Diff Drop Brackets [Text View] - VehiCROSS.info Forums

JHarris1385

05/22/2007, 12:45 PM

I could not locate the Darlington Off Road Drop brackets.
I know you can fab them up yourself, but I am no welder and would not know where to begin.
Is there anywhere else you can purchase these? Or is there another truck out there you can borrow some from?
Also I read once you drop the diff you need to drop the cross members as well???

Ascinder

05/22/2007, 01:05 PM

Darlington doesn't make them anymore, and every other set I saw when doing research before making mine indicated they were never made anywhere else. The crossmember does need to be dropped, and doing that is an easy task compared to the diff. brackets. I used 4 pieces of the same steel I used to do the diff. brackets, and just drilled 4 holes in each and mounted it up along with some grade 8 hardware from Lowes or Home Depot. The crossmember Darlington did looked a little questionable to me. I had someone else do the welding for mine (estimate about 1 hour or so), but I did all the prep work. Maybe someone will chime in with exchangeable diff. brackets for the VX, but when I was recently at the scrapyard looking under some troopers, they looked identical. You could pull them, then have a fab shop cut and weld them for probably considerably cheaper than buying ones even if Darlington did still sell them. I would think with a professional metal shop, doing this job couldn't take super long. Plus if you did some prep work, that saves cost also.

JoFotoz

05/22/2007, 02:48 PM

...for some pics of the drop brackets he made up.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showgallery.php?cat=500&ppuser=81

jo

CrnCnn

08/10/2007, 12:15 PM

but when I was recently at the scrapyard looking under some troopers, they looked identical. You could pull them, then have a fab shop cut and weld them
So how positive is anyone that they are the same? I really want to do the way you did because I don�t like the pain of tracking down CV's or the cost. How much did you relocate your brackets? A friend of my parents is a really good welder and builds hot rods and stuff so he could do them just a matter of getting them and figuring out how much to change them.

Ascinder

08/12/2007, 04:35 AM

I believe mine were dropped down 2". But it may have only been 1.5, I'll have to check and see.

Ldub

08/12/2007, 05:25 AM

taylorRichie

05/29/2008, 07:49 AM

I'm about 90% sure that Sean over @ MWIOR used VX diff. brackets as the "donors" when he dropped the front of his Amigo...if that cross-over info. is of any help.

Seems to me, I remember a spirited discussion on the 4x4 wire as to the interchangability between years/models. Might be worth a search... ;)

THREAD RESURRECTION....

By the transitive property, could one assume, Diff Drop brackets designed for the Amigo (darlington diff drop brackets) would work on the Vehicross?

Might have a line on a never installed set.

tomdietrying

05/29/2008, 08:25 AM

Man, if anyone can get someone to make multiple drop brackets....put me down for one. I'll buy it!
Peace.
Tom
012009

Ldub

05/29/2008, 09:44 AM

THREAD RESURRECTION....

By the transitive property, could one assume, Diff Drop brackets designed for the Amigo (darlington diff drop brackets) would work on the Vehicross?

Might have a line on a never installed set.

Never assume :smilewink...the best answer I can give you right now is "possibly".

If you search the 4X4wire, in the Isuzu forums, "diff drop brackets", you should be able to find the discussion between Strawmeyers & Mathew(Matt from indy 4x) on this topic.
PM me if you want me to call Sean & ask him for further details, as I'm not sure of the model year of his Amigo.

tom4bren

05/29/2008, 10:42 AM

I was going to suggest you check with Indy 4X since they did the lift for Nerve_Gas. He has a 4.5 inch suspension lift so I'm sure he's had some form of diff drop.

I sent him a PM. I'll let you know what he says.

