Front axle reset

[Me223656]

I just picked up my 01 xj last week. It had an encounter with a cement block to the front axle and bent and broke tie rods, control arm brackets and the T-case. I bought all new tie rod, drag link, trackbar, upper and lower control arms. My problem is all the brackets that the control arms hook to have been ripped away from the axle and mangled up under the xj. I am looking to grind all this away and start from scratch on setting the axle using fabricated brackets and adjustable lower arms. The rig has what looks to be a 4.5" lift and 31" tires. My question is where to start. I have everything taken apart in the garage and ready for re-assembly and fab work. What steps should i be taking to ensure a straight and solid ride when i am done? i am a fabricator/welder by trade but i have never gotten this extensive into a frontend. Any help is greatly apprectiated......

[4.3LXJ]

I was going to suggest builder parts, but I think you have that covered. What you are looking for is a finished product that has a castor angle of about 5° toward the rear. I am sure you know how to use an angle gauge, but new smart phone apps are even better. Measure the angle on the top of the ball joint where it is flat. There is a grease fitting there but you can remove it or measure around it. This is the standard procedure when making custom axle swaps etc. which is almost what what you are doing, minus the new axle.

[Me223656]

Now im thinking of putting in a long arm upgrade kit intead of repairing the short arm setup. Looking to get out cheap as possible. Any sugestions?

[4.3LXJ]

Try Zone. They have some good kits and a good reputation

[denverd1]

from what Iron man Andy said, shorts are better than long when fully articulated.... I realize most ppl want long arms tho. I used to want long arms just because it seemed to be the natural progression for a lifted jeep. Something about radius arms binding up on long arms. I think you need to go 3 link to see any real improvement

[4.3LXJ]

I agree. Three link is the way to go, but you won't find any cheap kits unless you build it yourself

[Me223656]

A 3-link is just two lower arms and one upper arm? Are these short or long? After looking a little deeper the brackets to the frame for the lowers are tweaked too. Ive had 3 guys who are big off road guys look at it and thy think the frame is ok and its just where the brackets are welded. The reason i wanted to go long arm is to not weld directly to the unibody. From a welders stand point it only gonna make a week spot if i make new short arm brackets and try welding them to the 16 gauge steel again. I dont know what to do. I dont have a whole bunch of money to throw at it. I know i can design a system but i dont want to get done with it and have it track wrong and death wobble and all that good stuff

[4.3LXJ]

So Mike, can you fab up stuff from scratch?

[Me223656]

So Mike, can you fab up stuff from scratch?

Yes thats what i do for a living. I build parts for military defense vehicles and armored cars and trucks. Im not one to toot my own horn but......lol. Im gonna give it a try. Worse i can so is screw it all up. Haha. Ive been reading alot of forum post and articles about building from scratch. Im not worried about the build. Im worried about the alignment

[4.3LXJ]

Here is one for you then. You would probably want a mirror image and do it on the right side. Mine has a Chevy in it and worked out better on the left.

http://www.xjtalk.com/showthread.php?t=8169&highlight=link+suspension

I don't necessarily share this with everyone, just people that I think can fab it up and not get killed.

[Me223656]

i read that article last night actually. I still dont see where he is connecting his upper to the jeep. He just ran a 3 link right? i bought steel today. Im just gonna start with the cross member, add mount brackets, then build the arms. I couldnt get the arm material today. I just went to the scrap yard down the street. they had all kinds of new steel laying there. ended up with around 150lbs of stuff for $71. Now i need to figure out what joint ends im gonna use and where to use them.

[4.3LXJ]

The "He" is me. The top link is hooked into the top of the bracket on the left side. The bracket bolts and is welded on to the frame in multiple places. Very strong