More DIY IFS setups...

[06 H3]

More and more of these DIYers are doing there own IFS setups...I like what I am seeing, 15in of travel. Then my biggest issue in going fast is the I5 and I think 15in can help in rock crawling too...

Starts with cutting off stock IFS to go with a solid axle (page 1) then goes back to IFS.

http://www.ttora.com/forum/showthread.php?t=183890

and this one is cool too.

http://www.yotatech.com/f199/ccraviottos-1987-4runner-long-travel-build-up-thread-223750/

I like how they have the diff center mounted. Our oil pan gets in the way which would require a big sub frame like bebes but if only you could do a dry sump system and a currie center section you can really get some travel going without going much wider then I already am.

 

[Mr_Rich]

Where did that guy learn to fabricate like that? That's unbelievably clean work from a talented craftsman. I was impressed.

 

[06 H3]

Which one? The TTORA link or the other one?

 

[backcountryislife]

Oh yeah... that'll do.

 

[954paulo]

A good friend of mine just did this on his runner as well. Truck looks great and he is still finishing up all the loose ends. But it's fully drivable. Im in the process of buying a home at the moment and once I move in, and riding seasons starts ill be garaging my 3 and digging in. I have spoke to Cj from Thor parts about this and I just cant wait to get started. Kudos to all of you who have done or in the process of getting that POS front axle out of there.

 

[06 H3]

A good friend of mine just did this on his runner as well. Truck looks great and he is still finishing up all the loose ends. But it's fully drivable. Im in the process of buying a home at the moment and once I move in, and riding seasons starts ill be garaging my 3 and digging in. I have spoke to Cj from Thor parts about this and I just cant wait to get started. Kudos to all of you who have done or in the process of getting that POS front axle out of there.

Your gonna do a solid axle swap?

 

[High Five H2]

that TTORA build is awesome. i wonder what exactly one changes on the front axle to get more travel? Also, i can see why custom builds are so expensive at a shop. lots and lots of research.

 

[hockeymanam]

i feel like you just having to be rollin around in money to this kind of work! Im definitely just a jealous college kid right now!!!!

 

[4speedfunk]

I know this thread has gone into some $$$ discussions but, regardless of your wallet...you gotta build within your budget. I didn't have much funds...so I was forced into the DIY-plan for budget reasons. I called around to a few places (some mentioned earlier in this thread), and quickly realized that the price for shops to do what I wanted was way beyond my means...and the qualified persons were way beyond my ZIP code! I also called some axle companies and was equally stunned at their prices. Mind you...its not that these fabricators or suppliers are not worth the money they charge...its just that I didn't have it! I had a budget of $7500 for the entire build...labor, axle, everything. I grabbed a tape measure, hit the junkyard, and came up with a plan.

Once I got some real cost numbers...it made more sense for me to buy some tools and do it myself. I had more time than money. The project would be 30 feet from my house, and I could work on it whenever I want. I'm in complete control of what needs done and the labor costs become a non-issue. So, I tuned up my Suburban (a second vehicle is a must) and then I dropped $2K on a Hobart 210MVP welder, a gas kit, and a Thermal Dynamics Cutmaster-42. I had always wanted these, and now I finally had the excuse to buy them! The investment in these items keeps paying off long after my first SAS and I use them at least once a week for all sorts of projects. When I see stuff like this Toyota rig, it reminds me of how cool it is to see DIY projects. You could never pay a shop to do all that...it would be a $100K bill! That's the nice thing about DIY...you're rarely limited by funds. If you have the time, the skills, and the creativity...you can accomplish amazing things.

DIY vs. VISA still comes down to the same two issues....TIME AND MONEY. Do you want to spend your TIME? Or do you want to spend your MONEY? To complete this type of work it will take one or the other.

Usually both.

 

[Xlr8n]

When I started reading the TTORA thread I thought that guy was out of his mind. His first gen control arms looked like they'd bust the first time you hit a bump! But, I must say that through trial and error he built a pretty sweet rig considering it appears he knew nothing about setting up a functional IFS and he started the build with no tools whatsoever. Hats off for sheer determination!!

 

[06 H3]

I like 4speeds solid axle swap, its the most affordable. I dont have 10k to drop and my time is limited until summer time and I dont have a daily driver. I would love to tackle my own IFS but time is whats killing it. For me its definitely a trial and error type deal which makes my time and money issue even worse.

 

[4speedfunk]

Yup. My project just happened to hit me at a time when I had the funds to get my parts...and the time to dedicate to doing it myself. It might seem like the labor prices we hear are insane...but you must remember part of what you're paying for is the expertise of someone that has done this stuff many times. The fee a fab shop charges is in part, to by-pass the experimentation. These guys know their stuff and they charge a good penny for it. Most of em keep their knowledge on the down-low...after all, their business depends on it.

I did my share of trial and error and I can attest...it can get very frustrating. You can forget any sort of structured schedule. You'll run into problems and you'll have to solve them one by one. It takes a bunch of time...especially when you don't have any prior chassis-fab experience. For me it was a crash-course, and about every three hours of fab time translated into three hours of surfing the web looking for possible solutions to whatever problem I was having. Google images, Pirate, and many other Jeep forums were very helpful...and I cannot imagine tackling such a job without these resources. What seems like a big problem to a novice...is probably nothing to a guy that has done many SAS or IFS builds. No substitute for experience...but if you can't afford it, then you'll have to go slow and learn as much as you can along the way. I treated it like a college mid-term project, and it definitely changed my approach on everything I've done sense then.

And you can see a difference in the build quality from when I first started and when I finished.

 

[954paulo]

Your gonna do a solid axle swap?

I want to. Every few months I want it more and more. I'm in the process of buying a house and I think after this is all said and down I would like to do this as a summer project. Hopefully I can afford a beater car while still buying all the parts


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[06 H3]

More may be coming soon.

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2014/03/wrangler-2017-whats-new

http://www.allpar.com/SUVs/jeep/wrangler/2017.html