Nerve_Gas

05/29/2008, 05:32 PM

Yeah guys I messed up when I had my lift done. I didn't drop the diff and now its hurting me. I have no 4wd at the moment because I had to pull my front drive shaft until I can axle swap. Way to much angle on my CV's. I'm sure Matt at Indy4x could do them just give him a call and talk to him. If he needs a truck to get an idea from just let me know I should be able to run it out there and let him look.

kpaske

05/31/2008, 07:33 AM

I'd be interested in checking out a how to if anyone tackles this job in the near future. I have a set of the Darlington brackets just waiting to be installed but I started looking at what all would need to be taken apart and decided to put it off a few more weekends... ;Db;

taylorRichie

05/31/2008, 07:41 AM

kpaske

05/31/2008, 09:13 PM

Oh how satisfying it is to know I have in my possession probably the last set of drop brackets Joe Darlington will ever make for the VX... Muuuhahahaha :evil:

tomdietrying

05/31/2008, 09:26 PM

Maybe, this is just a start, make some replicas from your drop differentials and give them as gifts to your VX family members.:)
Peace.
Tom
012009

JHarris1385

05/31/2008, 09:29 PM

Kpaske _ I am not so sure about that. Before I got mine he offered to make me a set with the crossmember drop. His price was just higher than the offer I got from a welder.

kpaske

05/31/2008, 11:48 PM

You might be able to find them elsewhere or have them made, but when I bought mine he told me he probably wouldn't be making any more. Either way, I'd be happy to provide pictures or measurements if someone else wants to have them fabbed up, but as long as I keep my VX, I'm keeping my drop brackets ;Db;

tom4bren

07/15/2008, 09:32 AM

kpaske,

I have a spare set of diff brackets that I want to get modified. Can you post pix/measurements?

I found the pix in bigmeat's gallery but seem to remember a thread with a lot more detail. I can't find that thread. Can anyone help?

Tom

ZEUS

07/15/2008, 12:17 PM

tom4bren

07/15/2008, 12:59 PM

Zackly. Thank you.

AlaskaVX

07/15/2008, 03:19 PM

I think The Joe Darlington drop brackets were 1-1/2" drop? I have them installed (Yes LOTS to take apart)

If you guys were fabbing up more I would go another 1/2"-1" there is still lots of clearance under the axle with larger tires. With my 3-1/2" lift I still tore many boots, however those mag-tech boots have worked really well for me so far. No tears yet (6 months?) fingers crossed they hold.

tom4bren

07/16/2008, 06:30 AM

Alaska,

I think the consensus is 2" drop is best. Both Zeus & Bigmeat went with that. I was thinking of 1 1/2" but will end up going with 2" after all.

Zeus,

Yours looks cleaner but I'll prolly go with the pattern that Bigmeat used so that I don't have to try & match that radius on the side.

Now I just need to find a machine shop that won't rape me ($$$).

ZEUS

07/16/2008, 07:59 AM

Right on, Tom! Find a Jeep bumper and you have the radius pretty much done! Don't forget the threadlock when putting the brackets back on and I also used gasket maker to minimize leaks. For the crossmember... eh, screw it... I'll post pics of it tomorrow so you can see what I did.

tom4bren

07/16/2008, 11:47 AM

Cool - last I heard you were still running without the crossmember. I'm more concerned about getting the brackets modified right now. The crossmember should be a piece of cake after that.

I think I'll wait to locate any kind of materials (Jeep bumper) until I discuss with a shop.

tom4bren

07/22/2008, 12:32 PM

Lucky me.

The half shafts that I got from a junk yard had the diff brackets still installed. A guy at work is trying to set up his own welding shop & is willing to give it a shot.

As soon as I dismount the xtra brackets, I'll get him started on those. Then I'll get him to modify the ones from the Proton as soon as I pull them off. Don't be impatient (I am the king of procrastination) but I'll make them available to the forum & keep the cycle going.

LittleBeast

07/22/2008, 12:42 PM

Don't be impatient (I am the king of procrastination) but I'll make them available to the forum & keep the cycle going.

I call one set as soon as you get them ready! Thanks dude.....

tom4bren

07/22/2008, 02:40 PM

"I call one set as soon as you get them ready! Thanks dude....."

But the first set will go to someone with 'offset from hell' BWAAHAAHAA

tomdietrying

07/22/2008, 03:49 PM

Tom,
If possible, I want one of those too.
Peace.
Tom
012009

tom4bren

07/23/2008, 06:16 AM

I plan on keeping the chain going as long as the welder is willing so part of the deal will be that as each person gets the drop brackets, they will have to send me the old ones for the next mod.

