Outer Limits 4x4 Board

5 link will this work??

I have 80 diffs in my 40 with the standard style suspension at this stage

I did this last night ill make new lower arms but effectively it will work the same as just removing the front bolt from the standard control arm.

Will it flex more and will it drive ok??

The top arm i have used is a standard top rear one it is 400mm long centre of bolts

Lower arm when front bolt is removed is 735mm long centre of bolts

They are 180mm apart and parallel

the top arm bolt is approx 100mm further forward than the lower one where they connect to the diff.

the arms are approx 800mm apart (chassie width) where at the back the standard top arms are only 500mm apart.

Would very much like to here your thoughts as mucking with link suspension is all guess work to me.


one more i always get this confused which is which standard diff ratio 4.11 or 4.1 early cruiser to late

one more

a nother

being honest i have very limited suspension knowledge, much the same as you i'll use trial and error.

But win't this make the pinion rotate downwards as the suspension goes to full droop as the top armms are so much shorter than the lowers?

sierrajim wrote:being honest i have very limited suspension knowledge, much the same as you i'll use trial and error.

But win't this make the pinion rotate downwards as the suspension goes to full droop as the top armms are so much shorter than the lowers?

Mmmm been out the shed studying it a bit and i think you might be right i carnt cycle it through travel yet as not that ready.


Looking at the back diff the arms varey the amount in length by how far apart they are. So in the front if the arms mount 200mm apart i guess the top arm needs to be 200mm shorter the bottom one. Dose that sound right???

With your unequal length links, the different arcs traveled by the upper and lower links force the diff housing to rotate back on the side that droops and forward on the side that is raised. The stiffness of the diff housing resists the twisting and it is acting as a big stiff anti roll bar to prevent articulation. Only flexible bushes can help.

For this reason 5 links are best with parallel, equal length links. But they will also bind on articulation if not for give in the rubber mounts.

Daz,

As i said my suspension knowledge is limited, but just noticed that by looking at it.

Perhaps others here could shed some light. There are so many conflicting views on suspension, if i start reading pirate my head starts to hurt.

What the hell do you want to mess with it for it works great and drives spot on. So what if you have no travel . Youve got lockers haven't you?

Daz
seen something similare in merica where they used a lower rear arm from the top of the pumpkin rearward to the inside of the chassis...next to the driveshaft......oh and they lost the front of the lower control arm...so it was a 4 link...
Andrew

why are you messing with it daz? what haven't you been able to drive yet?

the earlier cruisers ran 4.11:1, the 80's ran 4.1:1 ratio's

suspension links are over my head, although i did hear stuff about running equal length links.

www.ih8mud.com hardcore corner has a few people that have done link designs and built some nice travel...

If you support the weight on jack stands and remove the colis, you will be able to articulate with a pair of jacks....whilst your playing....remove one bolt from the front and see how much difference that makes to articulation with std 80 setup :-0
A

Yer yer i know leave well enough alone and all that but i carnt help my self im going to make the top arms longer and then muck with it on jack stands as do50 said i think ill keep the top arm shorter than the bottom by the amount they are apart at this stage(as that is how it is in the back). Also im not doing any thing that isnt reversable as i want to always be able to put the standard arms back in as that is how it is Engineered.

Thanks Daz

Equal length is the go as it keeps the caster angle correct no matter what height the suspension also unequal length make the diffs steer like a skateboard when turning as the body leans ( worse than equal lengths ) The reasons to top arms are shorter on the rears is so the pasengers in the back seat of a wagon have somewhere to put there legs. For the average joes goin 4 wheeling this aint no prob. As for the spacing of the links i placed mine at the maximum i could get ( ~240mm ) and it suprising how much the front housing twists during heavy braking. I seen guys do similar to what your suggesting with about 140mm between the links and i was too scared to go fore a drive when i was outside the 4B and watching what was going on. It getting late on a week night ive typed enough so its bedtime.

Wally

80UTE wrote:Equal length is the go as it keeps the caster angle correct no matter what height the suspension also unequal length make the diffs steer like a skateboard when turning as the body leans ( worse than equal lengths ) The reasons to top arms are shorter on the rears is so the pasengers in the back seat of a wagon have somewhere to put there legs. For the average joes goin 4 wheeling this aint no prob. As for the spacing of the links i placed mine at the maximum i could get ( ~240mm ) and it suprising how much the front housing twists during heavy braking. I seen guys do similar to what your suggesting with about 140mm between the links and i was too scared to go fore a drive when i was outside the 4B and watching what was going on. It getting late on a week night ive typed enough so its bedtime.

Wally

Mmmm i dont have the room for more distance between the arms ill make sure this is reversable.

Thanks for your input Wally I here what you are saying i removed the reverse shackel hangers that where still there tonight (so i can make arms longer) and finished my shock mounts. I also finished making the mounts for the other side (for 5 link) and removed what i had done so far.

Question dose it matter if the arms are not parraell as if i make them same length they will be closer together at the fixed chassie end than the diff end. I hope that makes sence i have had a few to many tonight .

Thanks Daz

Not having them parrallel will make the suspension bind up when it articulates for the same reasons that Bush65 has already commented on. As you get closer together at the chassis end it starts to become the same as running radius arms again.

I'm not sure how significant the gap is between a theoretical ideal and what still works is though.

Ok i am hereing you all thanks guys i dont think i can get the arms further apart that troubles me. I am going to get top arm as long as possible aiming for equal length arms then ill rotate it on a jack and see. Ill update a pick then thanks Darren