Custom tranny/t-case x-members?

Just fishing for some ideas on fabricated crossmembers to replace the stamped steel stocker in my flattie. Show me whatcha got

 

Hmm nobody ? Ive been watching this tread so for ideas too . When I install the T-98 Im going to make a custom member to reclaim the lost ground clearance from the T-98. I was going to try to make a saddle strap with the reinforcement verts going up instead of down. I got it drawn out but I cant exspain it , well Ill post pics this winter when I make it.

 

The one in my flattie. Frame is fully boxed, but you could build tabs to work with bushings on an open channel frame. Made of 0.120-wall 1-3/4-inch DOM with 3/16-inch skidplate. Used 1.5-inch OD Wrangler spring bushings from Superlift to mount Xmember and an Energy Suspension GM tranny mount on the SM420/Spicer 18 Novak Adapter. Torque mount bushing is leftover poly shock bushings I had laying around.

Floor is cut so drivetrain can be mounted higher. Lowest point of Xmember only about 1-inch below bottom of framerial.

It's overkill plain and simple. When I rebuild it for the Dana 300 install I'm probably going to go with 0.120-wall 1.5-inch DOM. and will only do a single tube with a mount and skid plate built off of it.

 

I used 3" channel for the crossmember with the flanges turned up, like Hawk said, with 3 x 3 x 3/16 angle for the ends. Drilled holes to drain water, but it's still going to catch a lot of dirt and crud over time. I could get pictures or render a drawing if it would be helpful. I estimate I picked up about 2" in ground clearance from the change.

 

Wow Dummy thats nice , Remember offroad theres no such thing as over kill. DK I would like to see a pic or scetch of yours sence it is closer to what I was thinking about doing.

 

Thanks Dan , Im send you a IM . Even if I dont need to I might still make a new X member because I remember every one crossing raditor rock , well at lest pat got to use his winch R) . Every time I look at it I say its going to get me in trob.

 

This is pretty crude because I'm not too adept with paintbrush. The top drawing is the stock cross member and it's cross section at midpoint. The second is what I made and it's cross section. hth.

 

So Dummy, does your trans hang down lower than your crossmember?

It looks good. I'd like to fab something like that up for mine in the future, but after I raise the drivetrain.

I see a lot of info about clocking t-case for flat skids, but those are all for auto trans rigs, it seems that even with the t-case clocked higher the manual trans hump hangs down low.

Oh well. I've allways thought the trans crossmember should be strong enough to support the weight of the jeep. You never know when you'll be resting on it.

Kevo

 

Just a bit (like less than an inch), but I've only touched it with a rock once and that rig has seen some very vicious trails. The tranny is close enough to the front tires that high centering isn't really a concern and I'm pretty careful with my lines so I don't have sharp, jagged boulders flopping around down there. It was just this one time in Johnson Valley last year after rains had torn up the trails worse than any of us could remember and I was following all my buddies with their 37s and 40s. Those tires dig a big hole for a 35 to follow in.