What flip kit do I have?

[Mr_Bowtie]

Okay my van had a flip kit installed sometime ago on it and the bracket that comes over the axle and bolts to the bottom bracket is cracking. I would like to replace the brackets, but maybe something else will work better yet. Like S10 plate and U bolts on both sides instead of just one. Any ideas would be great.
I may just chuck that bracket I have on top and install another U bolt just like the other side is.
My passenger bracket is cracked good enough I don't want to drive it long distance until I fix it.
If anyone knows what flip kit I have it may shed some light on how the front is lowered too.
Thanks much!

[WoodButcher]

Just a guess, but it looks home made to me. Stock u-bolts, some bump stop material and fabricate a plate or hack the original clamshell. Not too hard to do I would think.

[Mr_Bowtie]

I been looking online last couple days and thats what I came up with too. The brackets under the axle seem aftermarket, but the clamshell like top brackets I can't place anywhere online. The adjustable shackles and bottom bracket looks like DJM lowering parts to me, but I have no idea.
I am assuming the bottom bracket is what is holding the leaf in the correct position, so I am gone see what I can come up with for the top..... I think U bolts should do just fine as I don't think that top bracket is really serving a purpose. Only issue is in the position of the holes in the bottom bracket. The U bolt side of the bracket is closer to the axle and the side with the bolts is not, so I can't simple add a U bolt as the holes in bracket will have to be modified.
Looking at the DJM website I see no bracket for over the axle in the lowering kit picture, so maybe it is the stock clamshell just modified a ton!?!?

Thanks!

[icebrrg3rd]

It looks like they took the top plate and mounted on the bottom. The welded-on spring perch is the top part, and they wedged the bump-stops in there to fill the gap. Maybe a spacer on the inboard side between the clamp and the perch, and re-used the U-bolt on the outboard side. Here's a pic of the axle and spring perch, you can see the hole they attached the inboard clamp to just above the perch. Sorry this isn't the best pic, but it's what I have on me now. I could always take more once I get home if you need some.

-Andrew

[icebrrg3rd]

Ok, you posted while I was typing. Ok, the lower clamp isn't the original top, so maybe aftermarket. But it looks like what they have as the top is the original welded-on spring perch.

-Andrew

[Mr_Bowtie]

Ya I have no idea really...
We are hopefully moving in about 10 days, so I gotta wait to rip it apart.
I just wanna rip it apart but don't wanna get caught with it apart when I have to move cause my luck crap is gonna brake!

I think the top piece is just the stock clamshell modified considerably...

Here is a picture of stock clamshell:

[Mr_Bowtie]

I can't tell if it's the perch or the clamshell on the top of the axle.
Upon further inspection the stock monoleafs are not in good shape.....splintering around the axle. Steel leafs are in my future, but I kind of figured that(good winter project).
Thanks for any ideas everyone!
Here are some more pics:

[Lumpy]

It looks like they took the top plate and mounted on the bottom. The welded-on spring perch is the top part, and they wedged the bump-stops in there to fill the gap...

That's exactly what I see. The new bottom piece is the old top piece from a monoleaf setup. The new top piece is the welded on spring perch. And that rubber spacer sure looks like the stock bump stop jammed in there to fill up space.


Lump

[Mr_Bowtie]

You guys are right that top piece is the spring perch.....now what to do as the spring perch is the part that is cracked and pulling away from the bottom bracket on my passenger side set up.
Not sure if U bolts on both sides will be good enough alone to hold the axle while it sits inside the lower assembly.
I believe the van has a Belltech 6300 flip kit that is obviously a few years old. At least from looking at pictures on online as that kit uses the perch and only includes 2 U bolts in their kit.

Thanks for taking your time guys helping me figure out what I am looking at.... Much appreciated! Nick

Here is a pic of the damage....van rides fine, but she is definitely parked for now...

[Lumpy]

Simple fix would end up much stronger and safer.

