Long Travel BS Thread

DJ would probably perform fine in the upper control arm, but as you saw from Jambo, the lowers need to be as strong as possible. Here’s some pics of my upper on the side that took a hit. If you look closely, you can see the bolt is bent. Also the gusseted spindle, you can see where to tie rod arm bent.

 

brutal. what was the actual failure mode here?

 

Hit a tree.

 

but what actually broke?

 

Interesting to see how/what failed.
TBH, I think I'd rather lose a LBJ than a LCA based on replacement cost? But OTOH bending a LCA won't leave you stranded on a trail while a LBJ would.
What do you/y'all think?

 

The LCA Uniball bolt sheared. That’s what ripped the wheel out of place. Which in turn pulled the CV out of the inner cup. Also upon impact, the spindle bent at the tie rod arm. Also the pictures above show the UCA uniball bolt is bent and the spacer is cracked. Other than that, front bumper bent some, but did its job protecting the body.

 

brutal. I almost lost the LBJ adapter bolts going down the freeway. Same thing happened to me in a parking lot making a tight turn, right after getting off the freeway.

 

at least for uppers, my experience is non PTFE lined units last much longer than PTFE units

Which lower kit was this?

Did it still run a basket on an axially loaded uniball?

 

I think just surface area to spread the load of hits yea. Also yea more angle because it rotates around a bigger sphere basically but that's typically limited more by the misalignments anyway.

I think it's just a cost thing. This is just a stock length UCA from when they first started selling them(not lt up front yet, possibly ever), was like $100 more than any competitors and that 1.25 uniball + being boxed is the only reason i could see why there was a price difference. But like i said, holds up wayyyyy better. I do my uniballs every other year even with the weather, mud, and road salt here. Take that with a grain of salt tho, my truck is light and i think thats the biggest difference there

 

Swapping out the 18x500s for some 16x500s. According to my calculations I should end up with desired ride height (4 inches of shock shaft showing) with only 1 inch of threads showing on passenger side. Driver side will probably need about 1.5 for lean.

 

Just for reference because I understand each setup is not exact to one another... I have 4-3\8" shaft showing on the Bypass's with 18" 500 Springs, no threads showing on the Pass. side and 1/4" on the Driver Side. Keep in mind I have Fox and also relocated the Bypass Mounting Tabs up a 1/2". I also have a dual battery setup, one behind each headlight, plate style front bumper and wench. And hopefully relocating both batteries to the inside of the Cab by end of this weekend. Any bets if the ride height will gain a bit after the relocation?

 

I would say maybe a 1/2"? Are you 4wd?

 

I am.. just noticed that you have a Total Chaos Kit, somehow I thought you were one of the first few with the JDFab Kits.

 

Not even a race kit. I am a plebe

 

dude, dont think that lmao. I made my 1st generation AllPro +2 kit put in some work for 15 years before I bought RonRon's JD kit from him. I had that AllPro kit installed at the end of 2009..it was also a Pre-Production kit

 

This standard kit has been great, held alignment and done everything I've ever asked of it

 

A cautionary tale. Links can make exhaust hard. When I designed the link geometry and back half, I prioritized functionality (which you should), but I told myself "I'll figure out the exhaust later." I urge you to think about the exhaust when you are designing the rest of the truck...at least a little bit. I built myself into a situation where exhaust routing got very complicated. 20 changes in direction from the collector to the exhaust tip, and extremely tight clearances in a number of places. Also had to build it in four sections to even be able to install it.

 

But why though? Why not just have it dump behind the cab (second pic quoted) and leave off the whole "rainwater collector" you have going up toward the rear?

 

My calculations were spot on. Lowered the front of the truck and ended up with 1 inch of threads on passenger and 1.5 on drivers. Shocks are right in the middle of travel.