4 link, Coilover, 4x4, e350 Conversion - King / Full Traction

[derjack]

Wolfgang Tibus offers another option for high quality portals;
http://killeraxles.com/html/bolt_on_portals.html

Check out his amazing winches too!

Right, I read an article in a German magazine about their show vehicle with all their stuff in an vortec 6l powered defender 110, nice.

Although these portals are just about 13.000$! And that's only the portals, noting else.
[ keep in mind that EVERYTHING you want to sell for cars in Germany/ EU must be certified and this is extremely expensive. Even for simple things things can cost the manufacturer 10-20.000$. People using parts without an certification on their car will lose the licence plate and insurance!]
I just read the post about the noldens as these are one of 2 legal LED headlights, for 600$ each.

 

[mk216v]

Right, I read an article in a German magazine about their show vehicle with all their stuff in an vortec 6l powered defender 110, nice.

Although these portals are just about 1300$! And that's only the portals, noting else.
[ keep in mind that EVERYTHING you want to sell for cars in Germany/ EU must be certified and this is extremely expensive. Even for simple things things can cost the manufacturer 10-20.000$. People using parts without an certification on their car will lose the licence plate and insurance!]
I just read the post about the noldens as these are one of 2 legal LED headlights, for 600$ each.

I think you forgot a 0.
$12,000USD for Tibus G-Wagen portals and 290GD brakes.

PS--7" round H4 Nolden's can be had for MUCH less. The German's are jacking up the price. PM me for a web link if you need these lights.

 

[k9lestat]

laproscopic i appreciate your post here it was very helpful to me, as i am in the process of trying to do a similar setup on a 1985 chevy g20 panthfinder van. i was wondering if you had any recommendations and a vehicle with solid front axle as far and set goes. what i mean is would there be anything need on the front verses the back axle.

edited for a quick question. are you a ortho doc or just been on the receiving end a lot? you name?

 

[laproscopic]

im a family practice md. I mock my surgeon friends regularly. "laproscopic" just sounds cool (its spelled wrong)



"what i mean is would there be anything need on the front verses the back axle.

edited for a quick question. are you a ortho doc or just been on the receiving end a lot? you name?

Last edited by k9lestat; Yesterday at 07:19 PM. "

HMMM well...depends on your budget...
Front: get a dana 60 out of anything but a dually as long as the pumpkin is on the propper side. Get an ARB. Skip the dana 44 IMHO.
Rear: something with 35 (1.5" shafts) splines or more like a dana 70, dana 80, 14 bolt, ford 10.5, AAm 10.5-11.5. also an ARB

dont get an axle out of a dually

 

[k9lestat]

cool thanks

 

[justcuz]

I would also ditch the 4 link idea if it were me and use as many factory related parts as possible.
I would build a TTB. Why? Lower CG, still independent, uses factory parts mostly. Even though TTB and I beams actually swing through 2 arcs while moving up and down it is not an insurmountable problem and tire wear is an issue of the past. Many of the steering issues can be solved using the proper lengths in the Y steering (which has been used by Dodge and Jeep on solid axle vehicles) to the point that most guys don't even use swing sets any more. Most of your extreme suspension travel is in the dirt at low enough speeds that you are not scuffing the tires drastically.
IF I would build a solid axle it would be with coil buckets and radius arms with a Panhard bar. Stupid simple, bullet proof, reliable and allows more uninhibited travel than a 4 link.
Take a look at the front of a new Power Wagon, it is just an upgraded version of the 1965 Ford Monobeam 4x4 front axle. NO MORE 4 link on a Dodge 4x4, jeez wonder why they did that?
I'd build a 3 link front end setup as a last resort and would never consider a 4 link for serious off road use, period.
Lastly, if you are trying to keep your van stealthy, you are not going to achieve it with 6 to 8 inches of lift or 37" tires.
The epitome of stealth in my mind were the old pre 1976 unibody Econoline conversions that used the factory coil buckets and radius arms with F-150 Dana 44 front axles.
Some had 8 lug hubs and Dana 60 rear axles but none were obtrusively tall.

