My long arm build

[alwaysxj]

so i started to build a long arm for my jeep. since i just put some Rubicon express 7.5" coils on the front to make me level and i still had the short arms with out a drop bracket's. So this is what i have done so far. i ordered some creeper joints from trail-gear with some bungs cost with shipping was $101.52. Then i ordered some bushings from poly performance with shipping they were $37.95. Then i got 65 inches of 2" 1.25 Dom tubing for the arms with tax it was $58.37 Then i had to make or buy a mount for the arms i came across this from Clayton off road.http://claytonoffroad.com/product_info.php?cPath=18_122&products_id=174 i looked at it and thought well hell i can make that for a lot cheaper so off to the garage i go to see what metal i have on hand i had all the metal except the plate's to bolt both pieces together. so i went today to my local metal store and got some scrap 3/16 flat plate for the mounts and for the radius mounts on the lower long arm payed $4.38 for that. So i will be in to this build when it is all said and done a little over two hundred i hope. So far i have the cross-member almost done just need to drill some more holes and unbolt the stock one and bolt the new one in. More to come sorry no pics today it was too dark to take pics they will be coming though. :popcorn:

[4.3LXJ]

Now you are talking. That is the way to go about it. Good luck. If you need any;thing else, just ask

[Captain Ruggy]

Awesome, I have been waiting to see a good long arm build. Please post lots of pics.

Could you also post up a materials list. I would like to see exactly what you bought to build them.

Can't wait to see how they turn out.

[alwaysxj]

yep i will post all the pics i can. ups says my parts came today cannot wait to get it done.

[alwaysxj]

finely ups came to visit me today. i got all my joints and bungs and bushings today. now i need to go and pick up my link material this week end. when i got home today i made some progress on my cross member for the long arm's to mount to. here is some pics of the cross member and the joints and bushings.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms009.jpg
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms010.jpg
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms011.jpg
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms012.jpg
now to the fabrication part.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms014.jpg
here you can see how i beveled the edge of the piece before welding it to the flat plate to get a better weld penetration.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms013.jpg
here is what you will see when you look under the jeep. i still have to make some mounts for the unibody and the long arms but pretty much done.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms015.jpg
this is how it what will mount to the tranny and the tcase
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms035.jpg
it is coming along nicely i think i should have everything done this week end with a lot more pics for you all.

[Captain Ruggy]

Looks good. What size is that c channel you're using for your crossmember?

[alwaysxj]

it is 4 inch 3 1/16 and it is not channel i cut the middle out of the 4 inch stuff i used for the center section.

[4.3LXJ]

:thumbsup:Good deal. You are building your cross member right. Make sure you can remove it without touching your suspension.

[alwaysxj]

:thumbsup:Good deal. You are building your cross member right. Make sure you can remove it without touching your suspension.

yep i like that idea i was just going to mount the long arms to the bottom of the frame rail then i seen the cross member from Clayton and thought that would not be hard at all to make. i really hope it works out good for what i need.:smiley-scared002:

[4.3LXJ]

That is how I built mine. It allows you to service things or repair a tranny or exhaust without disassembling any more of the Jeep

[BlueXJ]

Good work so far. I am very interested in this since I plan on long arms for the MJ.

[alwaysxj]

That is how I built mine. It allows you to service things or repair a tranny or exhaust without disassembling any more of the Jeep

hey you mind snaping a pic of it for me just to compare ideas and see if i would like to change anything to make it better. thanks :camera:

[4.3LXJ]

Your cross member is not quite as wide as mine. Mine bolts on to the suspension mount itself and also allows me to remove the suspension by accessing the bushing bolt. Maybe later today

Here is a pic of the cross member as it was bolted up to the tranny while clocking the tcase. Yu can see the end, how it is cut out to access the bushing bolt. It exerts no rotational leverage on the mount this way.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0166.jpg

[rguignard]

are you running a atlas tc ?

[alwaysxj]

do you have any pics of it mounted in the jeep?

