anybody's 4-link do this?

McCracken

McCracken

Logan Can't See This
Joined
Jul 9, 2005
Location
With your mom at a nice seafood dinner
I guess you might call it tech but really I'm just complaining. Anyway, you put the axle under there, square it up, quadruple measure and get it just right. Tack your brackets, pull your link measurements and pull everything out to weld it up. Then you put it back in and none of the BS lines up like before. Dammit. I'm not finished but so far I've had to suck one top link all the way in and the other most of the way out. :shaking:
 
Are you saying you tacked it all in without links in place? I guess I am not following. I had all my brackets tacked, cut the links to length and assembled in place. Everything went in fine. Pulled the axle and links out to fully weld them up and everything went right back in.
 
I clamp all brackets and tabs on axle and frame. Only tack things where I absolutely have to where I can't clamp well.

Assemble everything and square and plumb and align everything at ride height and pinion angle.

Now I usually cut PVC pipe to length for mock up links. I make several slits in the ends of these and use hose clamps around the PVC so that they tighten down on the tube adapters.

At this point you can cycle everything. Then return everything to ride height and square, plumb, and correct alignment.

Check to make sure no brackets have moved and tack them all.

Verify that link lengths are what they should be and cut tubing and weld the tube adapters so that the threads are in the center of their travel.

Reassemble everything and make sure it all cycle like you want.

Usually I pull it all apart to fully weld everything. This is mainly because I weld all of the inside of my brackets and tabs and the link/ heim / joint would be in my way.
 
That's what we did. We squared it all and tacked the brackets. Then put PVC links in. It all looked good. Nothing moved unless the fab fairy came in and jacked everything around. I'm going to look at it again today and see if I'm missing something.
 
The other thing I do to keep a quick check on things. Clamp some straight edges like angle iron or 1" square tube, 2x4, etc to rotor surfaces, or if tires are on, ratchet strap plywood or other straight pieces to tires.

This gives you really easy ways to measure and center axle under frame. And make sure it's aligned with front.

Tacking without adequate restriction on the bracket can easily move things 1/4" or more. So check to see if things moved when tacking.
 
Are you sure the axle is still correct side to side?
 
It appears to be. I monkeyed with it some more tonight. I think I've got it lined up. I did roll out driver's side upper about an inch and it seems to be fairly square. I'm not going to sweat it. It appears to be OK. It's not like I'm running KOH this year.
 
usually what i found is when the tops links do that, the axle has shifted left to right or was slightly shifted when measured. It doesnt take much offset to cause the links to need a lot of adjustment like you're describing!
 
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