Over the last year I've been fabbing up a bolt-on traction bar system that would mount to the frame above the front rear shackle and attach to the spring plate. I got as far as designing, water jet cutting, welding and some installation. Here's some pics...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Traction_Bar_Drawings.jpg
Mock up Drawings

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/FrameBracket.jpg
Frame Bracket Mounted

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/TackedSpringPlates.jpg
Spring Plates

Then I read a post on FSB where several people reported bending their rear springs using that style setup - (that dosen't sound like a lot of fun).

I was fixing to give up on the whole idea but then I read a post from Dangling_Dave on his Anti-Wrap bar installation. It looks like a great system so I went back to the drawing board and started some plans of my own.

After several revisions of the drawings, this is the one I setteled on:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/MOCK.jpg

The first Part I will build will be the Crossmember section. It will consist of a 37.5" piece of 2x2x.25 tubing, and some water-jet cut brackets to mount to the side of the frame and for the Heim Joint to connect to. Here are the parts I will get cut to do this.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/BarCutParts.jpg

I designed them so that they would inter-lock for better accuracy and so they dont move around as much when welding. I will post some pics of the parts when I get them back. - This is just the start I keep posting progress until I complete it.

Goddamn those look good so far. :rockon


Might you be making duplicates anytime in the future?

Looks really good. I need one. Well I want one may not need it but I want it. lol Keep up the good work.

Great looking work! It should work fine. Water jet cutter? I am jealous!

dc

A year to design a part that can be fabbed in an afternoon with two or three purchased parts? It's just a traction bar, not an F1 suspension.

I can only work on this as my budget allows so there's a lot of dead time.

Just a thought would a Front Trac-bar work? Looking from the first pic it is just a "bar" connecting from one solid point to the axle with the ability for axle flex up and down. I was pondering. I am making my trac-bar for my SAS with DOM and Heims and I just put new bushing on my Factory Trac-bar. That would allow the axle to go up and down but would the flex hurt or bind? Would it have to be triangulated or will like a shock bracket welded to the axle and mounted to a crossmember work?

I gotta agree you might be over-engineering the whole thing a little, but that can be fun. Whatever floats your boat.

Splah, you have a PM.

I got some of the parts back from the water jet place today - I thought I'd post a few pictures.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/PARTS.jpg

Cut parts for Cross member

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SCRAP.jpg

Left over scrap

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/P1.jpg

Heim Hanger - Prespective

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/P3.jpg

Heim Hanger - side view

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SIMG0003_1.jpg

Side Bracket

Thats all for now...

looks good man.:thumbup

Damn, a water jet?
You make my torched-out brackets look like crap!

on a different note, i think i am just going to get me some 1.5" schedule 80 and make a copy of sam's offroads unit. thought about mocking up the steering links out of it too. its very thick walled strucural pipe and i should be able to work it into a decent anti-wrap bar. alas, it shall have to be torch cut.

Hey Splah

Any updates on this?

I have the second round of parts at the water jet cutter. I hope to have them back in a couple of weeks (I told them to fit them in whenever to get a better price) - these are the parts I sent out.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/A-HGanged.jpg

a little off topic, but at what point do traction bars become a need on a bronco. I am building a healthy 393 and moving up to 36's soon on a 9 inch that will be re-geared to 4.56s probably. Just curious

That waterjet stuff is awesome. If you don't mind me askin, how much did it set you back?

Hey everyone,
I saw this post and I was really impressed by the craftsmanship of those bars. Great Job!
My FSB is a tarbaby though, and I'm getting a lot of axle wrap even during normal driving situations (stop and go). I'm afraid I'm going to break a leaf spring or ruin the U-joints. With x-mas around the corner, I really don't have the extra cash to go out and buy a $400-$500 set of traction bars or ladder bars. I am a metal fabricator with a huge facility at my disposal, (no in house water jet though) so I was wondering if any one knows of any cheeper traction devices out there or has any plans or measurements to build your own? I was also wondering, wouldn't a torque arm be cheeper, more simple to design, and alow more articulation?

