custom crossmember issues

[A-man930]

I'm in the process of designing a custom transmission crossmember and I've been wondering exactly how critical it is to keep the mounted height at stock... I know I can get a shorter mount (go from 3" to 1.5") and that may take care of it, but I want to know if it's a big deal to have the whole assembly a little higher than stock... like an inch or so.

[Motion Offroad]

The higher the mount the more of an angle your driveshaft will be; not to mention it will funk up your transfer case linkage as the "z -patern" uses a body mount as well.

[A-man930]

I thought of the driveshaft angle... figured I had a little room to spare, but I didn't think of the shifter linkage :wall:

[JeepcoMJ]

1" won't mess up the shifter linkage all that badly. AND it's an adjustable linkage, so even pitching it up won't affect that too badly.

 

do you have a shortbed or a longbed, and what's your lift or planned lift height?

 

comanches have longer driveshafts than cherokees, and not as many issues with operating angles. the double cardigan front driveshaft won't have much issue with that small change in operation.

 

if it comes down to it, a YJ rear driveshaft slip-yoke will net you another 12 degrees of downward travel or so, so it's not a big deal

 

you're pretty much planning a belly-up then? this is where you tuck everything up under the jeep so it doesn't stand as much chance of hitting the rocks and such. just watch out, the tranny should flex with the motor, so you don't want the t-case to hit the floor all that much

 

-Pat

[A-man930]

Well I wasn't necessarily planning on doing a belly-tuck, but that may be the end result! I'm just not sure if I'll be able to keep the stock height with the crossmember design I have in mind. Now if I were to raise it about an inch would I have to raise the motor as well? I have a shortbed, and I'm only planning a 5.5" lift in the end.

[JeepcoMJ]

no, the motor mounts can stay just as long as they're still poly bushings. you may go through motor mounts though with the angle being off a bit. if you put poly mounts in, it would be wise to lift the mounts 1" or so.

[Pete M]

My trans sits a bit higher than normal and I have no issues with the engine being in the stock location. If you're worried, just jack up the trans to be in the new location and see if there's clearance enough for the fan to spin freely. My shifting linkage stuff is a bit custom though, so I'm no help to you there.

[A-man930]

Besides the fan shroud, are there any issues to consider with raising the motor about an inch??

[Pete M]

Why would you need too?

 

But if you had too, I would check for clearance at the hood (both the fan and the valve cover stuff) and the trans tunnel. Get out the tape measure and see if it'll clear. If I remember right, all the belly-up kits I've seen have all been for TJs and they are a lot different then MJs in the relationship between drivetrain and body.

[A-man930]

Here's the mounts I've found so far

http://motionoffroad.com/catalog/index. ... Path=6_115

 

http://www.browndogoffroad.com/index.as ... tegory=140

 

the ones from Browndog are advertised to give 1" of lift, but I don't know if they're poly... the MORE ones are factory height and are that fancy rubber stuff. What would I have to do to get a lift out of a factory height mount? Aren't they secured to the body with bolts welded to the body?

 

Edit: What about these?

http://www.4wd.com/productdetails.aspx?partID=3477

[Pete M]

I have a feeling those 1"/2" lift mounts aren't for XJ/MJs. You should call them and ask before racking your brain too hard on it. :D

[A-man930]

Huh? All the links are for XJ/MJs

[Pete M]

Yeah, I saw that too. But I would still call to make sure. Typos are aplenty on Jeep part websites. And misinformation. I can't tell how many times I've seen an XJ AAL advertised as an MJ AAL. :( Although manufacturers seem to be getting better at realizing the differences.

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

Don't get any with poly bushings; you'll hate yourself down the road.

 

I had a set of poly bushing mounts and I even tried to "break them in", but after 6 months I gave them away and went with a set of the MORE ones (rubber). The vibration is just unbearable (and I'm used to driving vehicle's that shouldn't be allowed to be driven on the road due to the vast amount of mods done to them); I just couldn't take it anymore.

[LEAD_NOT_FOLLOW]

1" won't mess up the shifter linkage all that badly. AND it's an adjustable linkage, so even pitching it up won't affect that too badly.

I don't know about going up. It's easy to go down with it as you can easily make a little bracket but going up may be another story.

 

I just don't know if thier is enough room to go up an inch. The adjustment is on the top, so that "may" hit the tunnel. Plus you run into issues like this (photo below) if you try to push it up. The stupid thing comes out of the mount.

 

 

I guess the only way is to try and see if yours works. I guess as a last results you can go with the Novak SK2X setup. :brows: