Hi guys, nice work. 

I like your mod and will probably be chopping up my existing brackets to make drop brackets to take a little strain off the cv joints.   

Why did you not weld your new bracket right to the existing left mount bracket?  I recall hearing that these mounts were already broken in one case and that there is some concern about the holes stripping.  Maybe there is another really obvious answer to this question that I am not aware of or maybe it is just to make it easier to remove etc.  I am thinking I would like to just beef up the existing mount assuming that I find nothing loose in there already (pretty likely as I bought my sidekick from a little old lady and it was obviously never offroad.) 

Thanks for the info so far.

Aaron

Hi guys, nice work. 

I like your mod and will probably be chopping up my existing brackets to make drop brackets to take a little strain off the cv joints.   

Why did you not weld your new bracket right to the existing left mount bracket?  I recall hearing that these mounts were already broken in one case and that there is some concern about the holes stripping.  Maybe there is another really obvious answer to this question that I am not aware of or maybe it is just to make it easier to remove etc.  I am thinking I would like to just beef up the existing mount assuming that I find nothing loose in there already (pretty likely as I bought my sidekick from a little old lady and it was obviously never offroad.) 

Thanks for the info so far.

Aaron

The mount on my third member is broken. The reason that I did not weld it to the mount on the left is so that it is easily removable,  if it was welded on I'm not sure you could get it off

Thanks!  I will have to look hard at the whole thing when I am in there.  I am guessing that it would not be removable because the exiting mount goes at least partially under the diff and that by welding on the crossover piece you would effectively trap the bracket to the diff.  Either way I am going to try to use the existing mount bolts. 

Of course, I just figured out that I can't cut up and extend the existing diff brackets .  I have welded with impunity to cast differentials, etc with a tiger torch and packing sand but these brackets are a mite small.  Anybody fabbed there own that is on the site?  I am just wondering if they just used the existing brackets as templates or if they found they had to tack everything up in situ (it takes a lot longer and usually involves some hot bits dropping the wrong side of your chaps while you are balancing on your head with your feet wrapped around an axle - ask me how I know.)  I ask because my mig welder is a ferry ride and a two hour drive from where I live so it would be a lot easier to weld bits on the bench and rip the truck down all at once.  I am sure I could pick up a cheap stick rig but I haven't used stick in a long time and these are small bits. 

On a side note, has anyone attempted any more dramatic diff lowering than the one inch ... perhaps relocating the crossmember downward a bit? 

Another side note, I believe that I read these frames are not tempered and, therefore, one can weld with abandon (that said, I actually had the motor vehicle inspector tell me he wanted a fabbed crossmember welded to the frame of my Subby and, so, I am a lot less hesitant about welding on the frame than some people.) 

Thanks in advance for all of your answers,

Aaron

On a side note, has anyone attempted any more dramatic diff lowering than the one inch ... perhaps relocating the crossmember downward a bit?

X2

Made my own diff brackets, and lowered aprox 1.5". Pics at www.flickr.com/photos/bentparts.

I dropped the entire IFS 4"  (Front mounts, rear cross member, and diff brackets).