Hepta Mfg

[Jdofmemi]

21 hours ago, KevinG said:

I think I'm probably going down this path sooner rather than later.  Between MB, Hepta, RPM, GR etc it seems like there are a lot of good options out there.

Or, get an LJ with a Legend kit, built right the first time, and sell the JKU that is already built better than 90% of the rigs out there ...... 

[AJK]

On 6/21/2023 at 11:58 AM, KevinG said:

I think I'm probably going down this path sooner rather than later.  Between MB, Hepta, RPM, GR etc it seems like there are a lot of good options out there.

Dennis and I had a good conversation yesterday and what is hard to find it a all in one kit. For example GR doesn't play with UD60, Motobilt doesn't have rear shock tower like Hepta, Hepta dosen't have arms, rpm uses GR tank and so on and so on.

[Gruff]

2 hours ago, AJK said:

Dennis and I had a good conversation yesterday and what is hard to find it a all in one kit. For example GR doesn't play with UD60, Motobilt doesn't have rear shock tower like Hepta, Hepta dosen't have arms, rpm uses GR tank and so on and so on.

 

This is why I ended up with the Frankenstein kit I have. I wasn't willing to pay the GR pricing upfront. Part way through I started second guessing myself because you have to seriously consider labor costs. Yes, GR is expensive, but there is no custom work required if you use all of their pieces, just installation, so it's basically pick your poison. 

Or if your installer isn't really into engineering & fabbing the necessary mounts & pieces when you ala-cart this shit, you're better off paying the GR pricing. Way better off.

 

Are you sure your UD60's are wide enough to outboard the 2.5" CO's? My Dynatracs were 68.5" & just wouldn't work - there just wasn't enough room between the C & brackets on the driver's side to fit both the 2.5" CO and CA mounts. The Fusions I ordered were just wide enough but still needed fabbed mounts for the front. Not only those mounts but also the track bar and steering ram needed custom pieces

 

Here's a bunch of pics showing what he had to fab up to get this all crammed in. Before you start ordering stuff up you may want to check the dimensions you'll be working with. If your UD60 are the same width as my Dynatracs were, you may need to reconsider some stuff.

 

 

[AJK]

54 minutes ago, Gruff said:

 

This is why I ended up with the Frankenstein kit I have. I wasn't willing to pay the GR pricing upfront. Part way through I started second guessing myself because you have to seriously consider labor costs. Yes, GR is expensive, but there is no custom work required if you use all of their pieces, just installation, so it's basically pick your poison. 

Or if your installer isn't really into engineering & fabbing the necessary mounts & pieces when you ala-cart this shit, you're better off paying the GR pricing. Way better off.

 

Are you sure your UD60's are wide enough to outboard the 2.5" CO's? My Dynatracs were 68.5" & just wouldn't work - there just wasn't enough room between the C & brackets on the driver's side to fit both the 2.5" CO and CA mounts. The Fusions I ordered were just wide enough but still needed fabbed mounts for the front. Not only those mounts but also the track bar and steering ram needed custom pieces

 

Here's a bunch of pics showing what he had to fab up to get this all crammed in. Before you start ordering stuff up you may want to check the dimensions you'll be working with. If your UD60 are the same width as my Dynatracs were, you may need to reconsider some stuff.

 

So many pretty pictures....

The UDsuckies are 69 inches wide and even Genright said the length will work. Hepta said he has all the brackets for my axles and knows all the measurements needed. RPM also makes their brackets in 3.5 inch so again no modification needed to the bracket. I would however need to modify most of the GR stuff if I remember correctly.

 

So, I started an excel build list and once you take the Hepta kit and rear crossmember, Motobilt gas tanks, rpm links, 2.5 Kings you are close to 16K and same for RPM, what I don’t like about RPM is the rear outboard option.

 

GR is just over 20K, but it is a complete kit. GR said they believe everything up front will work fine, but don’t know if their gas tank will clear. RPM and Hepta said the 20 gallon will work on their kits and they both net way better anti squat numbers.

 

It’s Fucking Ping Pong man. How I look at it is it going to be 20k no matter what because you still need steering with Hepta and RPM. GR includes limiting straps, trackbar, coil covers, bump cans so the price difference is not huge.

 

I would like to 3 link front first then move onto the rear. I assume I can with any of the kits since the belly wound not interfear with the rear evo arms and mounts?

[Gruff]

7 minutes ago, AJK said:

So many pretty pictures....

The UDsuckies are 69 inches wide and even Genright said the length will work. Hepta said he has all the brackets for my axles and knows all the measurements needed. RPM also makes their brackets in 3.5 inch so again no modification needed to the bracket. I would however need to modify most of the GR stuff if I remember correctly.

 

So, I started an excel build list and once you take the Hepta kit and rear crossmember, Motobilt gas tanks, rpm links, 2.5 Kings you are close to 16K and same for RPM, what I don’t like about RPM is the rear outboard option.

