Teaser

[Sheep Shagger]

Blue paddler,
Your in for a job converting that van, were are you located? That would not be the best bet for your application but I have some other ideas that would work better for you.
Sheep shagger, Yes lifting it with out lengthening the track bar does pull the axle to the driver side probably 1/2 inch or so. I seemed to be no big deal pushing it over for this RandD system when I come out with a complete system it will include a new track bar bent if necessary, most likely it will be straight with misalinement bushings. Mine is a 00 and the track bar is behind the axle. As you know the factory bushings are rubber and forgiving if you replaced them with poly they probably will not flex like the rubber ones but they will "pack out" quickly I know Quigly recommends them but I personally hate them and will not use them in 99% of the applications they build them for, rubber rides better flexs better and holds up to the elements better in my experiences.
Yes quigly has gone through several variations. I have never seen a set that only has kinks or bends in the lower links, all the ones I have seen are either all straight or all 4 kinked. I do not understand what you are trying to say on why yours are kinked, but the reason they are kinked is because it is easier and cheaper to manufacture and build arms that are bent with rubber bushings. Doing this allows them to put a straight notch in the pipe and weld the bushing housing at a 90 degree angle, easy and fast to bend notch and weld and use cheap bushings. I do not need the kink in the tube because I am using johnny joints that are designed to flex and ride at up to 30 degrees off center so there is no need to have that kink in the arm. Not only that kinks create weak spots, so when designing strength into anything you want to keep everything as straight as possible. Quiglys design has no affect on side to side movement, I think you are thinking of a triangulated four link system, Quiglys system is not triangulated and the van can not be operated with out the track bar because there would no way to track the front end. No the johnny joints have no side to side movement at all. This system does not change the geometry of the front end in that respect, the front end has the no more or less stability (with out the track bar) with my system than it has from quigly.
I hope that answer your question I am not sure I understood it correctly.
Derek

Derek, I think you answered very well, I am desperate to change my front end, so this is very interesting option for me. I will take some pics later in the week, mine is an 06. My frame mounts are identical to yours I can see that from the pic's, but if you imaging standing at the back of the van, the frame mounts are inline, but the axle mounts are in parallel, so the lower control arm is kinked out to allow for this.
I just went through my pic album, in the below you can see the lower arm starting to bend, but not a good shot of it.

This one is slightly better, you can see the lower arm is bent out then in so the axle mounts are side by side rather than up and down.

 

[cowboy4x4]

Derek
I know you make the tops and I was wondering if you have taken a look at Bajabus's orange van. I like how the top is low profile have you ever thought of or can you build low pro's like that/. I actually like the idea of reusing the cutout ford top it would save on expense...... Thomas

 

[dsw4x4]

Sheep Shagger I see what you were saying it appears that they were trying to triangulate the geometry but I think the reason they off set those was due to interference of the the front differential they had to move the lower links outward. This is my guess only quigly can really answer as to why they did that. Either way using a straight link does not change that part of the front end geometry.
Cowboy4x4,
yes I have a van roof here at the shop and I have talked to a few people about building a low profile roof like that I am not sure it would save you any money the cost of the fiberglass roof compared to the fab time it would take me would at best be a wash. The other issue that makes people not go that route is if you want a mattress in your bed it has to go somewhere and with a low profile roof the mattress and hardware now has to go below the roof line as apposed to above the roof line on a raised roof. So what that means is you lose head room in the van and most people do not want to give that up. However it is doable. I talked to the previous owner of that orange van to see who built it and he had no idea of who or where it was built. I redid a astro van that used the same lift mechanism, the guy that built that unit was here in denver but went out of business. He took two years and 12k to build the van and that was in 2000 so I can see why he went out of business.