94 Crawler's sas thread #1

[94 Crawler]

I dont have the real "Johnny Joints" (which are I think Currie Enterprise's registered name for them). I have Rubicon Express Super Flex's and they still look pretty good.

Sorry IZ I was going off of my memory of your thread I will be doing some more reasearch on that type of joint.

That front diff is looking great, you going to reuse that gear oil?

I scooped some out and saved it just for that purpose. Thanks for the complement Danny. My design for the radius arms is still in the design faze I will probably incorperate them into my existing trans x-member. I have a little more weight so maby the ride will be ok.

Although it creats a whole new problem when it comes to my bank account.

Yes no doubt. But in the future there will be c/os along with a 609, oh yes there will be.

Thanks guys for all the feed back I'll keep the pics comming.

By the way where did you guys get spring buckets from ( besides the pick and pull)?

 

[94 Crawler]

here are some pics. I need to find some good stuff pics The pinion is going to be realy close to my headers this is unexpected because of the axle width diference. I' m going to order some more parts hopefully my wedges will come in soon and I can make some more progress [/ATTACH][/ATTACH]
If anyone is interested my old lift and axles are for sale.

 

[94 Crawler]

I did not get much done yesterday. I cleanes and painted the outer c's and the break caliper brackets, and installed ball joints. I did however get some parts ordered most likely enough to get the axle mounted under the truck.

Here is what I have coming.

5.5 Wild Horses Rock crawler coils and 7 degree wedges fromwildhorses4x4.com

New coil towers and retainers from broncograveyard.com

A 7 degree ball joint reamer fromspeedwaymotors.com

2 3.0" Ultra duty ballistic joints with 1.25"-12tpi studs, steering linkage with 1 ton chevy tre's and 1.5"od .250" wall dom, some 1.5" od .250 wall dom for the trackbar and 2" .250 wall dom for the radius arm extensions, and 2 3/4"-16 tube adapters 2 1.25"-12 tube adapters. Fromballisticfabrication.com

I have a couple of questions.

1 How high are you all mounting your coil buckets? A measurment from the bottem of the frame or however you did it.

2 How far forward did youall go? I am currently figuring on 3" from 125" to 128"

3 Dose anyone have pics of the pig at full stuff? I think I'm going to have problems with headder clerance.

 

[FROADER]

1. Most of us with the 5.5 WH springs have a coil height of 18" with the truck sitting at ride height. That's also an explorer with a 4.0. I'm not sure how a ranger with a 5.0 compares in weight.

2. Everyone has done different numbers when it comes to moving the axle forward. Off the top of my head:
Mine - 0"
Stic-o - 3"
IZwack - 4"
section525 - ~2"
rockranger - ~3"
DB_1 - ~1" (having the same truck as you he runs 37s too.)
So that all depends on what you need to do for clearance really.

3. I'll look through some of my pics, I'm sure I have some of a few of these trucks.

 

[94 Crawler]

Thanks FROADER I was looking back at my pics with the ttb and i have enough weight to compress Skyjacker soft rides to the max. From what I have read the 302 Is 100 lbs heavier than a 2.3, but mine has gt-40Y heads (aluminum). How dose that stack up to a 4.0? I dont know. I think I have decided to move mine at liest 3 inches posibly 4 and if i have to use 5.0 ex headers I will. I am not turning back. I do know now that a high pinion 609 is not going to fit, it is good I hadent spent that money.

Keep in mind this is with extended arms with hymes. Take the springs out and the hub will hit the floor. So it is a good flexy set up with longer / softer springs or coil overs this thing would have flexed as much as you wanted.

 

[94 Crawler]

Look what came in the mail today.

7* reamer for knuckles and pittman arm.

7* caster corection bushings

From Jeff's bronco graveyard? Duff EB coil towers

 

[94 Crawler]

Also.

