Forced to order Smarty and Pipe!!!!

[238mph]

Never looked at CalTracs..

As for the rubi... the front axles and spring buckets were
moved forward 7" as the was steering box, which was also
upgraded to a 1 ton.

The rear was moved back 30" and was a 4 link.
The frame was extended 28".

The cab was shortened 18", and the hard top was modified
to fit the shortened cab. But I kept it long enough to
move the seats all the way back and still recline them too.

The front was left with a trac bar, but had the trac bar
relocated lower to rid the bumpsteer.

I ran the stock Rubi axles with the elec lockers.

I said that if I ever broke an axle I'd go to 1 tons but I
never did... I sold that unit to a Ford dealer in Texas,
just under $100k. Took a year and a half to build.. weekends only.

__________________
www.jd3.com Just build it!

[Skyd Ram]

Originally Posted by 238mph

Agalczy:

You read my post correctly...

The upper arm is 17" and the lower is 19"
They make a different arc as they travel up and down.

The more u raise the truck, the faster the upper arc
pulls back towards the cab. So if u lift a truck, the upper
needs to be lengthened more than the lower.

Autocad/Solidworks is easy to map it in...

So the STOCK setup by Dodge sucks... the qrtr panel is too close to the door, and that's why no one makes a cutout fender flare for the Dodge. On top of that, the suspension is setup where the pivot point on a dually is pretty far inboard. So as you turn the tire hard one way or the other, the tire swings back into the cab area.

An easy fix for this is to move the front bumper out 2.5 inches... and then re-center the front axle in the new and wider wheel-well.

So I lengthen the upper 3.5" and the lower 3.25".

Since the arms are so cheesy to begin with, I use 2"x3/16 plate and add two fishplates on the INSIDE of the arms, and button weld through the two holes already in the arms, and then I box the entire outside of the arm with 3/16" plate.

Even if I wasn't going to extend the arms, I would have taken them off and boxed them in with heavier steel.
It's scary how thin the metal is that holds that front axle.

I will post pics when this one is finished.

As for my fab skills, I'm a mechanical engineer, and have a well equipped shop. Check out my website, Custom fabrication of Lifted Trucks and Jeeps. Just a hobby, but I build all kinds of vehicles, race cars, rockcrawlers, modified Jeeps, semi trucks etc.

I love all the stuff posted on here... can't wait to get my Smarty in...!

I'm trying to follow you here?

It sounds like you are moving the axle forward about 2.5-3" correct?

If so, are you planning a longer driveshaft? Are you moving the coil buckets forward on the frame? What about the steering box? Sway bar? Track bar mount?

I know a half inch or so shouldn't create any problems, but I could see some serious problems with relocating the axle 2 1/2 inches without addressing all of the other parts.

Also,
Most of us just cut that control arm bolt off and put a new one in from the outside like Dodge should have done.

But it still sounds like a good reason for the performance parts.

__________________

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AFE/Randy Ellis Designs/H&S/Dynatrac/Shibby Engineering
Addictive Desert Designs/S&B

www.8LUGTruckGear.com

888-886-2480

[rbmedic75]

trying to follow here too bud you posted your CA arm 17 and 19 inches long are those the measurements you got for the stockers or the new ones that are 3" longer dang man moving the axle 3" forward would really like to see some pics bud that could be pretty neat and different

__________________
08 quad SB 6 stick time to:SMARTY 14ME, BOD Intake and EWG. BOD @ http://www.rollinsmokediesel.com/
Parts on the shelf waiting--- Isspro EV2, 6" twin Aussie's, Banks Intercooler, Toyo OC MT 37 13.50 R 17, BOD 90 HP injector Nozzles

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Last edited by rbmedic75 : 11-03-2009 at 01:06 AM.

[ken white]

Originally Posted by 238mph

Never looked at CalTracs..

As for the rubi... the front axles and spring buckets were
moved forward 7" as the was steering box, which was also
upgraded to a 1 ton.

The rear was moved back 30" and was a 4 link.
The frame was extended 28".

The cab was shortened 18", and the hard top was modified
to fit the shortened cab. But I kept it long enough to
move the seats all the way back and still recline them too.

The front was left with a trac bar, but had the trac bar
relocated lower to rid the bumpsteer.

I ran the stock Rubi axles with the elec lockers.

I said that if I ever broke an axle I'd go to 1 tons but I
never did... I sold that unit to a Ford dealer in Texas,
just under $100k. Took a year and a half to build.. weekends only.

You went from a 93.4" wheelbase to a 130.4" wheelbase or was it a 158.4" wheelbase?

How in the world did you move the front steering box ahead 7" when the rear of the front cross member butts right up to the front of the steering box - the steering box would have to move in front of the cross member.

Is the rear axle directly under the gas tank, not in front of it anymore?

While the stock Rubi lockers are controlled by a 12VDC signal, they are actually air lockers that are activated by individual 5psi compressors.

Do you have any better pictures of the jeep you could post up that would show the steering box and track-bar set-up as well as your axle link mounts?

Also, it looks like your jeep pictures are composed of two different jeep builds. The top pictures appear to be using a Rubicon platform with a longer wheelbase and bigger cab area while the bottom pictures are a Sport model with a shorter wheelbase and smaller cab area. Are all of the jeep pictures of the same jeep?

Thanks

__________________
__________________________________________________ ______________________________
2008 Quad Cab 3500, 4x4, Long Bed, DRW, G56, 3.73's, Line-X, P3, lots of camper upgrades...

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Last edited by ken white : 11-03-2009 at 10:56 AM. Reason: Additional questions?

[mattpopp]

Originally Posted by 238mph

Dammit I was forced to order a Smarty and Pipe for my '09 Dually!!!