 

GR is just over 20K, but it is a complete kit. GR said they believe everything up front will work fine, but don’t know if their gas tank will clear. RPM and Hepta said the 20 gallon will work on their kits and they both net way better anti squat numbers.

 

It’s Fucking Ping Pong man. How I look at it is it going to be 20k no matter what because you still need steering with Hepta and RPM. GR includes limiting straps, trackbar, coil covers, bump cans so the price difference is not huge.

 

I would like to 3 link front first then move onto the rear. I assume I can with any of the kits since the belly wound not interfear with the rear evo arms and mounts?

 

 

That's good news on the UD's. When I talked to Dan at Fusion he didn't think mine would work.

 

Regarding the front 3 link: IMHO, getting rid of the rear steer by double triangulating the rear on this setup is more important than doing the 3 link in the front. The added stability on side slopes is amazing. Mt front is still 4 link and I still have the EVO LA Mounts on the crossmember and frame side of the arms. I didn't have to change those because I used the Motobilt crossmember mount for the rear as well as their skid. I know what you'll say about the bind on those fronts, but I gotta be honest, I don't notice anything at all. The limit straps come into play before the bind limits travel from what I can feel 

[Weebz]

The bind up front is on the Evo bracket and the orientation.  Not necessarily the 4 link.   I agree though, the rear triangulation is the difference maker 

[AJK]

2 hours ago, Gruff said:

 

 

That's good news on the UD's. When I talked to Dan at Fusion he didn't think mine would work.

 

Regarding the front 3 link: IMHO, getting rid of the rear steer by double triangulating the rear on this setup is more important than doing the 3 link in the front. The added stability on side slopes is amazing. Mt front is still 4 link and I still have the EVO LA Mounts on the crossmember and frame side of the arms. I didn't have to change those because I used the Motobilt crossmember mount for the rear as well as their skid. I know what you'll say about the bind on those fronts, but I gotta be honest, I don't notice anything at all. The limit straps come into play before the bind limits travel from what I can feel 

That’s good to hear. For me all my bind is in the front, I am ok with the rear. This last break was the rear bracket had one small tack weld holding the bracket to the wheel end. I am surprised it lasted as long as it did. By it breaking it transferred the load to the other side and wobbled out the lower driver.  That’s just a weld washer fix so I am not worried.

[AJK]

Just now, Weebz said:

The bind up front is on the Evo bracket and the orientation.  Not necessarily the 4 link.   I agree though, the rear triangulation is the difference maker 

Yeah I was told because the lengths of uppers are so much shorter than the lower it creates a immediate bind.

[Gruff]

54 minutes ago, AJK said:

That’s good to hear. For me all my bind is in the front, I am ok with the rear. This last break was the rear bracket had one small tack weld holding the bracket to the wheel end. I am surprised it lasted as long as it did. By it breaking it transferred the load to the other side and wobbled out the lower driver.  That’s just a weld washer fix so I am not worried.

 

Binding in the rear isn't an issue until you experience what it is to have none.  Another big issue you don't think about is the rear steer you get. This DT setup is scary stable, especially on off-camber shit. When you try something that would have your ass grabbing the seat cushions on your current setup, and you feel like, damn, what was the big damn deal before, you'll get it. It's like a poor old dog dragging it's stiff ass around

 

For me personally, whatever bind there may be in the front due to those horizontal joints I didn't feel was enough to offset the costs involved. I feel in most situations the limit straps come into play before the bind is at it's worst. Honestly I've toyed with taking the passenger side link off on a mediocre run to see if that made any distance. I'm reluctant to ditch an arm though. I'd rather put up with the limited amount of bind and have the added security of 4 arms. Not saying that's 100% the right way to do it, but it is more redundant.

 

55 minutes ago, Weebz said:

The bind up front is on the Evo bracket and the orientation.  Not necessarily the 4 link.   I agree though, the rear triangulation is the difference maker 

 

We both agreed following Craig around in Fury at Harlan was the revelation. When you follow someone around with that setup and you can't do anywhere as easily what they're doing really pisses you off

[AJK]

1 hour ago, Gruff said:

 

Binding in the rear isn't an issue until you experience what it is to have none.  Another big issue you don't think about is the rear steer you get. This DT setup is scary stable, especially on off-camber shit. When you try something that would have your ass grabbing the seat cushions on your current setup, and you feel like, damn, what was the big damn deal before, you'll get it. It's like a poor old dog dragging it's stiff ass around

I know I paid close attention to your rear end last time and liked what I saw......LOL.

[Gruff]

28 minutes ago, AJK said:

I know I paid close attention to your rear end last time and liked what I saw......LOL.

 

[Jdofmemi]

On 6/26/2023 at 12:08 PM, AJK said:

So many pretty pictures....

The UDsuckies are 69 inches wide and even Genright said the length will work. Hepta said he has all the brackets for my axles and knows all the measurements needed. RPM also makes their brackets in 3.5 inch so again no modification needed to the bracket. I would however need to modify most of the GR stuff if I remember correctly.

