Printable View
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".
Well crap. I want a set but I plan all my major modding to happen after I pay off the bumble-v... :(Quote:
Originally Posted by tom4bren
How much?
"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.
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
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....
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:
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by twistedsymphony
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 ;)
[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).
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:Quote:
would it be possible to install these brackets on a stock vx? would there be any negative side effects?
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
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!!
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
Talked to the welder today. He asked for another week to finish the first set. I'll let you know how they turn out.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Joe's diff drop bracket
OK - I'm still post-pic-challenged. It's in my gallery if you want to see it big.
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.
I think all said and done I paid $50
"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.
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.
'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.
Not sure where the bump took place.
$100 yeah right. Its no more than an hour of work.
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.
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/billav...ft/index2.htmlQuote:
Originally Posted by tom4bren
1/3 the way down talks about all this, maybe it will help explain.
Thanks Zeus - I forgot to consider the phase aspect.
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.
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
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.
Just got 'em.
Pix are in my gallery
Tom, WTH! Did you coat those things with black chrome or what?! Sparkle from Hell!
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.
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.
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by tomdietrying
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by tom4bren
Here is where I explained it when I 1st noticed it:
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/sho...t=13537&page=2
Anyone interested in the diff drop, the instructions are now in the Download section.
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?Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Darlington
cross member that is cut and then reenforced
I am so in on this. Paypal? Shipping is to 77018 :-) thanks a bunch!!!!!Quote:
Originally Posted by Joe Darlington
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!Quote:
Originally Posted by tom4bren
PM sent...