I just bought a dana 60 with a 4 link brackets already on it... im gonna buy a pre fabbed rear 4 link frame and coil over kit but the kits come in 24,26,28 inch frames... how the heck do i measure what mine is? has anyone delt with 4 link setups in a 3rd gen before? this seems like it could turn into a mess>?

 

there is a wonderful thingy on this board called a "search" use it it will help you

look in the fabrication board for "Back Half Project" by 'stephen 87 iroc' he just recently did a back half and has pics posted. maybe contact him and he may help out

 

Frame rails are measured on the outside of the rails. The frame and diff mounts sit under the frame rails. Rails are typically 1-1/2" wide.

I installed my frame rails at 26". The would mean the center of my 4-link brackets will be 26" - 3/4" - 3/4" = 24-1/2" wide.

 

yeah i just remeasured my rearend and from outside bracket to outside bracket is 23 inches... so WTF? hmm im confused.. so if a supplier like jegs offers 4 link frames fully fabbed, and they come in 24,26 and 28 inch frames what are they measuring.. also you talked about the 4 link calculator of some kind you had for your back half project. how much are they, where can i get one, and are they helpful?

 

Whoever welded the brackets onto the diff may not have considered standard sizes. They might not even be centered or square. When I installed ladder bars under my car, I welded them roughly centered but I have no idea what the width was.

You can always do a generic backhalf like I did and put the frame rails where they'll work the best. 24, 26 and 28" widths are just a standard not a requirement. A tube chassis car is normally set up with 24" wide frame rails from the front right to the back.

 

well im not really sure i want to go through all the process of welding everything up.. want this as painless as possible.. should i just relocate the brackets and set them at 24"?

 

You could probably still use those brackets with 24" frame rails. The axle brackets are 23" wide on the outside but what's the center to center distance between both sets of brackets? What's the outside to outside distance between a pair of brackets. A frame rail is 1-1/2" wide. Using 24" wide frame rails, your brackets should be 1/2" in on both sides. This allows an area to weld the brackets on. The brackets are not installed at a 24" width nor are the 4-link bars installed on 24" centers.

As I mentioned, my frame rails are 26" wide and my bars are on 24-1/2" centers. I have no idea how wide the brackets are. I just welded them to the frame rails to keep the bars centered in the frame rails.