[4.3LXJ]

are you running a atlas tc ?

Yes.

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0183.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0182.jpg

http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu215/warriorsuspension/IMG_0272.jpg

[rguignard]

i like that parkbrake bet it holds way better than stock

[4.3LXJ]

Yup. Doesn't go backwards

[alwaysxj]

well i got a little more done on the long arms. i am all done with the cross member now and today i will weld up the arms and be done with it. here is some more pics of the cross member all done.


here is how it will mount to the unibody i will probably weld it as well.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/drinkholder004.jpg
here it is all done. the arms hang down a little more than i would of wanted so i think i will redo the mounts here soon and basically flip them over from where they are now so the arm mounts higher. oh well live and learn right.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/drinkholder007.jpg

[4.3LXJ]

Actually, that is not bad. They all hang down and some of that is dictated by the size of your flex joint.

[Captain Ruggy]

Looks good so far. Do you think maybe it would have been a good idea to make the part where it attaches to the frame bigger? So maybe you could use 4 bolts per side instead of two?

[alwaysxj]

Looks good so far. Do you think maybe it would have been a good idea to make the part where it attaches to the frame bigger? So maybe you could use 4 bolts per side instead of two?

ya but i think i will end up welding it to the unibody some day so i think it will be good and strong once i do that.

[Captain Ruggy]

I got it. Looking good so far.

[alwaysxj]

finely done well i still have to cut off the stock brackets and i am done. took it for a :driving: tonight and it rode like a Cadillac well pretty close :smiley-laughing021: all of the vibes in the front end are gone i have to adjust my track bar out so the track is center right now it is off to the driver side good thing i can still adjust it right.:thumbsup: sorry not pics of it tonight it was to late. i will get them up soon and a total cost on everything and things used to do this build.

[Captain Ruggy]

Looking forward to seeing the pics. Would you post up a list of materials you used? I would like to build a set myself, but really don't know what I would need as far as materials go. Thanks alot.

[alwaysxj]

do you want like all tools and everything i used or just like metal and joints and stuff like that? i can do what ever.

[Captain Ruggy]

I have all the tools I need. What I am interested in is what you used for the arms, and crossmember. And what ends did you buy? Also, did you buy inserts to thread the ends into the arms or have the arms threaded? And would like to see the crossmember, and how you did the arm mounts.

Sorry for all the questions, I just want to be as prepared as possible when I do jump into it.

[alwaysxj]

ok so here is the pics of how they were made and the fished product. it was well work it. here is the price brake down. for the cross member i had all the metal so i did not have to pay anything for that. but i used 2 inch x 4 inch 3/16 and some 3/16 plate for the mounts. i ran out of angle for the mounts for the unibody so i had to get that out of the scrap. so that was $4.00. for the link material i got 66 inches of 2 inch .25 wall DOM at $11.67 a foot with the angle and the links i was $80.95 after the cut charge i had to pay. for the joints i went to trail-gear for the creeper joints they are huge and they are rebuild able. i also got the bungs from trail gear for everything with shipping and tax they were $101.52 then i got some bushings for the axle end from poly performance with shipping for two of them i was $37.95 that brings the grand total to $220.42 but i still need some paint. ok now on to the pics.

here you can see how i beveled the edge of the link so i could weld the bung on.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms054.jpg
i think my weld will hold just fine, looks pretty good after a little clean up of the splatter.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms055.jpg
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/drinkholder007.jpg
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms058.jpg
here is how i did the radius arm. make sure when you have your buddy help you hold the axle to tac the mounts one that the caster is good and nothing is hitting. ya i fully welded the mounts on and then put everything back together and went to put the tire on and noticed that the steering was not turning. so i had to cut about a inch out of the upper arms and reweld them to get the correct caster. it is steering good now.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms057.jpg
i moved the front axle forward about three inches and now it sits center in the wheel well's and the coils are straight.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/longarms059.jpg
this build went pretty good i would say for my first long arm build and real big fab job other then bumpers and sliders. just make sure you tighten all the bolts down. i forgot to tighten the bolts for the joints i looked under the jeep today and the one bolt was about to fall out. good thing i seen it before it fell off going down the freeway.
thanks for looking build on. i would say if you know how to weld don't be scared to build something on your jeep it is not that hard to do.

