Solid Axle Swap BS Thread

Yep. same guy.

 

the 3 link. its speaking to me. I must learn as much as possible lol

 

Um, first lesson:

it ha actually 4 links

 

I fucking know that. jesus. the trac bar is assumed lol.

 

3 link and panhard is what's it's called. that's like saying you have a 5 link on your runner

 

Lol well I do have 5 links on my runner. I count the panhard as a link because it contributes to the positioning of the axle. Literally speaking that is lol

 

well nobody else does, so that would cause some confusion when talking to people, and I dont need that. So you can call it whatever you want in ben's world, and ill call it what everyone else does.


mkay

 

Hmmm sarcasm apparently doesn't travel well over words. Lighten up muffin

I didn't say I called it a 4-link I said it has 4 links. 4-links can either have a panhard or not. 3links almost alway have a panhard (unless you have a Y top link where some. People call it a 3 link but is actually a 4 if you look at the geometry)

 

I got the sarcasm. I just not have returned it well enough.

Everything you are telling me I already know. Literally the last 4 posts have been redundant information, you're arguing semantics.

 

Woohoo I am redundant and argue pointless subjects!!! Anyways back on topic.

 

Well I want as much articulation as possible of course. So first off how do you figure out how long to make the links to flex as much as possible. I thought longer links meant more articulation lol. I downloaded the link calculator for shits and grins. Don't know why tho lol. This couldn't even happen for another couple years

 

Best to start learning now. I started my research years ago. The longer the links are the less arc the wheel will have along the travel path. Good number I have seen used for lower links is 42" and aroud 35 - 37" uppers. General rule is the upper link(a) are 70% of the length of the lowers. Separation of the links on the axle side is a general rule of 25% of wheel height. Separation on frame side is normally around 6-7". Total flex will be determined by you CO length and also how you position you COs (positioning them like you did you shocks will provide greater flex as more wheel travel can be obtain because there is more rotation on the wheel side of the axle than on the center of the axle.

Hope that made any sense

 

longer links will give you a better swing in articulation for sure. You will get flex steer with short links. I went with 43" eye to eye on mine Because it fit. Really in the end you build them to the length that fits you rig. The calculator will help you get a baseline but don't rely on it completely.

 

Hmm. Ya I've seen some great results out of the front 3 link. I like that path.

I also want to shorten the wheel base by a foot or so maybe a bit more. So I could run say 45" lowers, 29" upper (around 65%) and with around 40" tires 10" upper to lower link mount, then on the frame side 6-7"? Is this done simply by mounting the top link on the top of the frame and the lower links on the bottom? What's to say you can't do like 50" lowers and get Even more articulation?

So then after you get the links all mocked up, I'm assuming you then buy the shocks after you figure out your suspension geometry and measure.

Ben you said to mount the shocks like mine, you mean triangulate them? How exactly do you triangulate the cos into the engine bay? I always see them just mounted vertically with a hoop or somehing

So lets say you tack on the link mounts and start playing with PVC and the heims to get the right link lengths, how do you fine tune it to get as much out of it as possible?

 

As long as you don't make your links stupid short, you'll have more articulation than you know what to do with. Your limiting factor will be the front shocks. Having a lot of articulation is over rated anyway. The only thing you'll win is RTI competitions because having gobs of flex on the trail won't make your rig better than any one elses. It will only look cool, if you're into that kind of thing.

 

Your over thinking it your coil overs will limit you not your links. with my links at 43" I couldn't max out the flex with out mounting the shocks a foot higher then the hood and it still might not be max flex. You dont need super long links hell mine are pretty long when you compare them to others. Im running 14's in the front and my drive shaft could't take much more flex without binding. Out back I could go another 6 to 8 before the drive line binds but there is no point to have shocks up so high in the bed.

 

And he beat me too it^^

 

So. What's the trick to the best performing trail rig lol? Might as well go big and get the atlas box too. I was thinking rear steer but that is a ton of work and I want it to be street able still and I feel like that would play a big part in compromising that

 

You're going so slow on the trail its hard to say what performs best because it doesn't take much performance to get through the Rubicon. Just a well built truck will be fine. You're coming into a thread with people who have built trucks asking newbie questions. Start reading everywhere and absorb all the information. Pirate is a good source for builds. You'll get an idea of what works.

Rear steer? How old are you? You clearly need to read more and post less. The internet is a valuable resource.

 

Oh ok that makes sense. All about the shocks. Got it. Then the limit factor also come down to drive line bind. So those are also things to make sure to work out .For the rear I planned on ditching the bed anyway.