6" Sjyjacker softride vs 5.5 Wild Horses rock crawler

close up of the duff bracket

Now I'm waiting on my shipment from ballistic fab. The status says in progress. I probably will not have those parts untill late next week or the following if they ship tomarrow or friday. I can at leist figure where the radius arms will end up

 

[sn0border88]

Yea coilovers would really be the way to go. Mush easier to adjust. I would love to run softer coils then my wild horses coils, but they are already much to soft for road comfort. They just don'e seem soft enough for offroad. Coilovers would eliminate this problem. Although it creats a whole new problem when it comes to my bank account.

How are coilovers much easier to adjust? You need to swap the springs to adjust them.

Airshocks=Easy

 

[colindo94]

coilovers have the ability to be adjusted more then airshocks.

 

[DB_1]

It's not necessarily easier to adjust C/O's but certainly more options to tune.
Air shocks you have the Nitrogen, shock oil and valve stacks to play with but will only get you so far. Coilovers have that plus you can swap coils in 25 lb. increments and then you have the adjusting collar on the threaded body.

 

[94 Crawler]

Has anyone purposly tried to reshape stock radius arms to clear the tires? I know this is a can of worms but just wondering?

 

[fischerry]

oh yeah just use the search religiously.Look up the james duff raduis arm's the have some for the bronco axles,and exploer,b2 and ranger's.

 

[94 Crawler]

Oh I ment bending the stock "cast"? ones.

 

[fischerry]

yes and as i said it has been done, by handfull of people either extending or turning i think colindo was one.althoguht you radius arms will not mount to d44.but if it is on the stock axle, and you know the lenght it needs to be lenghten cut the stamped metal right on the cent of wher it rounds out.i Think the tubing used is 1" sch 90 (measure the round edges to concur)and slip the pipe in both end at least 2 inch out of the round.
Weld them together.and make sure you gusset the end off the tubbing to the insde of the radius arm for strenght.if you find a steel pipe the right size to make a sleeve for the tubing,i would sleeve it after you weld the tubing to the round end of hte raduis arm.just slip it on befor you start welding the rear.

first:
]llll----
second:
]llll-- / --(cut)
third:
(sleeve)
]llll--{--}---(weld)

is oyur radius arm rear mounts already switch to adjustable hiem joints?

 

[94 Crawler]

fischerry

is oyur radius arm rear mounts already switch to adjustable hiem joints

Nothing has been done to them yet, but the current plan is to heat and bend them towards the center of the truck just behind the front diff. Then bend them back towards paralell, and end up extended and conected to the trans crossmember inboard of theframe rails (like the jeep longarm setup) with johnny joints. It will only be abought 8" extended, but I hope the narrower distence between radius arm pivot points will promote better flex. Oh they will be reinforced and plated for strength I already have the steel.

By the way has anyone delt with ballistic fab my order has been in progress since last week almost two weeks now:fire::fire:, I'm not realy impatient but I did not order any thing that I felt was complicated. Ballistic joints, some dom, tierod kit with 1 ton tre's and some tube adapters. It will take them a week to get here whenever they are shipped and ground freight was still high doller. I am not in great need of the parts right now I just like to get what I have ordered in a timely fashion or a ship date so I can at liest know not to expect them untill xx/xx/xxxx. (end rant)

 

[sn0border88]

I delt with ballistic a few times, no complaints. Pricey, but very bling stuff.

And I see what your wanting to do with the arms, but I would say if your going to do all of that, just make some out of tube. Probably strong/lighter/looking better in the long run.

 

[IZwack]

I've ordered from them before too -- and my recent order was placed on the 15th and it was shipped out on the 17th (yesterday). Give em a call, maybe something is backed up.

 

[94 Crawler]

Thanks guys I'll call them next week.

Is it hard to bend the dom tubing. I had concidered going all tubing maby use the stock arm ends and build something similer to tha cage arms. I need to get some 1/4 plate to plate the chassis where the steering box/ track bar mount is going to be.

 

[sn0border88]

look at it this way, its going to be much much harder to bend the radius arms.

Maybe find a local place with a tube bender

 

[94 Crawler]

I have a HF tube kinker. I had planed on bending the arm in a vice with help from a rosebud. I may still go that route.