Operation Phoenix

[macleanflood]

Ok...did some experiments...

Jeep without shocks, gas tank and me sits at 22" to the bottom of my shackle mounts on my rear bumper.

Weighed the fuel skid plate...25 lbs...gas tank plus about 6 gallons maxed out the 50 lb limit. 13 gallons of gas is 78 lbs so let's call a full tank and skid 150.

I'm 150 with a pistol and an extra clip.

So let's put 150 lbs in the driver's seat and 150 lbs in the back. I deliberately didn't unload most of my camping gear.

That drops the rear bumper to 20 3/16". About 1 3/4" lower. I think this is where I will set my stuff to base a 50/50 bias for shocks.

-Mac

 

[hosejockey61]

Ok...did some experiments...

Jeep without shocks, gas tank and me sits at 22" to the bottom of my shackle mounts on my rear bumper.

Weighed the fuel skid plate...25 lbs...gas tank plus about 6 gallons maxed out the 50 lb limit. 13 gallons of gas is 78 lbs so let's call a full tank and skid 150.

I'm 150 with a pistol and an extra clip.

So let's put 150 lbs in the driver's seat and 150 lbs in the back. I deliberately didn't unload most of my camping gear.

That drops the rear bumper to 20 3/16". About 1 3/4" lower. I think this is where I will set my stuff to base a 50/50 bias for shocks.

View attachment 638952View attachment 638953View attachment 638954View attachment 638955

-Mac

That's what Blaine has said all along. You need to account for whatever you usually have on a trail run, including you.

 

[macleanflood]

New upper control arm mount came in from Barnes. Marked and cut off the old bracket. Located the new one. Matched control arm angles, Barnes instructions provided one number...matched marks from previous bracket. Primed it with Steel It weld through primer. Did the back of the shock towers too.

Good thing is the through hole on the frame lines up with the bolt perfectly somewhat vindicating my placement.

Clearanced the lower axle control arm bracket for the new shock mounts.

Set the axle and frame at ride height.

Measured the shocks at 30 3/16" fully open with about 12 1/4" of shaft. Comfortable with calling ride height 24" and made mock up sticks.

Strapped angle iron to the lower control arm brackets and made marks on the frame. I don't like where they landed and the angle looks way steep so tomorrow I'm going to triple check everything.

-Mac

 

[hosejockey61]

Ok...any suggestions for tucking this exhaust up another inch...do they make a tighter exhaust rubber hanger? I can move the hanger up but I'd only get a half inch and the rubber would be tight into the frame.

View attachment 637725

-Mac

Going back to this post Mac, is your exhaust directly under the frame rail or is it inboard toward the gas tank? Can't tell from this pic.

This is what I did with Tyler's.

 

[macleanflood]

Going back to this post Mac, is your exhaust directly under the frame rail or is it inboard toward the gas tank? Can't tell from this pic.

This is what I did with Tyler's.

Inboard and I like that method!

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

So how hard is the rule about being 90 degrees off the lower control arm mount?

Right now it looks like the shock tower wouldn't clear the tub. And the shock would make contact with the lower spring perch. Leaning the shock back another 10-20 degrees would get me clearance.

-Mac

 

[Wildman]

Don't know if this helps any

 

[hosejockey61]

It's not truly a hard and fast rule, just something to strive for if possible. You'll quickly realize the fronts won't get there. You have to put it where it will fit.

 

[macleanflood]

 

[Wildman]

View attachment 639453View attachment 639454

Can't go back NOW...

 

[Wildman]

When you cut off the excess tower at the bottom leave a little lip towards @ the bottom. I don't remember why but this is what I was told to do.

 

[DEValken]

When you cut off the excess tower at the bottom leave a little lip towards @ the bottom. I don't remember why but this is what I was told to do.

Shoulder for a weld?

 

[Wildman]

Shoulder for a weld?

I think it had something to do with that but like I said I don't remember & can't ask that person anymore since I'm on his ignore list...

 

[Rickyd]

I'm on his ignore list...

Me too

 

[Wildman]

Me too

I'm an attention whore and numerous other things.... Or something like that...


Mac,
Looks good... Now you just need to have it ready to come back up here at the end of Sept for the next run... You & @Woodrow both should come.

 

[DEValken]

I think it had something to do with that but like I said I don't remember & can't ask that person anymore since I'm on his ignore list...

We're a custom o-metal fab shop, and that's what we would do. Makes it nicerer.

 

[macleanflood]

Tacked.Hard part time... making the other side the same. Give me three hours to come up with something complicated. Digital angle finder shouldn't make it too hard.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Other side cut in and tacked. Was an idiot and forgot to trim the other side before I tacked...but I'm a steady enough hand with that plasma cutter. Vindication when the chunks match up. Everything is within a degree of each other.

Going to locate the track bar and then try cycling with shocks installed.

Oh and I'm going to need to clearance the tub to get the upper bolt out.

-Mac

 

[macleanflood]

Officially have spent more time on my track bar Johnny Joint than the rest of the outboard project.

The new Knipex snap ring pliers don't fit the 2" JJ snap ring. Too big. Spent another hour trying to get my snap ring pliers to work. Needed stuff at HF so spent $50 on a set of four Icon snap rings.

Those worked great... except at this point I've warped the washer and bent the snap ring and I can't get the snap ring to fully seat in the JJ groove. HF's internal snap ring kit doesn't have a large enough snap ring.

Spent $400 on Currie 2" and 2.5" tools, extra snap rings, rebuild kits for the narrow 2" JJ, regular 2" and 2.5" kits and grease. Might as well have parts on hand.

Track bar is together enough I can shoehorn this bracket in. Probably going behind the shock mount, probably touching the upper spring perch.

Oh and meanwhile the econobox AC died and the HF shop press is hemorrhaging oil and my Graco paint sprayer is broken. Good thing I took next week off.

-Mac

 

[Rickyd]

Officially have spent more time on my track bar Johnny Joint than the rest of the outboard project.

The new Knipex snap ring pliers don't fit the 2" JJ snap ring. Too big. Spent another hour trying to get my snap ring pliers to work. Needed stuff at HF so spent $50 on a set of four Icon snap rings.

Those worked great... except at this point I've warped the washer and bent the snap ring and I can't get the snap ring to fully seat in the JJ groove. HF's internal snap ring kit doesn't have a large enough snap ring.

Spent $400 on Currie 2" and 2.5" tools, extra snap rings, rebuild kits for the narrow 2" JJ, regular 2" and 2.5" kits and grease. Might as well have parts on hand.

Track bar is together enough I can shoehorn this bracket in. Probably going behind the shock mount, probably touching the upper spring perch.

Oh and meanwhile the econobox AC died and the HF shop press is hemorrhaging oil and my Graco paint sprayer is broken. Good thing I took next week off.

View attachment 639611View attachment 639612

-Mac

Those trackbar jj's are a pain. I had to straighten and reseat mine a half a dozen times before they stayed put.i should get jj tools