Alright. The first step is the base bracket. This will hold the
base of the Hi-Lift securely. I made mine with 12 gauge sheet
metal, cut to the dimension of 4 1/2 inches wide, by 10 inches
long.
You will bend this piece into the shape of a V, with two tabs
coming off the ends. Sorta like this: _^_ The first bend will be
at a 90 degree angle 5 1/2 inches from one end. The second and
third bends will be 1 1/2 inches from both ends, approximately at
45 degree angles. It should look something like what I indicated
above.
You should have one facet of the bracket measuring 4 inches
long, another measuring 3 inches long, and the two tabs measuring
1 1/2 inches long.
Now use the base of your Hi-Lift as a template to mark the
locations of the holes that you will run the 1/2 inch bolt through
to secure the Hi-Lift to the base. I ended up only using one bolt,
even thought I had two holes drilled. You will want the portion of
the base with the two holes on the lower side to make access to
the retaining bolt easy. Position the edge of the Hi-Lift's base
at the lower bend, resting down on the tab. Then mark the hole
locations.
Now to mount the base bracket. Measure approximately 2 1/2
inches from the inside lip at the rear of the bed and mark with a
pencil or marker. Making sure that the 4 inch facet of the bracket
is facing forward, and the 3 inch facet is facing backward,
install the bracket. You want the end edge of the bracket at this
mark to clear the bed support beneath the bed of the Jeep and
allow you to access the 1/4 inch bolts used to attach the bracket
to the bed.
I allowed for about a 1/4 inch space between the bracket and the
side of the wheelwell for movement. I then drilled a 1/4 inch hole
at the right side corners of the bracket, front and back. On the
left side, I drilled the holes in the bracket just to the right of
the first reinforcement rib to clear the rib. I used a sheet of
1/4 inch rubber cut to the width that would fit between the
wheelwell and the rib placed under the bracket to allow the
bracket to sit flat. You can probably use several washers too,
which should work. Attach the bracket to the Jeep's bed after
marking the corresponding holes in the bed using the bracket as a
template and drilling 1/4 inch holes in the bed. I ran the bolts
up from beneath the bed, using some washers on both sides of the
bed. It's a tight fit to get between the fuel tank and exhaust
pipe to reach up under the bed, so you might want to get somebody
with small arms and hands to help out if you were blessed with big
hands. :) |