In case you're reading about the Scratch-Built Scrambler for the first time, here's the lowdown. We wanted a rig that was reliable and extremely capable on the trail while comfortable on the highway for traveling long distances. In Part 1 of the suspension build (Nov. '09) a TJ or JK Tera Flex Pro LCG long-arm system was installed on our Jeep CJ-8 Scrambler. The installation was relatively easy (not a bolt-on) and we really like the geometry of the system. Through forced articulation testing (with the help of a forklift) in the shop, we found that the system will perform nicely off-road without binding.
Since traveling thousands of miles on long adventures can sometimes require stowing lots of gear, another goal of the build was to keep all the interior space for camp junk, tools, and spare parts. The front suspension already had coilovers with custom hoop mounts. Mounting long-travel shocks in the rear of the Jeep without cutting into the tub or fenderwells could have been tricky, but we used an outboard shock mount kit from GenRight Off Road. The kit mounts the shock on the outside of the framerail and allows the use of many different damper setups. Moving the shocks outboard also gives the vehicle more stability by widening the placement of the shocks on the axle and frame. Since many fabrication tools are needed and instillation takes a bit of knowhow, we looked to the suspension experts at Off Road Evolution to install our new shock kit.
The complete kit includes...
The complete kit includes 1/4-inch steel shock towers (will work with shocks from 8 to 18 inches), lower mounts, and gussets. This kit isn't convoluted with a million parts, but lots of cutting and welding are involved, and knowing how a performance suspension works is vital.
The towers can be used with...
The towers can be used with a frame stretch system or simply frenched into the framerails. We plasma-cut the notch for the tower smaller than needed, then used a grinder to widen the rest of the hole while checking for proper fitment. Notching the frame slightly cuts into its structural integrity, but installing the towers is fine for applications like this. The rear of our Scramblers frame tied into the eight-point rollcage, and we won't be towing anything of substantial weight.
The outboard shock towers...
The outboard shock towers are universal and need to be trimmed to fit. This makes it possible to mount the towers in many different positions and use different shock styles and lengths. The towers will work with shocks from 8 to 18 inches, and they can be placed just about anywhere along the framerail on either the front or rear of the vehicle.
The cool part about using...
The cool part about using this kit is that we were able to stuff 14-inch long-travel shocks under the Jeep without cutting into the fenderwells or tub. This allows 4 inches of up-travel and 10 inches of shock droop. It also kept the lower shock mounts even with the axletube, removing two potential snag points on the trail.
Fine-tuning the lower shock...
Fine-tuning the lower shock mount by moving inwards or outwards will affect the performance of the shocks. The mount's placement also depends on what type and size (diameter) shock or coilover is going to be used. The rear caliper may need to be moved from the rear of the axle to the front as it did in this application.
Leaving the coil springs will...
Leaving the coil springs will allow us to test many shock setups, such as standard monotubes, remote reservoirs, and bypasses and coilovers. These triple-bypass shocks are overkill, but we'll test them along with a number of other dampers. Once we switch to coilovers the coil springs will be removed and the mounts cut off.