 

So, I started an excel build list and once you take the Hepta kit and rear crossmember, Motobilt gas tanks, rpm links, 2.5 Kings you are close to 16K and same for RPM, what I don’t like about RPM is the rear outboard option.

 

GR is just over 20K, but it is a complete kit. GR said they believe everything up front will work fine, but don’t know if their gas tank will clear. RPM and Hepta said the 20 gallon will work on their kits and they both net way better anti squat numbers.

 

It’s Fucking Ping Pong man. How I look at it is it going to be 20k no matter what because you still need steering with Hepta and RPM. GR includes limiting straps, trackbar, coil covers, bump cans so the price difference is not huge.

 

I would like to 3 link front first then move onto the rear. I assume I can with any of the kits since the belly wound not interfear with the rear evo arms and mounts?

So, what I get from this is that it is only $4K more to go GenRight, and that gets you a system that works, plus a flat belly, which gains 3" of clearance over any of the others. 

 

Think about the places that you struggled. Would 3" more clearance have helped?

 

I get that the other guys are claiming "better" anti squat numbers, but does that matter when the belly is dragging and you are just spinning tires???

 

 

[AJK]

11 minutes ago, Jdofmemi said:

So, what I get from this is that it is only $4K more to go GenRight, and that gets you a system that works, plus a flat belly, which gains 3" of clearance over any of the others. 

 

Think about the places that you struggled. Would 3" more clearance have helped?

 

I get that the other guys are claiming "better" anti squat numbers, but does that matter when the belly is dragging and you are just spinning tires???

 

 

3" more inches would help me in a lot of areas Jerry LOL.

 

I know they sell the most complete kit just not for my axels. I am confident I can get it to work just fine, and way better over my current setup, but it's going to take a lot of work. Once you get yours, I want to park them side by side and take some measurement and see where I am going to have issues. Personally, the only real issue I see is running the front upper to the passenger side mount and gas tanks clearance. I can source that front bracket from just about anywhere and maybe….just maybe the front upper arm can still work.

 

I know they said the front diff wont clear unless o I bump out early on the UD but there is no way my dif is bigger than the Currie with that 4-inch bracket and joint in there. If I move the arm to the pass side, it will clear like it does now with zero issues.

I was told the GR 20-gallon tanks will clear with no issue and the 25-gallon could be a problem. That is something I need to do more homework on.

 

I was also told twice that the Motobilt gas tank comes out close to the same price as the GR after you add everything needed that is included with the GR so that closes the gap even more.

 

 

[Weebz]

10 hours ago, AJK said:

3" more inches would help me in a lot of areas Jerry LOL.

 

I know they sell the most complete kit just not for my axels. I am confident I can get it to work just fine, and way better over my current setup, but it's going to take a lot of work. Once you get yours, I want to park them side by side and take some measurement and see where I am going to have issues. Personally, the only real issue I see is running the front upper to the passenger side mount and gas tanks clearance. I can source that front bracket from just about anywhere and maybe….just maybe the front upper arm can still work.

 

I know they said the front diff wont clear unless o I bump out early on the UD but there is no way my dif is bigger than the Currie with that 4-inch bracket and joint in there. If I move the arm to the pass side, it will clear like it does now with zero issues.

I was told the GR 20-gallon tanks will clear with no issue and the 25-gallon could be a problem. That is something I need to do more homework on.

 

I was also told twice that the Motobilt gas tank comes out close to the same price as the GR after you add everything needed that is included with the GR so that closes the gap even more.

 

 

What is needed with the Motobilt tank that you are referring to?   

[AJK]

4 hours ago, Weebz said:

What is needed with the Motobilt tank that you are referring to?   

I was told... once you order the tank, you still need the connectors for evap and other lines, fuel door and some other stuff. Comes out to the same price of the GR.

[AJK]

On 6/26/2023 at 10:45 AM, Gruff said:

 

@Gruff its hard to tell by this picture but are you running the Evo front  frames mounts attached to the trans crossbar with straight upper control arms?

[Gruff]

3 hours ago, AJK said:

@Gruff its hard to tell by this picture but are you running the Evo front  frames mounts attached to the trans crossbar with straight upper control arms?

 

That is correct. Those and the sliders are the only thing Evo left I think

[AJK]

58 minutes ago, Gruff said:

 

That is correct. Those and the sliders are the only thing Evo left I think

So, he made custom front upper arms and the tires clear them because I assume you run a wider axle right? I know we talked about this but I forget with all different setups everyone has. I was told a straight arm has a lot less bind then a bent upper arms. 

[Gruff]

4 hours ago, AJK said:

So, he made custom front upper arms and the tires clear them because I assume you run a wider axle right? I know we talked about this but I forget with all different setups everyone has. I was told a straight arm has a lot less bind then a bent upper arms. 

 

Correct. 72.5" Fusions. One of the reasons I sold the 68.5" Dynatracs.