Full frame and straight axle

[Animal]

I have been working on installing a full frame and straight front alxe into my 1983 Eagle Wagon. I started this project because I broke one of the original control arms on the IFS after installing a Chevy 4.3 V6, 700R4 overdrive transmission, and two speed NP231 transfer case. When I am finished with this frame and axle, I will install the same Chevy running gear as before. I also have a Ford 8.8 rear axle that I am installing. It will be four linked and use the same shocks as the front.

[Animal]

Here are some more axle picture.

[Ökensörn]

Very impresive, if you ever want to higher out let me know I'm in North PHX.  Actaully I have a welding class with Eagle I this Saturday if you would like to stop buy I'm sure he wouldn't mind.   

[priya]

That looks like quite a job.  What was involved in removing the original Eagle "frame"?

[Animal]

awesome!.... you may be the first one w/ a 4-link.

how much did those coil-overs cost you?
and are you buying all the welding tabs or just plasma cutting/tourching them out?

thanks,

-josh

I have a set of 4 coil-overs and the set retails for around $1,200.
Also, I cut all my own tabs and brackets at my house with a tourch (I wish I had a plasma). I got a couple sheets of 4 foot by 8 foot steel plate in 1/4", 3/8", and 1/2" thickness. This is plenty of material to make any bracket/tab I need. However, I bought my heim joints from ruffstuffspecialties.com. I noticed that they sell all kinds of custom brackets and weld-in tabs for cheap. 

[Animal]

also... great job chopping the subframe out....

we typically dislike when people throw a frame under the eagle, but in your case it seems it will be so darn clean-looking no one will even notice.

awesome job again.... you just better finish it and not stop like some poeple (Willy!) haha.

-josh!

I like my Egle. I don't want to see it look like a jacked-up 4WD pick-up. I would have bought a pick-up for that. I want my Eagle to look like an Eagle, but also be able to handle the trails with confidence. Thats why I desided to remove the original frame all together. Trying to adapt a frame to the original would have been harder to keep it stock looking.

And don't worry. I will finnish it.

[Animal]

i'm alo waiting to see how you mount the power steering box and your tracking bar

I think the power steering box will not be that hard to mount. I plan on using U-joints to connect the steering box to the steering wheel. However, the track bar is another story. I don't have a good design yet. My plan is to install the engine and then look at what option I have.

[IowaEagle]

So far it appears you are doing an excellent job here.

[Animal]

It seems like a simple task to remove the frame, but that was not the case. It took a couple of days after work of cutting with the gas tourch. I had to cut it out in layers.

[Animal]

I am going to triangulate the rear axle and not use a track bar, but because of the engine, steering, exhaust..., there was no room to use that set-up in the front. I have to use the track bar up front.

Also, in order to keep the correct pinion angle, I had to cut the top mounting tabs on the axle and weld them offset of the bottom. They are a couple inches farther forward on the axle, in order to add length to the top control arm. With this set-up, the uper and lower arms are almost the exact same length. this helps keep the axle in line during its 8 inches of travel.

This was not an easy task. I had the axle in and out, up and down, and back and forth to find the right geometry before welding stuff in place. The pictures in this post are before I dialed in the adjustments. I was just so excited to have the axle in the car that I could not wait to take pictures and share them with everyone on the Eagles Nest. 

[priya]

It seems like a simple task to remove the frame, but that was not the case. It took a couple of days after work of cutting with the gas tourch. I had to cut it out in layers.

What about where the original frame flanged to the floorboards, how did you remove that part ( I assume you couldn't cut it off with the gas axe without also cutting into the floorboards), or did you leave that part of it attached to the floorboards?

[mick]

Animal, looks great!!!  I owe you an apoligy, I have been so caught up in my own project that I haven't read any of the new posts in weeks.  And your build is something I would've posted on immediately.  Sorry it took me so long.

The build looks very clean and well thought out.  The coil overs look like Race Runners, are they?  What travel are they?  All of your welds look great.  I am most impressed.  What size tire you planning on running?  Looks like a TJ/ZJ axle since it is low pinion.  What ratio are you running?

I have heard of ruffstuff but haven't checked out their site.  Another great place for brackets tabs and heims is BallisticFab.  That is where I get most our stuff.

When you get this thing done meet Josh and I in Moab.  We could sure use the company!!

[Animal]

It seems like a simple task to remove the frame, but that was not the case. It took a couple of days after work of cutting with the gas tourch. I had to cut it out in layers.

What about where the original frame flanged to the floorboards, how did you remove that part ( I assume you couldn't cut it off with the gas axe without also cutting into the floorboards), or did you leave that part of it attached to the floorboards?

Sorry, your right. I did not cut off the tabs that connect the original frame to the body. I left the extra metal in place to have more meat to weld my new frame to.

[Animal]

Animal, looks great!!!  I owe you an apoligy, I have been so caught up in my own project that I haven't read any of the new posts in weeks.  And your build is something I would've posted on immediately.  Sorry it took me so long.

The build looks very clean and well thought out.  The coil overs look like Race Runners, are they?  What travel are they?  All of your welds look great.  I am most impressed.  What size tire you planning on running?  Looks like a TJ/ZJ axle since it is low pinion.  What ratio are you running?

I have heard of ruffstuff but haven't checked out their site.  Another great place for brackets tabs and heims is BallisticFab.  That is where I get most our stuff.

When you get this thing done meet Josh and I in Moab.  We could sure use the company!!

Thanks for the reply.

They are Race Runner shocks by Sway-A-Way with an 8" stroke. I plan on putting 33" tires on this when I am completed, but I have a set of brand new 31" mud tires I am going to use for now.

Aslo, the Axle is out of a 2001 Jeep Cherokee. It had only 65,000 miles on it when I got it. However, I rebuilt it with 3.73 gears to match the rear Ford 8.8" axle I have for it. But, when I get the chance, I am going to put 4.10 gears in front and back because I am running the 700R4 overdrive transmission and can still keep the drivability of the car to use around town and go on camping trips.

When I complete the project, I would love to take it and my wife on a trip to Moab. I think it is about a days trip from where I live.

Hope to see you there soon,
Brandon

[rollguy]

That is awesome!  I am glad to see another Eagle Straight Axle buildup. I am sure you will be very happy with the way it performs on the trail when you get it done. When I did mine (about 10 years ago), I used leaf springs, but Coil Overs is now the way to go. Keep up the good work!!