We'll be an even closer family then, LittleBeast will have Tom4Bren's diff brackets installed, Tom will have LittleBeast's, ...

taylorRichie

07/23/2008, 06:59 AM

I have offset from hell... me me me... :D

tom4bren

07/23/2008, 07:54 AM

Well, this is good news. I'm sure it will give Ron (the welder) some incentive knowing that he has at least 5 lined up.

BTW - No one get your hopes up on the spare half shafts - they're already promised to SPAZZ (if I ever get the inner CVs rebuilt).

LittleBeast

07/23/2008, 01:23 PM

But the first set will go to someone with 'offset from hell' BWAAHAAHAA

Haha..... remember I never said that, it was someone else..... I may have inferred that in 10 different ways, but I never said that in those words, lol. Now as far as getting Tom4Bren's diff brackets, I don't know about that one, they are probably all bent up from his offset.

For those of you who question if I am kidding shame on you of course I am.

tom4bren

07/23/2008, 01:26 PM

"remember I never said that, it was someone else"

No, but you said it looked dorky or something!!! Good thing I thrive on abuse.

LittleBeast

07/23/2008, 05:51 PM

No, but you said it looked dorky or something!!! Good thing I thrive on abuse.

Well lets just say that the incredible technician behind your offset probably knows all of the Larry the Cable Guys dvds (more likely vhs) by heart.

Ok I admit I love the blue collar comedy tour it is hilarious!

tom4bren

07/24/2008, 06:14 AM

After all this conversation, this is what I heard:

BLAH - BLAH - BLAH - I'm jealous - - BLAH - BLAH - BLAH

LittleBeast

07/24/2008, 12:15 PM

After all this conversation, this is what I heard:

BLAH - BLAH - BLAH - I'm jealous - - BLAH - BLAH - BLAH

Haha, nice...... what was it that you said again?

After all this conversation, this is what I heard:

BLAH - BLAH - BLAH - I really do look like a roller skate - - BLAH - BLAH - BLAH

Fixed.

tom4bren

07/24/2008, 01:04 PM

To quote from MIB:

'difference is - I make this look good'

LittleBeast

07/24/2008, 01:49 PM

To quote from MIB:

'difference is - I make this look good'

Yes, if anyone makes that "look" look good it would be in a VX and you pull it off somehow or another.

tom4bren

07/24/2008, 02:50 PM

Actually Wifey makes it look good - I bought it for her.

Hoppin out of a VX with a beautiful wife on your arm ... life don't get much better'n that.

LittleBeast

07/24/2008, 05:25 PM

Actually Wifey makes it look good - I bought it for her.

Hoppin out of a VX with a beautiful wife on your arm ... life don't get much better'n that.

Yeah I definitely am not there yet maybe one day. Just trying to be patient and wait for that special someone or no one at all right now. But my two dogs and mbu puffer make it not so lonely around the empty house when roommates aren't around.

tom4bren

07/28/2008, 09:48 AM

First set of diff brackets dropped off at welder. I'll keep you posted. I gave him a set of pix from Zeus & from BigmeatVX & told him he gets 'artistic freedom' to do the mod as he thinks best. Sorry Zeus - he didn't like your approach - this is a direct quote: "I ain't messing with that #@%ing radius".

So-CalVX

07/28/2008, 10:57 AM

tom4bren

07/29/2008, 10:09 AM

"Well crap. I want a set but I plan all my major modding to happen after I pay off the bumble-v... How much?"

Shouldn't be a problem. Welder ain't going anywhere & neither am I.

I don't know how much yet - he said he'd price it after he does the first. I think he is going to fab about 10 of the insert pieces first (5 sets) then cut & weld my first sample. I don't expect to hear from him for at least a week.

bigpoppax2

08/06/2008, 06:37 AM

Just so you guys know Joe Darlington is still making the drop diff brackets.

Just send me a pm if you want a set made. In the mean time I'll get some contact info and post it here.

