My imagination ran away with a thought...dangerous i know..

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 5:44 pm

Posted this question on another post but didnt get a response...Can someone answer this question? Why cant we pull the IFS out of a late model Cheby pu and fab it onto the KJ? I'm talking just the diff and axles not their whole carrier here It seems the only real problem with going higher to run those scacred 33"s is the front aluminum diff and a couple of inches....Why cant we make one out of a different IFS system work? One that the axle shafts arent too short or end up in what ever binding that ours end up in with the current set up. I was just thinking about a thread that someone posted about lowering their front diff to keep the CV angles down....Well if you could do that and then fab a late model diff that is not aluminium in there you could then just use longer springs or a puc lift with your current suspension lift and still have a higher lift....Just a thought here....seems like going that way would be less work....and less money
lower the front diff to keep cv angles down
build brackets that bolt a cheby unit in place, cast iron diff.....
use longer springs or just add a 2" puc lift with the 3" spring lift some already have....that will give 5" suspension lift in front
Still keep qualities of IFS.....

Can someone tell me why this looks good on paper but not in reality.....

greiswig · **Posted:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:24 pm

Personally, if I were going to all that trouble I'd put in a solid axle. More versatile offroad, and likely easier to make it work than a different IFS.

skrracing · **Posted:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 7:51 pm

Money..There are all kinds of cool stuff for IFS but it cost a ton. if you go back through any post about any kit, lift, SFA or anything else about the KJ you will notice that the same question comes up with in the first few lines of the post, "how much does it cost"...

Again...there is all kinds of cool stuff for IFS but the cost will scare everyone away. later...Clint

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 8:33 pm

it was just a thought seems like guys are spending a ton to get just a couple of inches to run 33s and the weak link in our setup seems to be that diff. Was just wondering why no one has tried to get the ifs diff outta an early 90s chevy and build what ever bracket that was needed to fit it in the kj.....Like the post topic says.....imagination can be dangerous...

skrracing · **Posted:** Thu Dec 22, 2005 9:07 pm

Yep...I understood...The answer...Money. It cost lots of money to do any mod like that. later...Clint

the1jferg · **Posted:** Fri Dec 23, 2005 10:56 am

Easier to get a Wrangler for the off road and a liberty for the grocery store.

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Fri Dec 23, 2005 11:26 am

the1jferg wrote:

Easier to get a Wrangler for the off road and a liberty for the grocery store.

Kinda defeats the purpose doesnt it....I don't know about you but the few times i have had my libby on the trail i like the looks i get...everyone expects to see a Wrangler or a Cherokee but not the libby.

So if Cost wasnt a concern Would that make a better setup than going to a solid axle? Could it be done? Would it be as easy as it seems to be in my head? These trucks are starting to see the wrecking yard and all and you can pick them up pretty cheap. Arouond here you can get the whole truck for 1500-2000.....Sell the engine, tranny and transfer case you got your money back plus you could part out the body and have money for the conversion....

The question is still there tho is it as easy as my mind thinks it would be than to design and build a whole front suspension setup....Just to design and build the a bracket to bolt in the front diff unit out of a cheby ifs?

JJsTJ · **Posted:** Fri Dec 23, 2005 12:10 pm

I don't think the KJ front suspension and steering is up to the task of running 33's or larger any more than the front diff is. I think All of it needs to be gutted and replaced.
Don't give up on modding an IFS system out of a different vehicle to work w/ the KJ if that is what You want. Start finding different vehicles and taking measurements. I would bet that the IFS set up out of another 4x could be adapted to work, maybe by creating a cradle assy/adapter that would bolt up to the KJ. Look at how the KJ's front end bolts up and design an adapter that would replace the whole front suspension And diff assy. Use a Toyota front suspension/diff or similar w/ the adapter and you will have many options for modding it further.

What it Always boils down to is $$. ANYTHING can be made to work if you throw enough cash at it. Somebody will eventually do it IF they feel they can sell enough to make some money on it. Or, it will be done by someone that has some money to throw at it and they are determined to just do it even if only for their vehicle. For the kind of wheeling some want to do, a SFA swap makes good sense because it can be done fairly easily and cheaper than an IFS swap. (right now anyway) The SFA swaps are common on many IFS vehicles and Proven to work well too.

I think the current set ups we have for the KJ are great for a mildly wheeled vehicle. I think the front diff can survive if not overly abused. (just ask allyrand about his front diff which has survived His heavy foot)
I think 31-32" tires are the limit for this set up and if you are having a great time wheeling a rig like that, then leave it be. Set your money or spare parts aside to fix it as you break it. Really not much different than having a mildly modded Wrangler that has axles or control arm mounts, steeering parts, etc. break on it from wheeling. (except there are stronger parts to upgrade to on the Wrangler)

Blah blah blah..... i'll shut up now. :wink:

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Fri Dec 23, 2005 12:41 pm

Thanks like i said my imagination can be dangerous sometimes....I was just sittin here thinking of all the post i had read about the money that is being thrown into the solid axle conversion and then thought about the ifs...and then it hit me ifs has been around for awhile and some of those 4x4s can be bought pretty cheap...so i was thinking you know how that goes.....what would it take to replace the whole unit but build brackets that bolt up to the KJs existing locations....that would make a swap completly bolt in. This is one of those project that you say if you were rich and didnt have anything to do all day then you could toy with it...The thought brought me to the conclusion that it may cost the same amount of money as the Solid axle conversion or could even cost less and use alot of the existing hardware on our KJs while still keeping that stock apperance....There is alot of knowledge on this board and alot of engineers who just like to tinker around with things. So i am just trying to get those guys thinking about this conversion too. And who knows they may come up with something so pratical and easy that we could all do it in a weekend...

hankwood · **Posted:** Fri Dec 23, 2005 12:46 pm

building the brackets to put the chevy center under the liberty is not a big deal, the problem is that the liberty center has long stub shafts coming out of the diff and the cv shafts are very short, to match the travel arc of the strut and upper a arm. on the chevy, the stub shafts coming out are short, with long cv shafts to match the travel arc of the longer truck a arms. the liberty cv shafts do not have a slip joint since the travel arc of the cv shaft is the same as the suspension travel arc. if you use the chevy center, the travel arc of the cv shaft would be longer than the travel arc of the suspension. that in and of itself does not mean that it would not work, though. if you use a cv shaft with a slip joint in it, that would compensate for the difference in length of travel arcs, but you might have to put bump stops in to keep the suspension from traveling too far and letting the cv shaft hit the suspension components. so yes, it is possible, and could be that the only custom parts you will need are the center diff mount, drive shaft, and cv shafts. those three parts, though, would most likely be about $1000 to have built, and would still need to be installed. since i do drafting/design for a living, and have a part time side business building tube chassis drag car and jeep frames and driveline components, i have been designing a steel center diff that will bolt up to the liberty cradle, and have a lot of aftermarket locker and gear options. since i want this for my own liberty, it is worth my time and energy because i enjoy doing this type of work. the actual build time for the components is not that long, but the total price for all the custom parts would be well over a thousand dollars if i were to try and sell them. so as with all custom work, price is a driving factor.

CarNutCertifies · **Posted:** Fri Dec 23, 2005 12:52 pm

Yep I hate the fact that the money tree is extinct....Guess i should just do a mild build on my kj and mod the heck outta my tracker....My big thing is i have to keep my KJ streetable and i need to do highway speeds. But i do like to stir up the think tank every now and then....Maybe someday i will buy a wrecked KJ just to play with it...

My imagination ran away with a thought...dangerous i know..

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