Homemade suspension
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 54
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From: Irwin PA
Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 I6
Homemade suspension
Im looking into building my own suspension, and i know that its not something you just DO, but based on what ive seen, im pretty confident that ill be able to tackle it. i just cant seem to find any good information.
i was thinking three link up front and four in the rear. im curious about a few things. first off, i have 6" of lift already, and im doing this for the flex. so how would i go about getting my sizes and angles? and what exactly do i need? i know i will need the control arms and mounts, but will my steering or anything else need to be modified? also, ill be doing on road driving as well.
sorry for the noob questions.
thanks in advance, joe
i was thinking three link up front and four in the rear. im curious about a few things. first off, i have 6" of lift already, and im doing this for the flex. so how would i go about getting my sizes and angles? and what exactly do i need? i know i will need the control arms and mounts, but will my steering or anything else need to be modified? also, ill be doing on road driving as well.
sorry for the noob questions.
thanks in advance, joe
CF Veteran
Joined: Feb 2011
Posts: 2,450
Likes: 2
From: Dubuque IA,Libertyville IL
Year: 1992
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 HO
X2. ive been doing research on making my own 4link front and rear for about 6 months and im still not confident enough to do all the measurements correctly. i can do all the welding just fine but idk about the angles just yet. my suggestion would be to go on pirate 4x4 and start looking there. you'll find a lot of helpful things over there
CF Veteran
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 4,529
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From: somewhere Gee oh Dee cant find me...
Year: 1995
Model: Cherokee
Engine: I6 4.0L
plus you got to figure in how much you want to spend and if your really going to need it, or if you just really want to do it. and its not as simple as just weldin up some bars and tabs and calling it a day, you got to know all the angle you need/want, placement of everything, what type of shocks, springs, or coilovers, and i hope that if you are actually going to go through all the trouble of making this that you upgrade your stock axles and go with tires of at least 35s to make it justifiable
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CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 6,685
Likes: 6
From: Jacksonville, FL
Year: 92
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
i posted this in another thread on linking the rear
first off and most important is packaging. it doesn't matter what kind of geometry you come up with, if you cant fit it under the xj then it will do you no good. so you have to decide if you want to cut into the floorboard to get the separation you need, or how low you're willing to allow everything to hang below the jeep to get the separation you need(which the lower you go, the more you will get caught up on obstacle hitting your mounts and links). so decide exactly how far you are willing to go to make everything work.
next is geometry. this we depend on the kind of wheeling you want to do (and packaging limits)and honestly i would check out alot of the builds on pirate4x4 because i feel that they have the best selection of different style geometry builds for different types of use (crawling, racing, jumping, hill climbs, ect). you can use the different types of 4 link calculators online and try to get all the numbers "right", but the best way to figure out what will ride and respond the best for you will be to ask others how theirs worked out. for me, 4" separation on the frame end and 8" at the axle end worked best. it offered me a very stable hill climb, plenty of articulation and kept the differential pinion pointing at the tcase output during the whole range of articulation. but if you have poor geometry, then you will notice poor performance from you setup offroad, which will suck.
then it comes down to materials and mounting. 1/4" thick on all tubing and steel brackets and mounts is a good safe start, and make sure your joints and size of DOM is up to the task of the wheeling you will do.
for the coil mounts and link mounts you really want to make sure you use plenty of surface area. again, reading others builds will give you a good idea of what works best, everyone will have there own opinion. remember everything has to be solid, as this will be supporting pretty heavy forces while wheeling.
now some other misc stuff
Shocks- the stock body side shock mounts are junk, and should not be used when linking an XJ. a shock hoop through the floor is a good way to fit the correct size shocks you will need. and the size of shock will depend on measurements at full bump/droop.
coils- every XJ is different, so if someone may have gotten 6" of lift in the rear by using a certain coil, that doesnt mean you will. so be prepared to try a range of different coils (i went through 5 different sets of coils to get the ones that worked best for me)
brake lines- pretty simple over all, make sure however you set it up that it does not get caught up in any of the rear suspension and that you dont break a line because of over stretching it. i personally ran my rear line down my upper control arm so it will never be put in harms way.
limiting straps and bumpstops- a MUST, they will keep you from destroying your body, loosing your coils, or blowing out a shock. get what works best with your setup.
i think that's mostly everything, im sure i left out a bunch though. just make sure you do a ton of research. you dont want to jump into this blind. and ask away if you have any questions.
first off and most important is packaging. it doesn't matter what kind of geometry you come up with, if you cant fit it under the xj then it will do you no good. so you have to decide if you want to cut into the floorboard to get the separation you need, or how low you're willing to allow everything to hang below the jeep to get the separation you need(which the lower you go, the more you will get caught up on obstacle hitting your mounts and links). so decide exactly how far you are willing to go to make everything work.
