The 4.0 Swap was chump change compared to this - Look inside...

[janderson4010]

I ordered the bushings for the axle and a peice of 1 3/4" dom from ruffstuff specialties and got it in like e business days, ordered adjustable coil buckets and retainers from ballistic fab and didnt get my confirmation for 3 days, some wrong w that company, ive never had very good luck with them, thank god im not on a deadline and need their parts

 

[janderson4010]

passenger side bracket, welded in, i really screwed up the gusset on the other side, im pretty sure im going to cut it out and weld in 2 gussets made of plate, just not enough room for the tube in there

 

[rookieshooter]

I agree about Ballistics customer care. It just plain sucks. I've had my times with them also.

When doing built brackets I've placed the bushing or something the exact same size between the sides cause the metal distorts so much. I've even put a feeler gauge just a few thousands thick between the bushing and plate to keep the sides from pulling in to the point where you need a BFH to get them in.
Your buddies at Ballistic even sells faux bushings just for this reason.

 

[janderson4010]

yeah i welded the bracket itself on the bench with a few cardboard spacers made of coke boxes, just for that reason. The driver side did distort a little but i used a floor jack to spread it apart a little bit, I was much more careful with the passenger side, both sides fit the joint snugly but not to loose. I wish Ruffstuff made their own adjustable coil buckets, I really would never have a problem ordering anything from them, they have always been top notch

 

[janderson4010]

Wow i just looked at that picture and that looks really warped, its straight though, must some kind of optical illusion

 

[janderson4010]

decided instead of a tube gusset on this side id use a piece of 1/2 in plate cut down as a gusset, it was a lot easier than the tube gusset and I suspect in this case its going to be a lot stronger. So i'm going back to the other side and cut the tube gusset that i screwed up so bad and ill make a matching gusset out of plate.

ps i used just an angle grinder and my welder, nothin like doin it old school lol. course i burned through a whole cutoff wheel doing it lol.

 

[janderson4010]

im a genius, when i was test fitting the bushing sleeve on to the tube i had the zerk fitting inside the tube, so when i got it lined up and perfect i tacked it in 4 places before i realized what i had done. ended up cutting the tacks off and smoothing everything back out, so now the zerk is just in the right place lol

 

[broncobra22]

Genius

Albert Einstein once said that the difference between Genius and Ignorance was that Genius has it's limitations. I have screwed up so many times that I just know he was talking about me (Ignorance) great thing about working with metal it humbles us frequently. Nice recovery

 

[rookieshooter]

Albert Einstein once said that the difference between Genius and Ignorance was that Genius has it's limitations. I have screwed up so many times that I just know he was talking about me (Ignorance) great thing about working with metal it humbles us frequently. Nice recovery

I agree whole heartedly. And if any one thinks their so perfect including their build, then they need to take a good look in a really big mirror so they can take a look at their build including themselves.

I make so many mistakes that sometimes I'll make a mistake and get it right LOL.
Oh ya, one other thing, your not alone in the Zerk dept.

I can't stand the internet types that sit around and bash others build. Nothing but gutless cowards.
If the truth be known, I was probably making mistakes fabricating stuff when they were still sucking on mommies mammary gland ha ha.

 

[janderson4010]

Yeah ive made a million little screwups on this but its really the first fabrication ive done on a fairly large scale. Im hoping when i finish ill have a well functioning suspension that i can carry through some axle changes and different iterations of the bronco, im pretty sure i will always have a 3link up front but ill prob go w a triangulated 4 link in the back

 

[janderson4010]

got one control arm done, ill fab the other up tomorrow morning, hopefully then i can start on the upper arm and then the panhard

 

[janderson4010]

damnit posted the same picture 2x, see what I mean about screwing up? lol

 

[broncobra22]

3 link

damnit posted the same picture 2x, see what I mean about screwing up? lol

Looking fine SAS 3 link gonna be a reality before you know it!

 

[broncobra22]

oops!!!

Really understand photo errors, I poked the quote button and got your picture double posted yet a second time back to back...my bad? Sorry

 

[snoranger]

im a genius, when i was test fitting the bushing sleeve on to the tube i had the zerk fitting inside the tube, so when i got it lined up and perfect i tacked it in 4 places before i realized what i had done. ended up cutting the tacks off and smoothing everything back out, so now the zerk is just in the right place lol

At least you caught it before you fully welded it!

 

[janderson4010]

sold my super swampers to my brother, I would have needed some pretty dang wide rims and crazy backspacing to keep them from hitting my lower control arms, and he needed tires for that truck, they suit it pretty dang well imo. Im looking at a set of 35x12.50 pitbull rockers, I can get a pretty dang good deal on them through a dude I know, so I may as well take advantage of it. even though im not going to need them for quite some time.

on another note i built the other lower control arm this morning, took a lot less time without all the cutting tack welds etc, so now i need to start work on the upper control arm, the idea of the 3link and sas is indeed becoming a reality.

 

[broncobra22]

3 link

Link arms look super. Think you posted the square tubing size & thickness but couldn't find it. Those joints look so rad! Makes me want to jump up and order some...best if I wait untill I decide on how I'll build my suspension.

 

[janderson4010]

The tubing is 2x2 .25 wall. It works really well for links and it was half as much as 2" dom round. The joints are trailgear creeper joints, i got them at cost from a guy i know who is a trailgear dealer. If u get a few of them youve got no choice but to use them. I kind of wish i had gotten a regular heim joint for the top link for space constraint reasons

 

[broncobra22]

Costs

I figured you had thick wall tube...don't want those arms to ever turn loose. Unfortunately costs prevent us from doing what we want, but we still seem to find a way to get the job done...else only rich boys would have most of the great toys and all the pretty girls!
I know what you mean about space, however those are some killer joints and you stole 'em....sweet.

 

[janderson4010]

when I did the measurements for the link suspension calculator i came up with way better suspension characteristics when the frame end of the upper link was 23" off the ground, that just so happens to be the height my frame was from the ground at the length i wanted my upper link to be. So tonight i decided it was prudent to modify my frame a little bit for better suspension characteristics then to compromise and make it a little bit easier, so i cut a wedge out of the side of the frame, chopped one end out and hammered it up until it was level. i did leave a piece of the outside of the frame intact so i had more area to weld on and so it was 3 dimensional instead of 2. that give me a flat area to mount my frame end link mount to and it gives me the inch and a half extra space i needed to make my upper link perfect.