crawler 1 tons

[wahlstrom1]

yup....

Stock-IFS lift-small SAS-full blown wheeler.


Been there......doin that

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

nice clean fabwork on the crossmember, any updates?

well after all that work of putting in the motor crossmember ive decided to scrap the frame. I was going to box it in which means spending a whole lot of time plasma cutting the plates and alot i mean alot of welding so I started over with 2x3 .25 wall tubing. which is alil bit over kill most people use 2x3 3/16ths but I had a full stick of the .25 wall so off i went to make the frame. ill get some pics up later. (its almost done) I felt bad ditching the stock frame thats served me well and never gave me any isuess but after alot of research and seeing alot of frames begin to crack i decided this was the way to go and is cheaper the boxing it all in and 100 x stronger
Ill keep you up to date

 

[97BlackBetty]

well after all that work of putting in the motor crossmember ive decided to scrap the frame. I was going to box it in which means spending a whole lot of time plasma cutting the plates and alot i mean alot of welding so I started over with 2x3 .25 wall tubing. which is alil bit over kill most people use 2x3 3/16ths but I had a full stick of the .25 wall so off i went to make the frame. ill get some pics up later. (its almost done) I felt bad ditching the stock frame thats served me well and never gave me any isuess but after alot of research and seeing alot of frames begin to crack i decided this was the way to go and is cheaper the boxing it all in and 100 x stronger
Ill keep you up to date

I just came to the same conclusion last night while designing my 4 link and putting it into 3D to figure out if it would actually work with the numbers I had.

Are you sticking with a stock wheel base or are you changing it? And you probably stated it and I am just not remembering right at the moment, but are you running coils, air shocks, coil-overs, or quarter elips?

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

Coilovers on all 4s. yea designing a 4 link off of the stock frame is retarded so much easier with a boxed square frame. I havent really done any axle placement yet but have thought about it. the stock wheel base is like 125.4 and after doing the sas the first time I moved my front axle 3inches foward and the rear axle 3inchs back so gave me a wheel base of 131. I plan on moving my front axle about 3 inches farther foward to help with clearance for the top of the diff. (the hp60 diff is alot bigger than the hp44) also that will help the aproach angle. with a 42inch tire would be about even with the front of my winch mount. as for the rear ive cut all the way around the tub so its even with the bottom of the tailgate so its raised about 6inches and going to build rear bumper as close in as possible to help with the departcher angle. but with the 38s I was running and the axle 3inchs back I got hung up a few times. but with a 4 link there will not be any shackles to hang up on and it can just drag im ok with it. just throtle out right.

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

im not happy with having a wheelbase of 134 but thats what sliders are for I guess. I just dont want to be doing the teeter tooter all the time

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

I just came to the same conclusion last night while designing my 4 link and putting it into 3D to figure out if it would actually work with the numbers I had.

yea it just hit me the other day to just was in the garage looking at the frame and was saying damn its ugly. then did alot of research and decided its the best way to go all around. cheeper then boxing, less time then boxing, no cutting damn rivits out, way stronger then boxing, once its welded up it will be solid so no water will get in ( ive read some guys dump oil inside the frame before welding it closes so it will not rust so thinking im going to do that to) and looks way better then then way it does now
links will be easy to build off of the square frame i could go on and on about how much better it will be but thats all I can think of for now.


97 black betty what are you going to use for your frame?

 

[97BlackBetty]

Havent really decided what I am gonna use for the frame. I kinda came to the decision last night to just build a box frame. Square tubing would be a lot easier than tube, and considerably cheaper. I am really in the infant stages of designing my next rig, I dont even have axles yet or anything, but I am purchasing those soon.

I am shooting for the 110 mark for wheel base with a 20 inch belly height. I'm only gonna be runnin 37's though since there is no need in the mid-west to really go any bigger. Front axle pushed 10 inches forward will give me essentially a 0* approach angle.

134 is definitely long but with the size tires you are gonna be running it shouldn't be horrific. Do you have any of your designs for the suspension on the computer that you could post up?

 

[Robert_1967]

When you start the new frame, take lots and lots of pictures.





Robert

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

yea I have a ton of info on links 4 and 3 with panhard. Ill post them up later. Ive thought about making the back of the frame sit right above the rear axle and not running the bed and just tube the back out. but... i like the look of the ranger stock i also like having the bed to put the topper on and camp in it. but i like the idea of shorter wheel base to. so im kind of at a stopping point havent made the back half of the frame yet still have to decide what i want to do.

I do plan on having a 26inch belly

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

When you start the new frame, take lots and lots of pictures.





Robert

Ive been skimping on the pictures I need to remember the stop and take some

 

[97BlackBetty]

yea I have a ton of info on links 4 and 3 with panhard. Ill post them up later. Ive thought about making the back of the frame sit right above the rear axle and not running the bed and just tube the back out. but... i like the look of the ranger stock i also like having the bed to put the topper on and camp in it. but i like the idea of shorter wheel base to. so im kind of at a stopping point havent made the back half of the frame yet still have to decide what i want to do.

I do plan on having a 26inch belly

I was more interested in your vertical separation at the axle, length of your links.... But I am definitely looking forward to see how your frame ends up. Will probably be what makes me go ahead and build one or not.

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

But I am definitely looking forward to see how your frame ends up. Will probably be what makes me go ahead and build one or not.

thanks for the pressure
I have all that info on the 4 link calc

 

[crawlin91]

There are alot of issues in building off the stock frame as mentioned, especially when trying to design a linked suspension setup. I would almost just go full tube buggy chassis at that point, although its nice to have a cab when the wheeling gets wet and cold. Will it be just a trail rig or do you plan on running any comps with this thing?

Push the front axle out and bring the rear forward to shorten things up a little bit. Your links and driveshafts will thank you.

How are you laying out the frame? jig, solidworks, bendtech?

 

[JeepRecoveryTeam]

Just a trail rig, comps sure maybe someday who knows. ill probly keep the rear axle in the stock location or close to it realisticaly ill probly end up with 130 inch wheel base maybe 129. I liked the way it ran with 38s and my wheel base was about 130 or so dont remember. I really want to keep it a full ranger. as crazy as that sounds, its to common to chop the bed and tube the back end. I like having a ranger on the trail because its not a jeep. I still want it to look as much like a ranger as i can even though it has 60 14 cheby 350 sm465 but just to show up the jeeper creapers in a ranger. "ranger" well a ranger cab atleast. Theres nothing like the look on all there faces as your crawling up there ... butt on the trail, then they all give you that look like there stuffs better than everyones and cant belive it a ranger made it up easier then there all bolt on jeep.

 

[wahlstrom1]

Plan sounds good, I just don't see why you moved the rear axle back to begin with? I'd move it to around stock location or ahead an inch or two and trim the fenders to make the wheel well look centered. That'll help give you a more managable wheelbase while allowing the 'stock' look. You could even bob the bed and section a bit out of the canopy to match?

****You just beat me to it****