Joe

twistedsymphony

08/06/2008, 06:44 AM

Ldub

08/06/2008, 07:01 AM

One thing to keep in mind when doing this, for every inch you drop, you also lose the same amount of ground clearance under the front diff.:_wrench:

taylorRichie

08/06/2008, 07:22 AM

would it be possible to install these brackets on a stock vx? would there be any negative side effects?

I ask because I'd like to have them for when I do my lift but I probably wont do a lift for a while....

You probably would want to just keep the brackets around until you do the lift. It's a TON of work to not do everything at once. And if you ever had the intention of putting in a front locker, or re-gearing etc. It'd be a good time to do that too.

I plan on ordering a set, not sure when I'll get around to it though, probably next year :p. I'd love to install a front ARB at the same time, but I think it's above my mechanical expertise. Any one want to help with that part ;)

tom4bren

08/06/2008, 09:23 AM

[put on hat for anal retentive supplier]

No - you can't get it & wait a year to install - I need your brackets for the next set (I only have 1 spare set).

Yes - you can wait a year to get a set - if welder decides he doesn't want the work, I'll find another (so far he's very interested in keeping it going).

No - I don't know how much they cost yet (we're trying to keep cost down).

Yes - I have plans on providing crossmember drop brackets as well.

No - they're not designed yet but I'm planning for bolt on (no welding or bending required).

Yes - there will be parts I won't be supplying such as the axle seals - I wouldn't recommend reuse & I haven't checked to see if they're readily available.

No - I wouldn't recommend installing the drop brackets if you're not lifted yet.

[take off hat]

I haven't heard back from the welder yet - I'll try to call him soon (but I don't want to bug him - he's working REAL cheap right now).

Ascinder

08/06/2008, 07:01 PM

would it be possible to install these brackets on a stock vx? would there be any negative side effects?

No you would never install without a lift. All the effects of doing so would be negative. You lose 2" of ground clearance as Ldub mentioned and your cv angles are now inverted compared to a lift, so you get all of the extra wear and tear of a lift(bad), with worse ground clearance(really bad), and you can't really offroad any better than a minivan now(really really bad).:bgwo: I would buy a set for sure though because they stopped making them before and making your own is very troublesome.:mad:

Joe Darlington

08/06/2008, 07:37 PM

Hey Guys... I am still making the drop diffs... $199 + $12 shipping and if you also want the new crossmember it runs $99 + $15-$20 shipping. You can email me at darlington-offroad@nc.rr.com if you need a set. If you want a set, I accept PayPal, account is same as email

Joe D

taylorRichie

08/06/2008, 09:28 PM

This is really good news!!

I'll be ordering a set and a crossmember, but probably won't be for a month or so... Thanks Joe!!

tom4bren

08/07/2008, 06:12 AM

Joe,

Do you have some pix of your bracket - I'd like to compare to the ones I'm having fabricated. I'm also interested in the crossmember drop that you came up with.

Tom

tom4bren

08/19/2008, 02:24 PM

Talked to the welder today. He asked for another week to finish the first set. I'll let you know how they turn out.

JHarris1385

08/20/2008, 06:24 AM

I still have not installed mine....I got to knock out that and a boot change. I need to also build a cross member drop.

tom4bren

08/20/2008, 06:40 AM

I emailed Joe Darlington about his drop brackets. He indicated that his are designed with a 1 1/2 inch drop (concerned with interference with steering linkages or something so didn't go to 2 inch drop). He also needs your old mounts to fab the next set. He gave me a link to where he has some pix but I haven't tried to find them yet. His crossmember drop should work for the 2 inch drop as well but not sure.

JHarris1385

08/20/2008, 08:11 AM

For some reason I do not have 100% trust in welded drop brackets.....With my little to no exp. with welding and trusting the craftsmanship of a welder. Should I even be the slightest concerned with the structural integrity of welded brackets vs. stock?

tom4bren

08/20/2008, 08:28 AM

Zeus & BigMeat have been running theirs for some time now with no problems. Joe Darlington has been making them for years. Email him with your questions - his addy is earlier in this thread.

I found pix of Joe's version but I didn't download them. They look great. I couldn't see any weld lines & he even paints them to match my Proton:).

