1981 Cherokee Chief - Sacrilege - 2WD 2JZ

[Yeller]

4-5" of up travel is plenty. Even on offroad stuff it is sufficient. Proper shock valving makes all the difference.

Proper shock valving typically just means not going with the cheapest bottom rung shock. My go to's are anything from KYB or Bilstein.

[SJohn]

The notch plates came in over the weekend and I got started on the notch yesterday. I think its finally setting in that I'm building a lowered car hahaha. I guess cutting a section out of the frame to make room for the axle was the realization for me. This went surprisingly smooth, I started with setting the frame at ride height and leveling it out then centering the outer notch plate to the axle centerline and clamping it down. I tacked the outer plate solidly to the frame and torched the frame section out with the plasma. With a little bit of trimming the inner plate fit in perfectly as planned.







I also did a little bit more weight reduction by cutting off the spring hangers and steering box mounts. They're pointless now so YEET!

[SJohn]

Working on a quick mock up of the links in CAD tonight to get a visual and idea of how this is all going together. So far its looking good but has got me thinking about whether I'm going to make my own link mounts or use some off the shelf mounts. Next up is to get the frame set up again at ride height and start measuring it out to see what adjustments need to be made to the links and where they'll mount on the frame.

[SJohn]

A side profile:

[Yeller]

Looking good

[SJohn]

The Cherokee is finally back home! Unfortunately it sat outside under an awning in SETX for the past 6 months which resulted in some surface rust but that's the least of my worries at this point, three's plenty of rust repair in my future . Floors, rockers, rear quarters, rear fender flares and wheel wells all need repair. If anyone has a write-up of rocker replacement I would definitely like to review that before I tackle this.













As for the rear suspension, progress has been slow. I ordered a few brackets from barnes4WD a few weeks back and just got around to mocking them up. The frame end lower link position sits forward of the original front spring mount so I cut the entire box off the frame minus the body mount. Then I marked the center position of the end link on the frame and drilled a hole for a long bolt to position the bracket. So far its looking pretty good. With the body back in the garage I was able to confirm the width between fender flares for a sanity check that the rear axle isn't going to be too wide. To my relief I measured 77.5" compared to the axle's 70" WMS.

[SJohn]

Finally making some engine progress! The crank is back in the engine, main bearings and thrust clearance all checked well within spec. I decided to invest in a bore gauge and micrometer for this and learned alot in this process. I feel much more confident than just using the plastigauge. Now starting to order parts for rod and piston install. If anyone has any insight on rod/piston balancing id love to hear it.

[SJohn]

A little bit more progress on the rear suspension, the lower link brackets are tacked in place on the axle. Pinion angle set at 3 degrees and got the brackets spot on with how I mapped it out in CAD. The frame end lower bracket still needs to be setup and top brackets are ordered.






I also started designing out the new floor pan. 90 percent of the front floor pan is toast and not worth saving so I plan to replace the entire pan, tunnel and all. I'm aiming for as simple of an install as possible so the goal is to get the largest panels possible. Right now that is looking like 3 total pieces. The new tunnel is simplified and narrower to have a flat mounting for seats and I don't need to worry about room for a transfer case any more.

[SJohn]

Some more rear suspension progress - all link brackets are tacked to the frame. The middle crossmember ended up getting in the way so I went ahead and cut it off, I'll build a new one later. So far it's looking ok but from visual observation the brackets aren't looking perfectly lined up. Once I get link materials in I should have a better idea though but its looking like I may have to move the lower axle brackets outward a little bit.

[Stuka]

Where are you going to fit in the track bar? Or perhaps a watts link?

[SJohn]

Where are you going to fit in the track bar? Or perhaps a watts link?

No trackbar or watts link needed. This will be a triangulated 4 link.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

[Yeller]

If using bushings install the lower links first so you can swing the axle around to get the bolts in, then install the uppers. I've had to do that many times. The alignment will need to be way off for it to be an issue, factory stuff is terrible LOL. If you're using a Johnny Joint or equivalent it won't matter at all, the ball will self align.

[Stuka]

Where are you going to fit in the track bar? Or perhaps a watts link?

No trackbar or watts link needed. This will be a triangulated 4 link.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

I was wondering if thats what you were going for, just didn't look to be enough triangulation for that. But could just be the angle of the photos making it look like less than it is.

[Yeller]

Where are you going to fit in the track bar? Or perhaps a watts link?

No trackbar or watts link needed. This will be a triangulated 4 link.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

I was wondering if thats what you were going for, just didn't look to be enough triangulation for that. But could just be the angle of the photos making it look like less than it is.

I used to think that too until I started studying chassis of all types, the least triangulated I could find are monster trucks. If they can get away with the angles that they do, with the abuse and loads they put them through, this is way sufficient. I don't remember the angles they use, its been years since I did that, single digits is what I remember.

[SJohn]

No trackbar or watts link needed. This will be a triangulated 4 link.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

I was wondering if thats what you were going for, just didn't look to be enough triangulation for that. But could just be the angle of the photos making it look like less than it is.

I used to think that too until I started studying chassis of all types, the least triangulated I could find are monster trucks. If they can get away with the angles that they do, with the abuse and loads they put them through, this is way sufficient. I don't remember the angles they use, its been years since I did that, single digits is what I remember.

The upper links are about 22 degrees and lower links are about 10 degrees.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

[Yeller]

Combined that 32. Most of the OEM designer/Engineers I’ve spoke with say 30 degrees is the magic number. GM A bodies were 30.

[Pressingonward]

You asked for tips on rocker replacement. I've got nothing, but this thread is a gold mine for bodywork and the theory behind sheet metal work:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/thr ... ts.182565/

As well as this related one that is a little more on-topic:

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/thr ... els.53534/

[SJohn]

Not much progress lately, crazy life stuff as always, but should make some progress this week! Last week I got the floor cut out for the frame notches and sat the body on the frame for the first time in close to a year. Other than the frame notches there were no clearance issues from the new suspension brackets. I also picked up some DOM for the rear links and should have everything else needed to build the links very soon. Not pictured are the front frame notches for front lower control arms, I hope to get those finished soon as well.