell lol. Good design tho.

 

[Kyle M.]

I like it. I think it is just right.

 

[-Nathan-]

agreed ^ doesnt look over done at all, should serve its purpose well.

 

[4.0B2]

that's almost like the one I drew up the other day for my radius arms with flex joints.

 

[88_Eddie]

this is gonna get dragged over rocks at uwharrie and driven through rocky creeks in the mountains. it's gonna hang down a little bit more than factory x-member as well. so i need something stout. but the biggest thing is that i dont want to have to buy more material to make it lol. the only piece i have to buy is the 3/16" angle iron that'll mount to the frame rails.

it'll probably weigh as much as one of the arms. that sketch isnt to scale either, the sides probably wont be that long

 

[88_Eddie]

first off, PHUCK rivets!!!

the 2x2x3/16" angle iron was gonna be too small and they dont make 3x3x3/16" angle iron, so i had to buy some 3x3/16" flat stock and make my own angle iron.

made a template for the side pieces then cut out everything else and welded it up

then 45'd the end

ripped out the factory x member and one of the mounts, still have to get the damn rivets out of the other one.

 

[dangerranger83]

I feel you on the rivets thing, they suck to take off, that is if you dont have an angle grinder and a punch.