There was a write up by starchild on the installation that I did grab & create a pdf. I'll try to get it to Moncha ASAP so that he can post it (along with all the other great 'how to's' that I've gotten here). If you want to find it on your own tho: planetisuzoo - hall of fame - look for thread on diff drops by starchild.

The bottom line is that I don't want to take any business from Joe ... but ... his drop is 1 1/2 inch (& look pretty). The one I'm having made is 2 inch (& don't look pretty). The choice is yours.

If you need the install pdf before I get it to Moncha - lemme know & I'll email it.

CD done - just gotta get it in the mail.

tom4bren

08/20/2008, 09:10 AM

Joe's diff drop bracket

OK - I'm still post-pic-challenged. It's in my gallery if you want to see it big.

tom4bren

09/09/2008, 08:42 AM

The welder brought in the diff brackets yesterday. They look just like BigMeat's. He's cleaning them up now & grinding down some of the weld where the axle housing will mount. I'll post some pix of the final product when he brings them in. Looks like the price will be comparable (slightly less) to Joe's so the only difference will be 2" drop versus his 1 1/2" drop.

JHarris1385

09/09/2008, 09:22 AM

I think all said and done I paid $50

tom4bren

09/09/2008, 10:31 AM

"I think all said and done I paid $50"

OK, let us in on your little secret. Did you buy em or make em? Joe indicates $200 plus shipping & my welder is estimating $150 plus shipping.

JHarris1385

09/09/2008, 10:36 AM

bought the brackets from someone parting theirs out and got a welder to fab it basically free.... Its not that hard of a job, but I am no welder either, just what I have heard.

tom4bren

09/09/2008, 11:37 AM

'Bout what I figured. You owe your welder friend about $100 in favors:) I prolly could've done the same but I was trying to get it set up to help others out. Rekin humanitarians never get rich:)

BTW - you have to go back to page 4 of this thread to find out why it got bumped.

JHarris1385

09/09/2008, 12:12 PM

Not sure where the bump took place.

$100 yeah right. Its no more than an hour of work.

tom4bren

09/09/2008, 03:03 PM

Ida know. I'm not a welder. He fab'd inserts, then cut out a section & welded in the new. Since he prefab'd the inserts, maybe he had to take the time to ensure alignment. I think he said that he used 7 welding rods since he welded both sides. Since Joe charges $200, I don't think this guy is too far off.

The alignment issue does bring to mind one thing I was curious about: since we are dropping the diff to ease the CV angle at the expense of U-joint angle - would it have made sense to rotate the mounting features on the bracket to relieve some of the angle we are imposing on the U-joint?

The comment on the bump was just to let others know to look back a page to see why this thread became active again after several weeks.

ZEUS

09/09/2008, 03:41 PM

Ida know. I'm not a welder. He fab'd inserts, then cut out a section & welded in the new. Since he prefab'd the inserts, maybe he had to take the time to ensure alignment.

The alignment issue does bring to mind one thing I was curious about: since we are dropping the diff to ease the CV angle at the expense of U-joint angle - would it have made sense to rotate the mounting features on the bracket to relieve some of the angle we are imposing on the U-joint? I am more or less guessing on this one based on things I have heard and read over the years... I wonder if rotating the housing would throw the joints on the driveshaft out of alignment, causing vibration. In stock form, the joints on the shaft are at equal angles; of course even with dropped brackets the joints are at equal angles. After rotating the axle housing in order to position the pinion closer to it's stock location though, the angles would no longer be equal, so they may not "phase" during rotation anymore - causing vibration. Like I said, just a guess... people shim the rear axle after adding a lift to leaf sprung rigs to minimize driveshaft angle. Screw it! I just found this: http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-shaft/index2.html

1/3 the way down talks about all this, maybe it will help explain.

tom4bren

09/10/2008, 09:49 AM

Thanks Zeus - I forgot to consider the phase aspect.

LittleBeast

09/10/2008, 11:09 PM

Interesting read. I now am certain I have drive line vibration due to the increased angles of the lift but I still don't know how to fix it.

tomdietrying

09/11/2008, 04:20 PM

Ryan,
What speed do you hear the vibration? I'm hearing a little something around 63 mph. I'm not sure if it's the normal vibration since the lift or a new one.
Peace.
Tom
012009

tom4bren

09/12/2008, 06:14 AM

Tom - tried to pm you & your box was full. Tried to email you but it was rejected.

