damn i wish you guys were on my coast so i could pay you guys to make me a custom crossmember. but wouldnt all 700r4/doubler combo's require the exact same xmember? so technically if someone made desert rat one, it woul work on mine as well right?
CK5
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Will the frustration ever end? Doubler crossmember issues
- Thread starter Desert Rat
- Start date
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
Well, that is what I cannot understand. I keep hearing that there are so many variations but I don't understand why. The spacing for the doubler has to be the same if it is an NP203 rangebox and an NP205 in the back. I suppose the thickness of the adapter could vary, but not by much. Then it is just a matter of how far apart the frame rails are. Up to a certain year they were parallel. After that, they were slightly tapered. How many variations of that could there be? It would seem that someone could fab up the center part and then just ask the buyer what the distance between the frame rails are. Maybe it is the angle of the engine/tranny/TC that causes knipshins, I don't know.
jays68yak
1/2 ton status
Desert Rat said:
Your about 2 months early. I have a JD2 bender sitting in my garage, still in the box. Once I get a chance to use it Ill be making a doubler xmember for my ride. Only reason I brought up pacificfab is he is a friend who just opened up shop and Im only trying to help him get business.
jays68yak
1/2 ton status
I think the hard part about making a doubler xmember is that there are atleast 4 doubler manufactors that I can think of. Plus then you have clocking of the 205, clocking of the 203. I bet not everyone is putting them in blazer or even chevys for that matter. A universal kit would be niffy, but would prob still require welding.
What exactly would need to be modified on the one I made to work on your truck? Just need the opening enlarged or what?
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
Yep, the opening isn't nearly big enough. That 42 degree CV is a monster. I don't know if you can get it wide enough since the side next to the adapter mount is already pretty close. Taller would've maybe come close to fitting since I think it hit the little triangular trusses you had welded in. I'll throw it back in and send you a pic.
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
jays68yak said:
Hmmm, Danville, that's just a short drive from where I live....
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
Ok, went out and fit up Jethro's custom crossmember again. Looks like the sides are close, but they do clear the CV, but only by about a half an inch. It is the top that is not tall enough. If it was one inch taller, it would clear. Now, I pretty much resigned myself to designing my own but after looking at all the pics I've collected on custom crossmembers, I'm still in a quandry. That 42 degree CV is so fat that I can't make a platform that sticks out from the back aka the 4x4Iron style to support the two adapters. If I go wide enough to put the mounts on the inside of the "box", it will hit the CV. If I narrow it down to the inside of the adapter bolt holes, it will be too small I think to support the weight. You can kind of see it in these pics how close the adapter holes are to the CV:
If I run a box or tube outside of the adapter, it is going to by right up against the CV. So, I am back to the drawing board on designing one that works. Maybe if I drop down the front supports far enough it could clear but then I lose a lot of ground clearance......Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh..............
If I run a box or tube outside of the adapter, it is going to by right up against the CV. So, I am back to the drawing board on designing one that works. Maybe if I drop down the front supports far enough it could clear but then I lose a lot of ground clearance......Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh..............
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
By the way, will whoever owns this crossmember get a hold of me? I can't remember who it was.
BizeeB65
1/2 ton status
I was gonna say, something like this may solve your problems:
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
Problem is, the front section will be too wide and hit the CV like the second picture I posted. I'm starting to like the design of that picture I posted with the gray painted setup.
I can cut the top off the one I made and make it an inch taller....That would be easy.
Desert Rat
Fetch the comfy chair
I'm thinking about that. You think the CV is going to move laterally much? It is about a half an inch on the passenger side and a little less on the driver side. That would be the easiest.
