ok, i'm finished with my front end all except for the dual shock install, which i'm going to do sometime. so now it's time to focus on making the rearend stronger. this stuff is for I.R.S. rearends cause that's what i'm working on. swing axle is different in most respects. but swing axles feel so unstable at speed, i just don't like going fast off-road with a swing. but I.R.S. is so nice and stable, you can really take corners fast with remarkable control and if you have turning brakes too, well then, you can leave all your friends in the dust...
lower bump stops
with your rear end lifted, the spring plates are in the lower bump stops all the time. and when you get airborn or are really pounding, the spring plates smash into the lower bump stops really hard and perhaps causing them to bend. when they are bent the spring plates can slide off of them and droop down further than the cv joints really want to go. thus, this could lead to cv failures. so, get under there and see how bad they are. if they're ok then you just need to strenghten them with some gussets, i'll let you figure out how to do them. it just takes some visualization, it also helps if you've had some vector physics. just run the gussets so they counteract any downward movement that the bump stops might do.
if your lower bump stops are already bent and maybe a bit of it has been shaved off by the spring plates, then you should jack up the whole trailing arm via floor jack & chain and weld a few beads on the damaged area to build up what is bent or missing. then grind down excess and strengthen with gussets like above.
frame horn fixing/strengthening
your frame horns, the things that the tranny sits above and in between, can be strengthened and repaired if the case may be. i had a problem with the rear-most portion...the seam behind where the heat exchanger control cable housing is welded on came apart and a crack developed below the cable housing. cracks also developed at the end of the horns near the rear tranny mounts. so get in there and see what damage has been done and weld those spot welded seams. if you have your tranny out then do the ones on the inside too.
some thoughts...
your rear suspension is considerably stronger than the front when both are stock, it offers more wheel travel too. this is about as much as i'm going to do to my rear end right now. i'll get to this other stuff when i install a vw bus tranny. it will be easier to work with the tranny out, but i don't feel like taking mine out just to put it back in with it's crappy gear ratios and all. so the next big thing to do is find a good used bus tranny and put it in...
under construction...
- trailing/diagonal arm bracing
- torsion housing to pan/body bracing
these mostly fall under the catagory of installing dual shocks without a rear cage, which i'm planning on doing....
- dual shock mounts
- shock tower to torsion housing bracing
- shock tower to frame horn bracing
