UJOR Build Thread

[Pinnacle Campers]

Ok, I'm going to jump in and say, as someone who just did a ujoint kit,” just follow the instructions”. You bought the kit because he has it all figured out saving time and money, why stop at the x-member?
But…
I went the other way, I made a second cutting deeper than the instructions, cutting the whole vertical flange all the way to the bend. As Chris mentioned, it was designed to carry the front “I beam” control arms, now that they are gone its overkill for holding up the motor, take a look at a 99-2004 F truck, it's a much smaller x-member.
Here is a pic of the front diff to x-member clearance with a ruler to show scale. This is following Chris's instructions, also before spring settling, It had just got set on the ground. I would say that it tapers to about 2” at the top, it is a little deceiving though as that flange on the diff would go behind the vertical flange of the x-member. Really hard to tell what would make contact first and the distance it would have to travel, to hit anything.

Here is my version,

Here are the two cuts, lower with control arm bracket attached (its upside down).

My intent is to get more up travel, The front tires aren't tucked very far into the wheel well….

This is while on the rock, you can see here there is plenty of clearance to the x-member, and the bumpstops for that matter, leafs are starting to bend the opposite way. I really wish I had inspected and took a pic of the shock in this position, I think it is nearly bottomed out. I will have to take it out again.

So what if I made those two (or three) lower leafs spacers? Chris, have you tried to get more up travel out of a 4” van without going 6”? What is the limiting factor?
Front axle weighs 3600 with me in it and the V10, I know softer equals less weight carrying capacity, I dont know much about leaf springs...
Would making the springs softer and shorter shocks get me what I'm looking for, less stiff and bumpy, more up travel? What is the downside?

 

[tgreening]

You're kind of looking at your limiting factor in that last pic. You spring has already started to go into negative arch and if you value their longevity you will do that as little as possible. It will quickly cause them to sag and ruin your 4" of lift. People will jump through all kinds of hoops, at least they used to, in order to achieve maximum amounts of flex and/or travel. Quarter elliptical, 3/4 elliptical, wacky shackles, you name it and people have most likely tried it and a lot of it of dubious function. Most of this was back when the ramp was king and the measure of off road prowess. I think that mentality has faded a bit and flex is not quite the king it used to be. Could be I'm wrong because I don't really follow that crowd anymore. I'm not that "hard core".

 

[ujoint]

The 4" kit uses a spring that has 2" of lift and they sit slightly inverted @ ride height. This does't give you great flex, why the 4" kits don't twist up like the 6's & 8's.

 

[ujoint]

Ready for axles!

 

[tgreening]

Man you make that llook too easy. But I think I'm in the down slope finally!

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

The x-member is a limiter on all of these solid axle 4x4 van conversions when it comes to up travel so cutting as much as you can is always a good idea.

You're kind of looking at your limiting factor in that last pic. You spring has already started to go into negative arch and if you value their longevity you will do that often

The 4" kit uses a spring that has 2" of lift and they sit slightly inverted @ ride height. This does't give you great flex, why the 4" kits don't twist up like the 6's & 8's.

I figured that out that day on the rock. The crossmember is not the limiting factor to up travel, the diff could make contact on a 4" kit yes, but it's not limiting up travel. In fact based on a few measurements I would be surprised you have to cut it on 6" spring, a spring with a bigger arch isn't going invert more than the 4" kit spring resulting in a 6" kit having the same up travel limit as a 4" kit as mentioned earlier by another member.

I just want to make it clear, I'm not mad, I'm not trying to call anybody out or stir the pot. I still won't sacrifice more ride height for a possibly less bumpy ride, I think the van is to high as it is, I feel it in my back every time I step off the running board and because of my use I'm doing it every day all day. I'm not a rock crawler and not interested in twisting it up. This van is far beyond the capabilities of my Tundra that got me where I needed to go for 14 years and based on its ride characteristics the bar was set pretty high for the van.

I think this just needed discussed/pointed out, I couldn't find this information anywhere. All I could find was that the "crossmember was the limiting factor", and "you won't be all over the bump stops", it would take 3 more inches of up travel, 4" of spring inversion to hit the bump stops.
It's so bumpy that I find going through a series of bumps the "bouncyness" makes me blip the throttle compounding the problem and I have to let off (shock valving?). Not being one to leave things alone, I still plan to look at ways to smooth out the ride and potentially get more up travel.
That said, I think Chris makes a great kit, it was labor intensive but he has it all figured out for you. I'm happy with what I got at the price I got it for. What everyone says about the handling is true, it handles far better than the old wallowing van suspension.
The number one selling factor was the fact that I could have the satisfaction of doing my self, and save labor costs. That is something exclusive to ujoint.