Grind off the dead parts of the existing spring perch. Grind off the "sides" of the same perch. If you wanted you could grind off the entire perch but it's not entirely necessary. You're grinding off side clearance to fit regular U-bolts with the open end facing DOWN. Then use a spring plate on the BOTTOM of the leaf, exactly the inverse of what the lift guys do. We put the plate on top, U facing UP. You just invert it. The stock spring perch has some side metal that is the bump stop mount. We have to grind a bit of that off to make the U bolts fit.

Imagine something like this, only inverted -




If there's enough stock perch left you could use that to mount bump stops, air bags, whoopie cushions etc.


Lump

[Mr_Bowtie]

^Sounds like my best option at this point and like you said it should strengthen my setup over what I have. Keep you guys updated once I get moved and I am able to rip it apart and not be rushed.
Thanks Lumpy!

[Mr_Bowtie]

I am pretty sure the stock perch is not even attached to the rear end/axle shaft anymore. I think the V8 put a lot stress on them and they are loose as I can see the axle moving while the perch sits still when I rock the van back and forth.
Glad I saw this the other day cause I had no idea and you wouldn't know it driving the van either. I was just poking around looking it over.
The rearend needs to be beefed up....this suspension is first on my list of stuff to sort out.

[icebrrg3rd]

Just putting on some U-bolts & a plate won't help much, you still need a perch for the springs to rest on. The old perch on top is a flat spot for the leafs to rest on, to prevent the axle from rotating. Right now your leafs are on the bottom of the axle, with the only contact point being on the round axle. Looks like the bump stops are put there to try and use the old perch to prevent from rotating. If you remove the bump stop and don't have a perch, the axle will rotate and not be firmly mounted.

A quick MS paint sketch:

LoweredAxleDiagram.jpg (26.4 KiB) Viewed 2450 times

If you're going to keep it lowered, I'd say have someone weld on a set of perches and get a U-bolt and plate kit, and switch over to steel leafs.

-Andrew

[Lumpy]

Good point ice. I hadn't accounted for the "no flat seat".


Lump

[Mr_Bowtie]

I agree too the more I look at it either I need to get perches welded on or find a nice clean rearend to swap out. Gonna get this broken perch taken care of first with the setup I have and would like to put off upgrading my spring until winter. I need this thing ready to roll by May I got a weekend planned already and I wanna take it.

Keep you guys updated as I tear into it in a few days.....thanks for all the help!

If you guys know of somewhere to get new perches let me know....probably a used set it what I would have to do. Gonna keep it lowered too....its growing on me.

[Lumpy]

I don't know if you're going to find a set of used perches. They're welded on. Used would mean they're pretty much destroyed in the removal process.

New weld-ons aren't expensive. ballisticfabrication.com or atozfabrication.com or similar.


Lump

[Mr_Bowtie]

I would like to find the exact Astro/Safari perch brand new, but I can't seem to find anything. Cause I would like to have the ability to bolt my flip kit to the perch the way it is designed to work. I see universal weld on perches available, but none of the have the tabs on them to bolt my flip kit too.

Thinking a clean pretty much rust free used rearend maybe my best option at this point...

[Mr_Bowtie]

Well looking at LKQ pick your own parts prices it's should cost me a little over $100 for a used rearend drum to drum. I think at this point it's my best option.
Maybe grab some steel leafs while I am at it to use down the road once I can afford the flip kit for steel leafs.

[Lumpy]

I would like to find the exact Astro/Safari perch brand new, but I can't seem to find anything...

I wouldn't think that there is such a thing. And if there was, you'd have to cut parts of it off because the stock, top mount perch, also contains part of the bump stop mount etc.

I don't know a thing about flips. How do other flippers do it?


Lump

[Mr_Bowtie]

IDK ..... I got do some digging.... I got some time to think this thru figure out my best option maybe throwing steels in there right away will be in the budget.