huntingman2706217

Trying to find some folks running tons or at least a 60 front... im about to start on mine and was NOT wanting much lift at all... like 3 to 4 inches is all... probly gonna be asking questions here my whole build so i can catch the mind of others running tons that have posted here... thanks!

95 cherokee 2 door ($600 invested running and driving)

2005 F-250 Dana 60 ($250) already has... 1.5in shafts inside 4in tube... 9.75 ring gear... 35 spline inners/outers... ford lock outs... yes its got unitbearing and ball joints but they are huge and strong unlike the 99-04 60's and 50's... axles rated to be as strong as the 78-79's...

not done... still gotta regear to 5.38 and spool it...

2006 sterling 10.50 stock right now as well...

plans 37's for now and building H1 double beadlocks... should be ordering the re-centers soon...

huntingman2706217

so i took a rough estimate of the jeep today between the middle of the coils... looks to be ABOUT 37in or so center to center... the flat spots i took pics of on the D60 are also ABOUT the same... so welding on a flat plate to them with some tube up the middle will make near perfect easy mounts for my springs! basically in the right locations! Also these flat spots are about 2.5in above the axle tube MORE then the dana 30 springs plates are above its axle tube... so theres some gain in lift... like what 1in maybe? i think its like half of what your actually given... something like that...

huntingman2706217

guess it wouldnt hurt to add pics of this 05 dana 60 im sticking in here huh? there on my build page but i guess this can be a Q&A and my front axle build page...


What i have... and what its going in...

my $600 95 2 door and my $250 dana 60

huntingman2706217

heres where im at after yesterday and today... axles are stripped and scrapped... got the D60 sitting in there just right... nothings hooked up or bolted up yet... just trying to how everything is going to work and such...




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huntingman2706217

so i think i have to much lift... lol...i wanted to run 37's that i already have... and my 9in already has the 4.88's... so i cant really go much more tire... but i could fit like frickin 40's with this... these are 4.5in springs on the front... if i jack the axle up compressing the spring any more it starts picking the jeep up off the stands so pretty much all the pressure is on the springs and there compressed to almost ride height... you can tell in the pics the the axle still isnt even high enough for the wheels and tires... probly ANOTHER 3in to go... lol... so im wondering if i should go with it and use the spare tire room for flex but loose COG which is what i wanted... or swap these springs for some 2in springs or something... what yall think?

also im glad im ditching the radius arm setup... at this height the axle is angled down so far its almost turning into the ground lol... so i think im going to do a true 4 link now... lowers to under the frame at the cross member... uppers at the old lowers location... heck i almost could have left the stock brackets for the lowers... but i already cut them off... lol...

huntingman2706217

got some more work done... pulled the OEM control arms off... got prices and all for the front end... waiting for Dan to catch my PM and fix the website so i can order the right stuff... they forgot the 7/8x7/8 heim package in LH threads for some reason but sell them with the LH and RH package so waiting on that... then ill order my front stuff for steering and all... also took abunch of measurements... found that the width of the OEM bushing were 2 3/8... well it just so happens i grabbed a chunck of like 6x4 tube at the scrap yard last time i was there and sure enough the inside diameter was 2 3/8... or pretty dang close anyways... so i cut it up and made my own lower links... still gotta weld on a bolt but my goal is to buy bolts the same size and thread count that the heims will have on the other end... this way i can use the same tube adapters and jam nuts...

like ive said the drivers side is cast onto the axle so my best bet is to just use the factory bushing on the axle end... heims would mean more flex but i dont have must other choice other then some major thinking and fabricating... which i can do but not in a frugal fashion...

i drilled the holes for the 3/4in OEM bolt about 2.5in from the bottom to allow for clearance around the bushing... the more minimal this number the stronger... in fact im probly going to have to grind a little off around the bushings if they rub any... in fact i know i am... im thinking about drilling the hole down the center and running the bolt through the hole and weld it in that way for the link to attach too... but it may not work that way... not alot of clearance for a bolt head inside there.... sorry proby not making much sense... pics may help...

largest drill bit i had was 5/8 for my drill press and the stock bolts are 3/4 thick... so gonna have to buy another $20 bit to be able to bolt them up but for now there drilled out for 5/8... coming out pretty easy and nice!

huntingman2706217

spent abunch of money today...

ordered $300 worth of stuff from ruffstuff... hope to see it soon! lol

2 LH 1.25 heims for my lowers on the frame end... 1.5ID tube adapters as i plan to run 2inOD tube so 1.4in thick...
2LH 7/8x7/8 LH heims for my uppers on the frame end... 1.5ID tube as well... save money using the same size top and bottom... plenty of room so why not?
link brackets for the lowers...
link tabs for the uppers...
and since i got rid of a 9in housing i had my RS simple axle swap perches on i ordered some new perches for this 9in and ill just use the old stuff i had... never used it so really its all new...

i decided to run the 4.5in RE leafs and shackles in the rear for now... ill save up and buy alittle here and there for the 4 link rear over the summer and winter and do that this time next year... heck if i stuff the fronts and the rears are still on the ground and every things good there may be no point to coil the rear... not with the setup ill be running...