 

[ujoint]

I'm working on a new V10 spring for the front, not happy with the last set I got here (non progressive)

Happy to send you a new set if you like.

 

[Pinnacle Campers]

I'm working on a new V10 spring for the front, not happy with the last set I got here (non progressive)

Happy to send you a new set if you like.

Wow that would be great, I would like to try something different. Thank you.

It seems like something could be made with a softer initial hit. Similar to the rear overload spring, I guess that doesn't work on a nearly inverted spring?
How about an axle over spring mod with nice arched springs?

 

[CaliDreman]

Anybody have any advice on turbo replacement or rebuild on my 2004 6.0 QVan? I'm told I need a new turbo and am wondering what gains you get with an upgraded turbo? Or should I stick with a stock replacement? My driving is normal w/ no real heavy duty driving, pulling etc.

I've done all the 6.0 upgrades, although kept the egr cooler (BulletProof) since I'm in California, and am wondering if a turbo cleaning will simply work.

 

[ujoint]

We've done a lot of cleaning on the 6.0 turbos over the years and had to replace 2 complete units. On those we got new turbos from Ford.

 

[ujoint]

Progress!

 

[tgreening]

Pinion angle on that rear might need a little adjustment eh?

 

[ujoint]

No, its within spec

 

[tgreening]

It all makes sense now. The company name, the line of work, the "in-spec" axles.

You're a mole from the ujoint manufacturing industry here to pump up lagging sales and boost their bottom line!

There's treatury afoot!



Sorry, bored. Just when I was starting to make real progress the residents of Germville and Virus Town attacked and laid me low.

 

[350outrage]

Trip Report 4" lift OKC to Nederland Colo.

Well maybe this will fit with the discussion of Chris's suspension on the 4" lift. Just returned from annual family ski trip to Colo. Been going to N part of Colo. ever since son moved there couple years ago. Been doing the family ski thing to Some part of Colo. for 28 of the last 30 yrs. This trip is the main reason for my van conversion, so I was really interested to see how well it would perform, both on the soul-crushing 12 hour highway drive through Kansas and Eastern Colo., and through the invariably gnarly road you are virtually Guaranteed to hit Somewhere between your rented house/condo and the Lift line.

First, the suspension is really hard to describe. It is firm, but really excellent on the highway, and at super low speed when 4 wheeling over aforementioned gnarly stuff. The only place it feels brutal is on initial impact over kind of square edged bumps on highway, at speed. This would be like the broken frost heaved ******** that passes for I-35 N out of OKC. Also, it will get your attention if your 4-wheeling and manage to drop both front wheels simultaneously into a 3-4" square edged hole or trough. Interestingly, I've Never felt anything like Bottoming, even though the road to our cabin this trip had huge bumps and holes on the narrow 2-trac, with ice, snow, on an upgrade and with frosty, slurry "glacier-mud" (sorry, no pics of this, too busy driving). Thank God for the 4wd. I already had my hubs locked, slipped it into 4hi after the rear wheel started spinning, and the van became a magic carpet that totally Dominated that road!

Gotta say something about the Hwy handling. Wow. I don't see how it can be lifted, and with those big flat sides, and still handle the way it does. I was cruising most of the trip at 75 mph (True). At this speed, no issues with crosswinds, or side drafts from trucks. I bought my van new in 2002, so I can compare with Ford's New Stock suspension setup. Stock, the frt susp was SO BAD that I came home from one trip so angry that I was threatening to sell the van. Extreme crosswinds were blowing the van around so bad across TX panhandle that it was jerking the wheel out of my wifes hands, and we had to creep along at 60 mph. No more wheel jerk on rough pavement or crosswinds. Chris really exorcised this demon!

Finally, my van might have been one that Chris was not too pleased with the ride from the frt spring. When I picked it up in Oct, he said he thought the ride was a little stiff. However, my 78 year old mother was along for the 12 hour trip up and back this time. She never complained about the ride, only that the repeated climb up into the 4" lift got her hip a little sore. Guess that tells me that I don't need more lift.

If Chris gets a better spring set for the front, I might try it someday. What's on there now is good...very good. I might note that NO part of the ride is worse than it was with the stock susp. It was always rough on initial impact over certain bumps. Its a 4WD E-350 fer Chrissake! Sometimes it just rides like a TRUCK!

Enjoy the pics below!