Ryan - since your vibration started after you lifted, I'm guessing that your best be will be to do the diff drop soon (you'll be wanting to do that anyway to save your CVs). Try shooting some grease in the U-Joints as well. If the vibration continues after that, move on to the next likely culprits.

BTW - have your wheels balanced - you may have thrown a weight. Sometimes it's the simplest of things that cause the biggest problems.

tom4bren

09/12/2008, 07:39 AM

Just got 'em.

Pix are in my gallery

ZEUS

09/12/2008, 08:24 AM

Tom, WTH! Did you coat those things with black chrome or what?! Sparkle from Hell!

tom4bren

09/12/2008, 10:37 AM

It's an anti friction coating that is supposed to provide me with 0.01% increase in throttle response.:)

Actually, the guy who welded them runs the spray booth in our big machine shop so I rekin he's kinda anal about making sure everything is well painted before he delivers. I was thinking about shooting them Proton with a rattle can before install but haven't decided. I've never been concerned with how the under side of my vehicles look but thought that if I wanted it nice looking later ... now was the time.

tom4bren

09/25/2008, 12:44 PM

Still haven't installed the brackets yet. Was planning on doing it tomorrow but weather isn't cooperating. I did manage to clean things up a little so that I can take some pix of the CVs before & after. Things were pretty dirty down there since the inner boots came loose & tossed grease everywhere.

I dropped off the crossmember to the welder. I'll post pix of the drop brackets when available.

LittleBeast

09/25/2008, 01:14 PM

Ryan,
What speed do you hear the vibration? I'm hearing a little something around 63 mph. I'm not sure if it's the normal vibration since the lift or a new one.
Peace.
Tom
012009

I hear the vibration only when I get off the throttle, or am on steady/no acceleration, normally around 2300 rpms or yeah right around 55-64mph.

Ryan - since your vibration started after you lifted, I'm guessing that your best be will be to do the diff drop soon (you'll be wanting to do that anyway to save your CVs). Try shooting some grease in the U-Joints as well. If the vibration continues after that, move on to the next likely culprits.

BTW - have your wheels balanced - you may have thrown a weight. Sometimes it's the simplest of things that cause the biggest problems.

Yeah I have been greasing the U-joints ever since lift and it does decrease the noise slightly, but it comes back in one day of driving.

Here is where I explained it when I 1st noticed it:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=13537&page=2

tom4bren

11/05/2008, 06:58 AM

Anyone interested in the diff drop, the instructions are now in the Download section.

LittleBeast

04/02/2011, 08:30 PM

.....if you also want the new crossmember it runs $99 + $15-$20 shipping.

Joe D

So this is a new crossmember cut to fit the now lowered diff? This is what I want. I have the extenders on there now that just lower the cross member, but I want the cross member that is cut and then reenforced, is this what you are offering for $100?

Joe Darlington

04/02/2011, 09:20 PM

cross member that is cut and then reenforced

LittleBeast

04/03/2011, 02:54 PM

cross member that is cut and then reenforced

I am so in on this. Paypal? Shipping is to 77018 :-) thanks a bunch!!!!!

Anyone interested in the diff drop, the instructions are now in the Download section.
Where in the downloads section is it? I couldn't see it. I need a refresher because I need to put new front axle seals, new/used OEM green cups, new/used OEM front driveshaft, and new/used OEM cv shafts in :-) thanks!

Joe Darlington

04/04/2011, 04:48 AM

PM sent...

tom4bren

04/04/2011, 06:40 AM

Where in the downloads section is it? I couldn't see it. I need a refresher because I need to put new front axle seals, new/used OEM green cups, new/used OEM front driveshaft, and new/used OEM cv shafts in :-) thanks!

My bad. It's in the How2 section instead of the DownLoad section:

http://www.vehicross.info/modules.php?s=&name=Content&file=viewcategory&cid=8&page=1&perpage=20&sort=date&order=desc&daysprune=-1