[Captain Ruggy]

Nice. What did you use for the upper arms? And also the bushings. Did you weld those on, or were there bungs welded in for those as well?

[alwaysxj]

i just reused my re upper arms. And for the bushings if you look in the first post it show's it is just a bushing and i welded it on.

[4.3LXJ]

Good build. It isn't all that hard after all if you can fabricate.

[Captain Ruggy]

Ok I see it now. thanks for all your help and you did a good job. Now how about some flex pics? :thumbsup:

[alwaysxj]

ya those will come let me get the stock brackets cut off and then i can get some for you all.

[rguignard]

looks good :thumbsup: i might build when i get ready to go up somemore you did a great job

[Mudderoy]

So what was the total investment in $$$? How much time did it take you, not including having to run back and forth for parts and supplies?

Edit: Re-reading the posts. So $220.42 was the total?

[Mudderoy]

Do you have any pictures of the other end of the long arm? And the other side?

Are you going to replace the old control arms with one's with creeper joints later?

[alwaysxj]

Do you have any pictures of the other end of the long arm? And the other side?

Are you going to replace the old control arms with one's with creeper joints later?

ya i was thinking of doing a three link with a longer upper arm but that will be some time doen the road i will run this and see how it does for now.

i can get a pic of the other end but all it is a bushing.

[Mudderoy]

ya i was thinking of doing a three link with a longer upper arm but that will be some time doen the road i will run this and see how it does for now.

i can get a pic of the other end but all it is a bushing.

With those pictures you'd have enough for a good write up, then I could put it into the xjtalk articles. I can help you with the formatting, and detailing of the descriptions.

[alwaysxj]

With those pictures you'd have enough for a good write up, then I could put it into the xjtalk articles. I can help you with the formatting, and detailing of the descriptions.

ya that would be cool.

[Captain Ruggy]

That would be a great writeup to have.

[alwaysxj]

little up date of the build i sold the jeep and got a 01. i did go and flex it out right before i sold it did not get any pics sorry but man did it have a lot of drop in it. worked great.

[Mudderoy]

little up date of the build i sold the jeep and got a 01. i did go and flex it out right before i sold it did not get any pics sorry but man did it have a lot of drop in it. worked great.

To each his own, but I would have had a hard time selling something that I just put a lot of work into. Good news is you know how to make it better the 2nd time.

[alwaysxj]

To each his own, but I would have had a hard time selling something that I just put a lot of work into. Good news is you know how to make it better the 2nd time.

well i really did not want to sell it but me and my wife are planning a moab trip and it is like a 5 hr drive for me. we were looking at what it is gong to cost asfar as gas a everything. we thought that it is going to be better to just get a newer jeep it will cost less on gas and will be alot better ride plus i can have the dvd player in the new one for the little girl for the long drive.

so i found a very nicely built 01 to take down.
i was not to upset that i had just put all that work in to it because i only put about $300 with the long arms and the front bumper and it got me about a $1000 more then when i tryed to get out of it a while back. so i was not mad at all i will still be doing alot of fab work to the new one aswell.

[Xtreme XJ]

Admittedly I haven't built any suspension links, but I have to ask... is there no room to move the upper end mount higher up inside the frame ??
I haven't spent any time looking and would guess not, but seeing as how you could build it any way you liked why not higher ??

And as to this... "plus i can have the dvd player in the new one for the little girl for the long drive."
The new rig has got windows don't IT ?? Have the little critter look out the windows... I too was momentarily tempted to get them something "visual" but we refrained... we did do the leap pads & learning things though...

Both mine have got well over 150K video free miles on their eyes... now when we wheel they drive, both solo at 10 they're too tall & I'm to fat... now I get too look out the windows...