next is geometry. this we depend on the kind of wheeling you want to do (and packaging limits)and honestly i would check out alot of the builds on pirate4x4 because i feel that they have the best selection of different style geometry builds for different types of use (crawling, racing, jumping, hill climbs, ect). you can use the different types of 4 link calculators online and try to get all the numbers "right", but the best way to figure out what will ride and respond the best for you will be to ask others how theirs worked out. for me, 4" separation on the frame end and 8" at the axle end worked best. it offered me a very stable hill climb, plenty of articulation and kept the differential pinion pointing at the tcase output during the whole range of articulation. but if you have poor geometry, then you will notice poor performance from you setup offroad, which will suck.
then it comes down to materials and mounting. 1/4" thick on all tubing and steel brackets and mounts is a good safe start, and make sure your joints and size of DOM is up to the task of the wheeling you will do.
for the coil mounts and link mounts you really want to make sure you use plenty of surface area. again, reading others builds will give you a good idea of what works best, everyone will have there own opinion. remember everything has to be solid, as this will be supporting pretty heavy forces while wheeling.
now some other misc stuff
Shocks- the stock body side shock mounts are junk, and should not be used when linking an XJ. a shock hoop through the floor is a good way to fit the correct size shocks you will need. and the size of shock will depend on measurements at full bump/droop.
coils- every XJ is different, so if someone may have gotten 6" of lift in the rear by using a certain coil, that doesnt mean you will. so be prepared to try a range of different coils (i went through 5 different sets of coils to get the ones that worked best for me)
brake lines- pretty simple over all, make sure however you set it up that it does not get caught up in any of the rear suspension and that you dont break a line because of over stretching it. i personally ran my rear line down my upper control arm so it will never be put in harms way.
limiting straps and bumpstops- a MUST, they will keep you from destroying your body, loosing your coils, or blowing out a shock. get what works best with your setup.
i think that's mostly everything, im sure i left out a bunch though. just make sure you do a ton of research. you dont want to jump into this blind. and ask away if you have any questions.
CF Veteran
Joined: Sep 2007
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if you have to ask you are in over your head. and if flex is the main reason you are doing it, your prioroties arent exactly straight. do a little more research and be sure you know what you want before tackling this. there are just way too many things to consider and quite honestly your questions are the most basic you could ask about a project of this magnitude. if you dont already know the answer to everything you asked you have a long way to go.
CF Veteran
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 6,685
Likes: 6
From: Jacksonville, FL
Year: 92
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0
Originally Posted by ktmracer419
and if flex is the main reason you are doing it, your prioroties arent exactly straight. .
Don't let flex be the only reason for this. You can get decent enough flex from a well thought out leaf setup
Junior Member
Joined: Aug 2009
Posts: 54
Likes: 0
From: Littleton
Year: 88
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0l
Mine's all custom, (everything on mine is...) - even the rear, but I still have leafs in the back for stability. Geometry is important and you have to take into consideration 'bind points' (part of the geometry issue), or else you could wind up with a new shiny suspension that has tons of potential, but if it binds up and won't let the other side move so-to-speak - well then you've wasted a bunch of money and time just for the 'experience'.
If you're not really building something for more extreme wheeling, I'd stick with a good long-arm lift kit and upgraded steering components. You'll get more than enough flex AND keep your driveability (and wallet) in check.
either way - good luck with what you decide.
If you're not really building something for more extreme wheeling, I'd stick with a good long-arm lift kit and upgraded steering components. You'll get more than enough flex AND keep your driveability (and wallet) in check.
either way - good luck with what you decide.
Junior Member
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 56
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Model: Cherokee
suspension isn't something you decide one day to get up and build. like everyone else said its one of the most number crunching intensive parts of automotive engineering and needs the right of attention and research before attempting
CF Veteran
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 2,401
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From: Montpelier, Ohio
Year: 92
Engine: 4.0
Im building my own long arm 3 link right now. And about anything you get from a 4 link calc won't fit under your jeep. Anyone that says having a long arm isn't worth it for flex is crazy. Im doing mine for flex too, I already have the 6" lift as well.
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Junior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 54
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From: Irwin PA
Year: 1990
Model: Cherokee
Engine: 4.0 I6
If you read my original post, I SAID:" I know this isn't something you just DO. " Im asking because I don't know. Obviously. Ive done alot of reading, and didn't find much on some specific things, So I asked. Its a forum, I must be a fool for thinking that I could get some information here. If I knew how to build a suspension system, I wouldn't be asking questions. Thank you to the person or persons who gave me some valid information.