If you need an 18" axle order a type 2 Automatic left hand axle.it's 457mm=17.992" long. Chad

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NOW GAS IT!!!!!

oh damn thats what i need to hear lol!

any idea where the best place to get one would be??

ok i found the complete empi axle assmbly.....joints, boots, shaft and all for 70 bucks on ebay brand new.....im thinkin bout buyin two of em......

any reason i shouldnt???

imean is empi an ok choice for axles/joints???

empi sucks as empi sucks but somerimes yu gota do wat yu gota do! id be checin that my trans was centerwed first.

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ANTI- antifreeze!!!!!!

yea i did a quick search o here and it seems that Empi axles dont have the best rep...lol

but for 70 buck complete per side i guess you get what yuo get.

ima order em ....at least it will get me in the woods. i have a spare and about 10 spare bus joints so i should be ok until i can find something better.

from the last pic it looks like your pivots shimmed to far in take it out and put the shims on the inside and that might help.

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If it ain't broke ill fix that

ok i will try that...

i tried a bunch of different configurations with the shims when i installed the arms but the current configuration is what i came up with in order to align the torsion plate with the bump stops correctly. when i put the shims on the inside in made the torsion arm push off of the bump stop on the torsion housing.....

i suppose i could put the shims on the inside and use a set of bars bolted accross the torsion housing to hold the plates on the stops like alot of folks do....

there are two shims on each pivot (thats the way it was when i reomoved the old arms) and they were in the current location before i swapped arms.

i dont think that changing the shims will yield enough clearance to run the bus axles i already have.....but i will try it none the less.

if i opt to run the pivots like they are will the current shim/pivot configuration cause me any problems in the future???

Yes there is always better. I've ran empi cvs and axles for years no problems.you get good and bad with everything and empi does have some stuff that has got some quality issues but for the most part all the aftermarket parts are the same just repackaged for resale under a brand name.Chad

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NOW GAS IT!!!!!

axles came in today!

installed em and took the first ride since the arm/ suspension/tire swap. it rides sooooo much smoother with the coilovers. and it really hooks up when you launch it now ....before it wanted to spin alot.....

axles fit perfecly. got about an inch of end play at full droop. no binding.

i gotta say for 70 bucks a side shipped...the complete axle assembly from Empi sure looks good. lol we'll see how they hold up.

they cam assembled, pre greased, with boots. the diamater of the shaft is about 20% larger than the stock ones BTW.

id like to thank all you guys for the help with tis project!

hope to ride with some of you guys soon!

I have a suggestion, the build looks real nice. you may want to space your shock over just a bit at the bottom, you may not as the pictures don't always do justice. Rather than using the spring plate stop on the torsion housing get a set of limit straps and cut the stop off then you can use some more of your axle travel to full droop, that is if your shock has any more travel left. The limit straps also keep the shocks from over traveling, since you have some nice shocks to protect from damage.

Again these are only my opinion based on my experience. Nice build glad you like the coil overs. Mine are great I just need to reduce my spring rates by 100# each.

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)

hey thanks for the advice guys!

any and all suggestions are welcome and appreciated.

i am currently using the torsion arm stops on the housing to limit travel as you have already noticed.....is this ok for now? i used the torsion eliminator kit and was planning on using the factory stops to limit travel for the time being. after a while i may decide to go another route as you have suggested. is that gonna be an ok plan of action? is using the factory stops going to yield any problems other than limiting wheel / suspension travel???

theres a misalignment spacer in between the spring plate and the heim joint on the lower shock mount. i dont think there is any way for it to bind in the current configuration even with stop to stop articulation.....

the damn thing rides 10 times better than before and the traction seems to be improved dramatically as well.

I have seen the factory stops bend and or brake off when running torsion bars cranked up or running setting on the stops. Limit straps are a very wise and cheap way to keep from tearing up other parts.did you actually order the axles I told you about for the auto? Chad

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NOW GAS IT!!!!!

You will want to cut the mechanical/ hard stop off and get some limit straps. The stock stop will put the torsion eliminator heim under a large bind. If you are jumping it could do some bad things. A bump stop for up travel is a good thing too. The limit straps are inexpensive and easy to fab mounts for. I can post some photo later. Again it is a good looking build. You will find som extra travel when you cut the stop off.

You can grind it off or use a cut off wheel it is easy to do.

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)

Chad = i actually did order the axles you suggested! lol they worked perfectly! they were cheap too! 70 bucks a piece fully assembled and greased with shipping included. thanks a ton for the help with that bro

i will def look into cutting the stops for more travel , limit straps, and bump stops.........although i dont do any jumping or any real crazy stuff (yet lol) i feel like , after talkin with you guys, it would be a wise decision regardless. that being said.....will the setup i have hold up under "normal" riding conditions???? (normal is such a relative term. lol) im kinda gettn busy with school and work fo rthe next few months and wont be able to spend much time in the shop......but i have a few rides planned with some buddies comin up and dont wanna miss out....

my buggy is just for trail riding and spinnin around the trails so im not too worried about the abuse of my hardware....i take good care of my stuff and dont abuse my toys so it should live a long happy life.

If you got plenty of ground clearance and by the pics it looks like your axle angle is running pretty good not to steep just run it for awhile it will be fine.bus cv's will last and are strong as long as you don't put to much of a bind on them.it's all in the angle of the dangle.go to far by dropping below your stops and then your creating a bigger problem.run it and see if your good with it and if it's pounding on the stops add straps and take a cut off wheel and easily cut the edge of the stops off.and if you bottom your shocks out add bumps stops.but looking at your shocks I'd say you will hit the factory stops before you bottom those out. But measure to be sure,shocks ain't cheap to be tearing up.glad those axles was right.Chad

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NOW GAS IT!!!!!

You should be ok but it shouldn't take much more than an afternoon for the limit strap and stop removal. The upper bump can wait. Just get some good spare hiems for the delete if you leave the stock mount

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)

guys thanks so much for the input! real world experience is priceless and i appreciate the help!

ok so i can use my cut off wheel to delete the lower stop and limit it with the straps right?

how far down past the factory stop can i go once its cut off without causing binding or other issues? i know this is a cv angle issue and is individual to every buggy but is there a general rule?

- ive got about 16" of ground clearance at the rear skid pan at rest with no passengers or gear

- without passenger or gear in the buggy i have about 1.5 inches of suspension down travel before i hit the bottom stop on the torsion housing.

i will take it for a lil trail ride asap and see how it does....i dont want it beating the stops to death so if its an issue at all i will do it right away.

thanks!

Too set max droop and figure out the length of your limit strap. Once the stock shelf/ stop is removed then let the arm travel down until the cv starts to bind then go back up 3/4" to 1" to allow for strap stretch. figure out where to punt the limit strap fab the mounts and weld then take you final center to center of the hole in each mount. then order the strap

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Water Cooled Consortium, Chairman of the Build (Former AC purist)