Curt

[alwaysxj]

ya i could of raised it up higher. but when i made the cross member off of Claytons off road specs i thought it would sit higher but it did not. i was planning on remaking the cross member if i would of kept the jeep to raise it up higher in the frame.

good for you your kids must be angles to go on a five hour drive and not wine and complaine once. but you have never meet my little drama queen, just getting dressed in the morning is like the end of the world for her. so anything i can get her to keep her from complaining i will.

[Xtreme XJ]

ya i could of raised it up higher. but when i made the cross member off of Claytons off road specs i thought it would sit higher but it did not. i was planning on remaking the cross member if i would of kept the jeep to raise it up higher in the frame.

good for you your kids must be angles to go on a five hour drive and not wine and complaine once. but you have never meet my little drama queen, just getting dressed in the morning is like the end of the world for her. so anything i can get her to keep her from complaining i will.

They are good travelers... We go from Palm Spr. Ca. to Kamas Ut. and the other way each Aug. those are LOOOONG days for everyone... Sometimes we split it up.

Enjoy Moab...

Curt

[Voldemort]

Im also in the process of getting stuff together for long arms and I wanted to ask about the way you mounted the uca to the lca. Did you have any issue with the LCA being straight (no bend)? and I saw you made the mount at a angle so you could re use the upper arms did that cause any problems?

[alwaysxj]

Im also in the process of getting stuff together for long arms and I wanted to ask about the way you mounted the uca to the lca. Did you have any issue with the LCA being straight (no bend)? and I saw you made the mount at a angle so you could re use the upper arms did that cause any problems?

well i have now sold the jeep but from what i drove it after it was done and flexing it the little that i did. i had no problems. the only thing i wish i would of changed is make the long arms mount up higher in the frame rail so they did not hang down so much. but not my problem now:D

[Voldemort]

Well were r the pics of the new one???

[alwaysxj]

Well were r the pics of the new one???

here is the only one i have right now.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/newjeep002.jpg

[Voldemort]

here is the only one i have right now.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/newjeep002.jpg

It looks very clean, I like it! does it sit a little higher in the back?

[alwaysxj]

ya it does but in the pic im on not on level ground so it looks bad in the pic but in person it is not bad.

[Voldemort]

OK it looks good Bro, I would like to see pics of the long arm kit on it also if you ever get some. But I like the cross member you made for the other one so much it is the design Never seen Claytons before) I am going to o one like theirs as well. It makes alot more sense for repairs in the future.

[rockcrusher]

Looks good and a great write up.

[alwaysxj]

thanks not much of a write up but you get the point.

[wayalli]

how long was the center from plate to plate the new cross member

[alwaysxj]

how long was the center from plate to plate the new cross member
I made the cross member off the stock one. I don't own this jeep anymore or i could measure it for you sorry! :driving:

[NW99XJ]

U p d a t e s !?!?!?

[Rocco83]

Lol, NW99XJ is apparently a necromancer bring posts back from the dead :p hard to update something you sold.?

[NW99XJ]

Lol, NW99XJ is apparently a necromancer bring posts back from the dead :p hard to update something you sold.?

ha! good one.....


here is the only one i have right now.
http://i873.photobucket.com/albums/ab298/alwaysxj/newjeep002.jpg

I was talking about this one.
Didnt see a post about this one being sold.

[bluedragon436]

Here is the quote where he said he doesn't own it anymore Josh... From 2-17-2012


I made the cross member off the stock one. I don't own this jeep anymore or i could measure it for you sorry! :driving:

[alwaysxj]

ha! good one.....



I was talking about this one.
Didnt see a post about this one being sold.

My wife decided she wanted a camper instead of a jeep. So I sold the jeep and bought a camper and a duramax. Wish I still had the jeep though!!!

[4.3LXJ]

I bet you end up with another Jeep

[alwaysxj]

Yeah, I'm always looking for the right one to come around.