How it happened... I was installing a 3.5 inch lift in the front, and wanted the front axle moved forward as everyone knows the larger tires rub by the firewall. And as u lift the truck, the arms swing down and back...

Since I have a machine shop, I decided to run a 3.5" longer arm on top and a 3" longer lower... Well, I got the left side done, and realized that to get the right side upper arm out, ya have to remove the downpipe!!!

I don't want to be one of those guys but to make your CA arms 3.5" & 3" longer is way too much for just a 4.5" lift. Dropping the axle down 4.5"s from the lift does not bring the axle back 3"s closer to the rear side of the fender well. Maybe a 1" at the most.

I have a 6" lift and the new CA that came with it are maybe a 1" or 2"s longer to center the axle / keep it in the factory location. So I don't get this 3" longer lower and 3.5" longer upper. Where did you get these measurements from.

__________________
07 l 6.7 l .75 ton l MC l with stuff on it and a new head gasket
96 l 5.9 l .75 ton l EC l with not much on it

Be VERY skeptical of information you read on the internet.

[BOOOST]

Curious as well about your plans for steering, swaybar, tracbar, etc.

Seems like way overkill for 3.5" lift. Checked out the site, nice work. Post pics when its done!

__________________
08 6.7L MEGA 2500 SLT 4X4 68RFE l DIPRICOL OPTIX BOOST/PYRO/TRANS l KORE CHASE l FOX 2.0 RR l CARLI LINKS l CARLI RESEVOIR MOUNTS l TINTED l TS MP-8 l 5" TBE l EGR DELETE l TEKONSHA P3 l LINE-X l PE JACKRABBIT l AFE MEGA CANNON l SMARTY S67PoD l 285 TOYO MT l

[mattpopp]

By the way. I love the Jeep Truck on your site. Very cool

__________________
07 l 6.7 l .75 ton l MC l with stuff on it and a new head gasket
96 l 5.9 l .75 ton l EC l with not much on it

Be VERY skeptical of information you read on the internet.

[08 Dually 4x4]

Originally Posted by ken white

You went from a 93.4" wheelbase to a 130.4" wheelbase or was it a 158.4" wheelbase?

How in the world did you move the front steering box ahead 7" when the rear of the front cross member butts right up to the front of the steering box - the steering box would have to move in front of the cross member.

Is the rear axle directly under the gas tank, not in front of it anymore?

While the stock Rubi lockers are controlled by a 12VDC signal, they are actually air lockers that are activated by individual 5psi compressors.

Do you have any better pictures of the jeep you could post up that would show the steering box and track-bar set-up as well as your axle link mounts?

Also, it looks like your jeep pictures are composed of two different jeep builds. The top pictures appear to be using a Rubicon platform with a longer wheelbase and bigger cab area while the bottom pictures are a Sport model with a shorter wheelbase and smaller cab area. Are all of the jeep pictures of the same jeep?

Thanks

Thats deff two jeeps on his site.

If you want jeep teck go to pirate4x4's forum. There are lots of builds on there with 3 and 4 link and every thing in between.

The 2009 Rubicon that 4wheel mag built with all the best parts available today just sold on ebay for 41,600.00 two weeks ago. It has 1 ton rock slider diffs, mopar perf v-8 etc.

If you got near 100k you should sell that guy some more rigs.

__________________
08 Dually 4x4 crew, Black Maxx, Airdog 150, 5" ss/tb, Afe intake,625s, on the shelf. Smarty, PMT, MP-8, quadzilla. 2 head gaskets on Smarty is enough....

[BOOOST]

Originally Posted by 08 Dually 4x4

If you got near 100k you should sell that guy some more rigs.

Seriously! ON a side note, did you drive the Jeep on the street at all? What kind of brake upgrades did you do?

__________________
08 6.7L MEGA 2500 SLT 4X4 68RFE l DIPRICOL OPTIX BOOST/PYRO/TRANS l KORE CHASE l FOX 2.0 RR l CARLI LINKS l CARLI RESEVOIR MOUNTS l TINTED l TS MP-8 l 5" TBE l EGR DELETE l TEKONSHA P3 l LINE-X l PE JACKRABBIT l AFE MEGA CANNON l SMARTY S67PoD l 285 TOYO MT l

[ken white]

Originally Posted by 08 Dually 4x4

...f you want jeep teck go to pirate4x4's forum. There are lots of builds on there with 3 and 4 link and every thing in between...

I go there frequently, and am in the middle of my TJ build-up too...

__________________
__________________________________________________ ______________________________
2008 Quad Cab 3500, 4x4, Long Bed, DRW, G56, 3.73's, Line-X, P3, lots of camper upgrades...

[238mph]

Originally Posted by rbmedic75

trying to follow here too bud you posted your CA arm 17 and 19 inches long are those the measurements you got for the stockers or the new ones that are 3" longer dang man moving the axle 3" forward would really like to see some pics bud that could be pretty neat and different

17-19 are stock lengths... I'll post pics when done if I
can take all the haters and BS I'm getting.

__________________
www.jd3.com Just build it!

[238mph]

Originally Posted by mattpopp

I don't want to be one of those guys but to make your CA arms 3.5" & 3" longer is way too much for just a 4.5" lift. Dropping the axle down 4.5"s from the lift does not bring the axle back 3"s closer to the rear side of the fender well. Maybe a 1" at the most.

I have a 6" lift and the new CA that came with it are maybe a 1" or 2"s longer to center the axle / keep it in the factory location. So I don't get this 3" longer lower and 3.5" longer upper. Where did you get these measurements from.

You skipped the whole post about moving the bumper forward to make the overall wheel well larger, and then centering the axle in the larger hole. I got my measurements but putting the data into Solidworks.

__________________
www.jd3.com Just build it!