i also decided to build a 4 link with the uppers going to the lowers old locations... and the lowers to the cross member location but inline with the frame... if i think im not getting the best flex then ill disconnect the drivers side upper arm and see how that does... if its better then ill just keep the other upper arm as a spare... will be the same anyways... ill make a spare lower later on... since there all straight and non of the links are bent to fit then ill be able to swap them back and forth if need be...

huntingman2706217

well poo... got m box already! but it was all wrong... lol... didnt have the 1.25 heims... didnt have the tabs... did have the 7/8 heims but were RH thread when they were suppose to be LH thread... lol... gave him a call and hes gonna buzz me back after he figures out what the heck is going on... lol...


on another note... i measured my lower control arm distance... with 4.5in springs on it im looking at 39 frickin inches... axles pushed forward a bit... but that is NOT good for setting up my uppers... i plan to run stock front springs and sell these 4.5in springs... to much lift... which i estimated at 38in long lower links... this means i still need like 27in long uppers... and thats at 70%... heck thatll never happen... thats not notched into the frame... thats through the damn frame and bolting it to the seat!

no idea how im gonna work this now... only thing that makes sense is to go mid arms... bring the lowers in a bit... to maybe in front of the cross member...

huntingman2706217

these 37's are looking small... now that i got the front narrowed and ready to be plated up... lol...

huntingman2706217

did some 2in angle frame stiffeners today and swapped the OEM springs to the 4.5 RE springs i had in the rear... cut the perches off my new sterling 10.50 i picked up the other night... sold the 9in for $200 after i found the gears to not be set right messing with it some more... (yes he knew) and got the sterling for $350... already got disc brakes... same bollt pattern and width as my front now... perches were only 2in off but cut them off and welding on my new ones tomorrrow... should have the rear installed tomorrow... my H1 re-centers are on the way and i should have the rear sitting on the axle within the next couple weeks... gotta get the center of my H1 wheels cut out... somehow... lol...

PingPong

I did mine with a Plasma.... If no access to one. try going to a machine shop, or welding shop to get it done. I had the military paint blasted off before I cut the centers out.. heard that paint is some nasty stuff

huntingman2706217

ive got a plasma that was refurbished and given to my buddy actually... been sitting awhile and we tried to crank it up last time but couldnt get it to do anything but pop one time and leave a divet... lol... he doesnt do any of this stuff so i need to go get it out the shop and take it to the miller place in town and see if its me or the plasma cutter... its like brand new so its probly just me trying to figure out how it works... its been since high school since i used one and i didnt even set that one up...

did you cut on the outside edge of the old lug pattern but BEFORE the hump there? or after the hump? still waiting for mine to come in... also got the rock rings so gotta weld them in which should be easy... im not sure if im going to blast mine or grind off the coating in the location i want to weld... i havent found any primer and paint/coating that sticks worth a damn i can just buy anywhere... i blasted a axle the other day for a guy and primed and painted with high dollar spray paint and thick and it still scratched right off...

huntingman2706217

got my axle under the jeep today... i used my ruff stuff 9in swap kit for the perches and shock tabs but the U-bolts arent going to work... i ground the corners off the perches to get them to fit which was nothing but this sterling 10.50 axle tube is larger then a 9in of course so not gonna work... the upper plates holes are ovaled and they will work because of that... also moved the axle one in aft since there is more room to trim backwards then forwards and itll help with driveshaft angle just a tad bit... gotta get on ruff stuff and order some larger u bolts...

Also take a look at the OEM brake line... the springs have no weight on them so stretched out... looks to be the same frame side mount as well... so as of right now it looks like ill be using the factory brake brake line easily... looks to be plenty of length for flexing down if theres any more left anyways...

you can also see that my jeeps gonna go abunch higher... axles way to close to the ground so should raise up alot still... ill get the two rear wheels done first and these U-bolts in so i can get this rear end sitting on its own weight... then i can figure out what i need to do to adjust the front lift to make it level...

huntingman2706217

think i got a couple more pics...

ok one... lol

huntingman2706217

well started on the cross member with my control arm mounts made into it... its pretty frickin beef... lol... i already had this stuff so im making it work... i got it all from the scrap yard for like $25 last summer and just havent used most of it until now... i wished the 1/4 thick 4x8 would be about 2 inches longer it would work perfect... but its a little short...

i went through and trimmed from the upper control arms all the way to the stock mount locations where that one inch thin lip is on the inside of the frame rail... to square it all up... then i took abunch of measurements and welded on some thick angle to the outside edge... IF my 4x8 was wide enough then these would go right up against the inside of the frame... but its not so there gonna sit about a inch away on each side on the inside of the rail... they would have been the perfect width to just weld up a piece of flat on the outside of them but now im gonna have to figure something else out once i get it kinda up in there and see how it all looks...

so i cut the center at a perfect square... 8in wide by 8in wide... so that i could flip and turn it into the center and give me back my drop i needed... the tranny will be in stock location... but the crossmember will hang about one in lower then stock i think... but its heck of alot stronger... lol... pics will explain better...