 

[derjack]

Did you gave up the project?

 

[tgreening]

Did you gave up the project?

OP got offended because people weren't sufficiently impressed with his mad engineering student skills, and left. He hasn't posted in around 3 1/2 months.

 

[Bikersmurf]

I'd have to agree with the vans being an Elephant off road... Went down a washed out logging road in the Ambo and realized it'll always be limited off road.

Having driven an Fj40 off road for 23+ years, I strongly believe that there is a lot to be said for 'KISS'. Ujor's kit makes sence... If you brake down in the middle of nowhere, you want simple parts you can buy anywhere... Keep it within two steps of stock. It'll be more reliable and it won't brake.

 

[Consaka]

Yes, its been very mysterious to the engineers at Ford and Chrysler who designed F series trucks and TJ's that suffered with it. Lots of those guys had actual engineering DEGREES, (not just first year students). "When I was 18, my father was a fool. By the time I turned 22, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 4 years!!" . . . Mark Twain. Yup, its all just math. Way beyond the ken of old greasemonkeys like us. :ylsmoke:

Aye but how many of us spend our days fixing the idiotic mistakes of those same genius engineers? I swear some of those guys that design our cars and trucks have no idea what a wrench is and how to use it. How about those fords with leaf springs and a panhard bar up front? Thats some top notch engineering there. :agree:
As for death wobble, which I have studied a bit, as far as I can tell if you understand oscillation with reference to mechanical design then it starts being less of a mystery. Look at what will do the death wobble and what won't. Also look at how hard something has to take a hit before it starts a death wobble. I have been interested in the subject since the conversion shop told me my van was done and I didn't make it 3 miles or over 45 mph, whichever came first, before it DW on me blowing all the steering box seals in the process. The first time DW happens it will scare the crap out of you.

I have been fixing that thing ever since. Heres a few clues. They crossed the panhard bar and the drag link. They took an IFS spring from an '83 truck or van and cut it in half and threw it between the frame and the HD corporate 10 bolt axle. The 3 link for that axle was about 24 inches long at a 35 degree angle for a total of 8 inches of lift. The link brackets were 3 inch wide, 4.5 inch tall towers welded to the 1/2 ton frame. Whats not to like? lol After that I had such a hassle making them fix it to drivable status that I didn't want anything to do with them.

No matter how much you know or think you know it is always nice to get some feedback from other people that have been there. Whether those people are the kind that spend hours over a cad program before cutting out a bracket or just grab a piece of scrap from an old washing machine and weld it in. Its all good and I love this thread because I can learn from it. The little bickering is getting a teeny tiny bit annoying though. Like the little kids in my preschool that fight among each other as to who is smarter because one knows their ABC's but the other knows how to count to 20.
"Just the facts ma'am, just the facts!"
Cheers!!!

 

[k9lestat]

Me and a friend of mine, the one with the skills I don't have, are going to do a 4 link on my g20 van. It'll be a while but I'll post it up when it starts going together.

 

[derjack]

What has been told about engineers is the one side of the story. And it's actually not different to most other industries.
The other part of the story is that NOT engineers launch the final product, weather a car or something else.
There are finance people making decisions about COSTS. I am pretty sure the Ford, Chrysler etc ALL know what they are doing but every single dollar counts! Especially is the US car industry and there hat competition!
Do don't blame the engineers.

 

[350outrage]

Glad Y'all are still enjoying my Mark Twain quote! The conversation with OP actually ended quite some time ago. Here's something to ponder though: would you rather have something that's over-engineered and under-built; or overbuilt and under-engineered? (This is not intended to disparage engineers, all you engineer guys relax, we still love you!)

 

[BajaSportsmobile]

Glad Y'all are still enjoying my Mark Twain quote! The conversation with OP actually ended quite some time ago. Here's something to ponder though: would you rather have something that's over-engineered and under-built; or overbuilt and under-engineered? (This is not intended to disparage engineers, all you engineer guys relax, we still love you!)

They would both be WRONG! Why would you want either?

 

[simple]

Wondering what "over-engineered" means? Is that like designing a space ship to go to the grocery store?