Hmmmmmmmm......

[dirtcowboy]

Getting around to putting this BII back together for the last time. Installed the Skyjacker 6" drop brackets and bolted up the beams until I saw this

I moved the beam and the bracket is whisker close. Like whacking the alum diff close.

This install shows the drop bracket straight up and down.

Comments?

 

[dirtcowboy]

Try it again

 

[adsm08]

That is a common issue with a D-35. The drop brackets can hit it when the suspension flexes. IIRC some brands are worse than others.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

That is a common issue with a D-35. The drop brackets can hit it when the suspension flexes. IIRC some brands are worse than others.

I thought Skyjacker was one of the good ones.

I know there are problems with Rough Country (if you bought the kit used you might make sure it really is a Skyjacker kit)

 

[adsm08]

I don't really remember which ones are problematic. Last thing I lifted was a fork full of taters.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Make sure the bump-stop hits before the diff.

 

[BlackBII]

Looks like the passenger side beams' drop bracket is tilted towards the front of the truck.

Is it bent perhaps? Or maybe the engine cross member is bent? Maybe a washer or something​ is blocking the bracket from being bolted down all the way?

It's really hard to tell if that bracket is actually tilted or if it's just the picture.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Looks like the passenger side beams' drop bracket is tilted towards the front of the truck.

Is it bent perhaps? Or maybe the engine cross member is bent? Maybe a washer or something​ is blocking the bracket from being bolted down all the way?

It's really hard to tell if that bracket is actually tilted or if it's just the picture.

That may be because the axle isn't at ride height but is drooped.

 

[dirtcowboy]

Yes the bracket is definitely tilted towards the front of the truck. I've used Skyjacker in the past but didn't have this issue. The drop brackets were purchased from Summit brand new. I've cross measured the frame and from the ground to the frame rails and it is all square. The bottom of the bracket is danger close to the diff. Here is a pic of the Rancho bracket I used before.

I wonder if I could slip a 1/2" steel spacer between the cross member and bracket to gain some clearance?

The Rancho setup had about 5.5 inches of spring and poly spacer originally. I tried to use the Skyjacker 6" springs but could only get to within 5 degrees of positive camber. Waaaayyyy to much.

I remember a long time ago there were brackets from some company that would punch holes in the diff, but I don't think it was Skyjacker.

 

[BlackBII]

The bracket that would punch a hole in the diff is actually a drop plate. It's a simple plate that drops the factory bracket down rather than replace it.

If the frame is square then the bracket has to bent or defective right? Perhaps summit will send you another.

I have a superlift 5.5 bracket and it's straight like that rancho one.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

I wonder if the bracket is defective? It looks like where it bolts on has been cast at the wrong angle. Is the area that bolts to the crossmember ground flat, or is it as cast? perhaps you can grind the mounting area to change the angle. But first I would contact the manufacturer.

 

[dirtcowboy]

I'm trying to get Skyjacker to respond, no luck so far. I crawled around under the truck today and, using my trusty angle finder, measured the drivers side beam bracket, located on passenger side, to be straight up 90 degrees, GREAT!! However, the passenger side beam, on the drivers side drop bracket is.....15 friggen degrees out of straight up and down. HOLY CRAP!!!!!! I'm going to talk to my retired machinist buddy to see if we can build a shim from steel bar stock to correct this bull....! I dubble checked the cross member and it appears to be undamaged, I'm starting to think the Skyjacker bracket is .......I don't know, malformed? It is a cast piece. Weird. I wish copykat was still around, I'd try one of his brackets. By the way, whilst screwing around with this bracket, when I adjusted it ti 90 degrees there is plenty of clearance between the bracket and the diff.

 

[BlackBII]

I snapped a pic of my superlift bracket. It's definitely straight.

I imagine a machined spacer would work just fine to get it back to 90. It was a sad day when copykat was banned. I haven't talked to him in a long time.

 

[dirtcowboy]

Hokay...... a little back tracking to start. When I posted that the bracket was 15 degrees out I had not actually seen the angle finder screen. My frequent helper, (another one of the retired dudes who frequents my shop), read the angle for me. After I posted I started thinking that 15 degrees was a lot. I took the bracket and set it on my bench with the AF on it and,,,, 15 degrees is A WHOLE LOT!!!!!!!!! so I bolted the bracket to the cross member, AGAIN, and came up with 6.5 degrees out, which is at least believable. Using a nut and bolt thru the boltholes 6.5, or 7 degrees on the bench that reading is doable. While pondering the whole mess my eyes drifted to my plastic jar collection which holds all of my bits and pieces, nuts and bolts when I spotted thse treasures

Close! Close enough to give it a try. My question is should this angled spacer be one piece or is separate spacers ok? I have a backup piece of 1/4 steel cut and drilled to replicate the cross member end of the drop bracket. I'm going to use this on the opposite side of the cross member from the bracket as support.
Whaddaya think? Go for it? I think I will.

FYI, correcting the 7 degree angle of the dangle moves the end of the drop bracket 1 3/8" away from the diff. RESULT!! (as Edd China sez)

 

[4x4junkie]

I'm trying to get Skyjacker to respond, no luck so far.

They don't answer the phone?


I would recommend you get a new bracket if that one is defective (especially considering it's brand new). Monkeying around with shims and crap sounds like a way to fatigue failure (and besides, there's no good way to know the bracket's strength hasn't been compromised by the defect either).