My FSB: 96 EB edition 5.8 auto, 4" Superlift, 35" BFG AT's

... I really don't have the extra cash to go out and buy a $400-$500 set of traction bars or ladder bars. I am a metal fabricator with a huge facility at my disposal, (no in house water jet though) so I was wondering if any one knows of any cheeper traction devices out there or has any plans or measurements to build your own? I was also wondering, wouldn't a torque arm be cheeper, more simple to design, and alow more articulation?

You should probably start your own thread and leave this one for the original poster since he's adding new tech over time.

I appologize for this being a slow moving thread, but with a full time job, running my own business from home as a second job and 2 small kids - time (and funding) are in very limited supply. When I get the second round of parts back i think things will go a little faster.

The waterjetting is not as expensive as you would think. There are several places online that offer services.

At this point I've spent $190 cutting the parts on the new design. I do all of the drawings and save them out of Illustrator as a dwg. That saves a little.

Here's a few new photos of the crossmember section.
I welded a piece of 1" DOM (.15625 wall) as a sleeve for the 5/8" bolt to run through. It may not have been necessary but it was how I wanted it.

Drilled 1" hole on each side with hole saw - I did not take a picture of it but I beveled the edges
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SIMG0021.jpg

1" DOM sleeve
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SIMG0022.jpg

Sleeve welded in place
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Weld.jpg

Excess was removed with grinder
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Grind.jpg

I'll get the side brackets welded next week with more photos -

Another update...

I got the Crosmember section completed thought I'd post a few pics.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Cross1.jpg
Crossmember section

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Cross2.jpg
Detail of end and Heim Hanger

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Cross3.jpg
Another shot of the same

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Cross4.jpg
Put in place but not bolted in.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Cross5.jpg
I thought clearance would be an issue but it does not hang any lower that the transfer case.

I still need to paint and bolt up to the frame - I'll see what I get done this weekend.

great job so far-----please keep the pics coming....mike

Nice Work.

dc

A few new photos of the Crossmember painted and bolted up.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Painted001.jpg
Crossmember painted with Grade 8 Hardware

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Painted002.jpg
From the Passenger Side

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Painted003.jpg
From the Drivers Side

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/Painted004.jpg
Another shot from the Drivers Side

That's all for now.

wow that looks great

dc

Nice work!

great gathering gussets batman, that looks beefy! nice stuff. laser, water or plasma? i like how it hangs off the front. was that to allow the bar itself to be longer? more pics man.

Looks very impressive and clean.

looks like if you built a higher clearance transfer case skid plate you could tie the two together

That thought has actually crossed my mind....

Your first pic is giving me ideas on how to strengthen my rear hangers. Thanx. Real nice stuff you're doing. What was the 1" DOM for? isn't the square tubing strong enough in itself?

I finally got to do some stuff to the Anti-Wrap bar this week Not much but I thought I'd post the pics

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SIMG0046.jpg
Parts for the link

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SIMG0047.jpg
Placed together

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/SIMG0045.jpg
Ready to weld

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/P1000507.jpg
Welded and painted

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/P1000512.jpg
Test Fit

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v708/splah/P1000514.jpg
test fit side view.

Thats it for now.
sKot

Man, you've got patience and determination. Looks GREAT!

And OverEngineering is fun, I do agree....

You are honestly one of the smartest people in all of Texas.
Great job.

Great looking wrap bar, puts my "Durango" style one to shame!

Great pictures too.

dc

NICE!!!! WHat does it cost to get parts cut out by a water jet?

So far it has not been really expensive, but the last couple of quotes i've gotten have been really out there. I'm current looking for suppliers in Houston. As soon as I find one thats hungry enough I'll give them the rest of the parts to cut. If I remember correctly I paid $90 to have all of the tabs for the crossmember cut and I suplied the steel that I got from a scrap yard. (Sorry - Numbers were off in a previous post that stated $190)

Cool, so how does this work? Meaning what do you provide them to cut it out with? A file on a disk? Cad?

thanks bud

2D Cad File exported as a DXF
I don't have AutoCad so I use Adobe Illustrator and then Export as DXF. Then just email it to the operator.

The Water Jet is just an X Y Plotter with a water nozzle that is pushing out 50,000psi that can cut through damn near anything. I've read about someone cutting through 8" of solid steel with a stream of water.

This is some great stuff! Thanks for the info! You have opened a whole new world of possibilities for me in fabrication!