critique this... critique it now... part 2: post 15

[colbystephens]

ok, so i'm building a shackle flip for my buddy's wagoneer. i am really happy with how it's turning out. i've got to put the bolt hole in it, put one more gusset on it, and then after it gets welded to the frame, it'll get a piece of plate over the top of the top triangles... what are your thoughts? i want to know what you'd add.

pics are a bit orange from the work-light... the welds aren't actually orange. they're a nice shiney stack of nickles...

 

[bp71k5]

The material looks a little thin compared to the other versions I've seen. How thick is it? It looks well constructed though.

 

[jt512]

what thickness plate are you using? welds look very nice, i am guessing a 220v mig .?

 

[colbystephens]

it is 1/8th inch mild steel, using a Millermatic 212. The existing shackle mount is made from 1/8th inch steel from the factory - seems a bit thin to me too, but i'm over engineering this one, so i figure if the stock one at 1/8th inch thick was good enough, a well built one at 1/8th will be more than fine.

you should see the stock mount. it's a joke. i'll have to take a picture of one and post it. yuk...

thanks for the compliments.

 

[yellowK20]

looks nice

 

[StevoandaRedK5]

I agree, looks well built

 

[cybrfire]

If ya cap it off, make sure its sealed up really good. Otherwise it'll fill up with water and mud and rust out prematurely.

Look good!

 

[colbystephens]

If ya cap it off, make sure its sealed up really good. Otherwise it'll fill up with water and mud and rust out prematurely.

Look good!

thanks kert. i'm planning on having the top plate have a curvature of sorts so that the bottom of that plate is open, tying in the two top triangles to the top of the frame, but open at the bottom....

that made no sense. pics tomorrow after its done.

 

[tRustyK5]

The factory piece is also stamped...many, many planes that increase strength a ton. My honest opinion? Start over with 1/4". Sorry.

Rene

 

[4X4HIGH]

Looks good, but as others have said 1/8" IMO isn't thick enough. Like Rene said, the factory bracket is one stamped piece and also is attached basically to the side of the frame whereas this flip bracket is going to hang below the frame.

 

[sweetk30]

stock is stamped with bends.

aftermarket made is thicker with bends and welds.

bends are stronger than butt and weld each section.

i say go thicker and see if a local steel shop can do some bends to make it stronger and weld in the others you cant bend in.

 

[colbystephens]

i noticed that the stock one is stamped when i was looking at the rig for ideas - thought about bending some pieces for this one too, but couldn't do it in the shop i'm working at in Portland.

here's the stock one:

sucker looks pretty weak and is all booger welded to the frame. every pic i've seen of these mounts, they always look like crap...

 

[colbystephens]

ok, so i came to my senses today and decided to start over with 1/4" steel. i remeasured the steel i currently have and it's only 3/16 thick... i'm sure the bearing stress in the bolt hole must be too great for steel that thin.

i did finish the welding and build of the practice one first. i'm glad i did because i got to figure out what i'll do different on the final product. additionally, i came into contact with a dude who is going to let me use his plasma cutter to cut all the pieces out - that will save me alot of time over using the 4.5" angle grinder thru the thick stuff!

here's what i finished with today, although instead of having that rib that goes all the way around, i'm going to do some simple 6"x2" triangle gussets just on the side that will be welded to the frame. it will have about 36" of weld with all the gussets to the frame - that should be a REALLY stout hangar. The front lift hangars will be similarly beefy, though not to quite the same degree...

 

[Hogback Fabrication]

IMO, it would have been fine with 1/8" plate. The design is sound and as long as the welding is good the bracket will be much, much stronger than the frame its being attached to.

The factory uses formed/stamped steel plate because its quicker and cheaper than separate pieces welded together.

 

[colbystephens]

well, i think that this plate was actually 3/32 - not 1/8th. when i remeasured, it was less than an 1/8th. here's what i built today, out of 1/4" steel. i think these will be stout enough!

i'm really proud of my work on these. we went over to a shop owned by an acquaintance and used a plasma cutter to cut the shapes out so I didn't have to spend all day w/ the angle grinder.

However, big problem. I really screwed up the placement of the driver's side shackle. I didn't finish welding it to the frame, but it's going to be a HUGE pain in the ass to cut off and re-weld. I didn't put the weight of the truck on the spring before welding it up, and so it's too far forward and my shackle angle at ride height is TERRIBLE. Any great ideas for getting it back off? it's going to be really tough to use the angle grinder to get it off, and that's all i've got to work with.

here's the truck on 30" tires, at it's new ride height in the rear. i have to build the front drop hangars tomorrow to get the front end up as well. we'll trim the fenders out and 34's will fit nicely. this is about 5 inches of lift.

 

[tRustyK5]

Lots better, but you're gonna have to remove that one hanger one way or the other IMHO. A) it doesn't match the other side, and B) that angle is horrible.

Try using a thin cut-off disc...3/64" will cut through your welds easily enough and get 'behind' the bracket. This will help for the inside corners you wouldn't otherwise be able to get with a grinder.

Rene

 

[Greg72]

CS,

Props to you for acknowledging the original issue and being willing to do everything all over again. It's not easy to start over when you've put a lot of time into a part, but ultimately if it's wrong...it's wrong. It's good that you learned the lesson and moved on.

I'd suggest putting a nice radius around the bolt/spring hanger areas before too much longer. Those square corners give the part a less "professional" look, and if you ever hit your head on one of those while working underneath the truck, they're going to open your head up like a ripe melon!!

My truck has a bunch of pointy bolts on all the factory crossmembers and I'm always hitting my head on them....my poor dome is always getting cut and perforated by those stupid things, so I'm systematically replacing them all with something a lot smoother and more flush-mounted.

 

[colbystephens]

Lots better, but you're gonna have to remove that one hanger one way or the other IMHO. A) it doesn't match the other side, and B) that angle is horrible.

Try using a thin cut-off disc...3/64" will cut through your welds easily enough and get 'behind' the bracket. This will help for the inside corners you wouldn't otherwise be able to get with a grinder.

Rene

yeah, it's definitely coming back off. i'm going to use a sawzall... i think. that should get behind the bracket a bit easier. the angle on the passenger side bracket is great - so i'll move the driver's side to match. i'm thankful i didn't finish welding it into place. it's still going to suck tho. it'll be a good finished product tho. gotta finish it today, as i'm going home tomorrow (5 hours away!).

 

[colbystephens]

CS,

Props to you for acknowledging the original issue and being willing to do everything all over again. It's not easy to start over when you've put a lot of time into a part, but ultimately if it's wrong...it's wrong. It's good that you learned the lesson and moved on.

I'd suggest putting a nice radius around the bolt/spring hanger areas before too much longer. Those square corners give the part a less "professional" look, and if you ever hit your head on one of those while working underneath the truck, they're going to open your head up like a ripe melon!!

My truck has a bunch of pointy bolts on all the factory crossmembers and I'm always hitting my head on them....my poor dome is always getting cut and perforated by those stupid things, so I'm systematically replacing them all with something a lot smoother and more flush-mounted.

yeah. i allowed my brain to debate that one for a couple hours - but i knew it needed to be redone. i was really concerned about the bearing stress. this is no place to skimp out on material too... it's got the lives of my friend, his wife and 3 children at stake.

if i have enough cutting tools left over today, i'll chamfer those corners something fierce and then smooth them into a nice round edge with a flap disc, but i might not have enough left. my buddy is funding this project (it's his truck!), and he doesn't have much money to throw at it, so he's skimping on the cutting tools (which is frustrating!).