Haku's "Blue Rock Magnet" Toyota Pickup Crawler build...

[Haku]

So, I started some build threads elsewhere when I started this build about two years ago, and figured some on here would enjoy seeing the process. Most of this is cut and pasted from my other build thread, and happened over a year ago, so read through the whole thing (its gonna take me a bit to get them all put up, so be patient if you are a night owl like me and are reading this as put them up) before asking questions or posting advice. There will be references to a few people from other boards that may not be members here, but are local to Colorado for the most part.

Here goes...

I've been putting this off for a while, but figure its worth starting a build thread. I've been ramping up to all the stuff I've been doing for over a year now, and finally started getting stuff done over the last few months.

Started out with this....

https://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1p29TxYigVfWLOZyeg4S8DIh-LSWV8KzLUx4-W-ySuc-pX9LVlt66ggZ0Wda3eMwNVjWe3zfnF4JKA4nRDPv_ATg/19.jpg?psid=1

Its all multi-colored because the PO did this to it (found this picture after I bought it)....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/flop1.jpg

and then I proceeded to do this a couple months later(yes...my truck doesn't like that hill)...

https://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pzr8ck-GJn2mC3OCxmePqFS85Ehocj0IErPS3k-GUPPufHwyIyN-eddQP4H4QyfZ-3L9E5HRgZYUe526_TXcxVg/1.jpg?psid=1

Anyways, its been process and I've owned it for more then two years, and its gone through various incarnations. I got tired of messing up the bed so I sold that, then decided it was too tall as well, and went to a completely stock RUF setup (no added leafs) and to match it I frenched my spring hangers, dropped the 2" lift blocks that they PO had installed to level it, and shortened the shackles. All in a all it was about 6" less height. At the same time, I lucked out on finding a 1st Gen Tundra axle for cheap and installed that. Definitely made a huge difference with stability with less height and more width. Still had the Minitruck axle in there, which meant the rear is much wider then the front (8" or so). Looked like this around this time last year....

https://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1pspqUtIxtZJ0F0N8MH56X-BHDTvVjXP2rzgkxW8U9-LFz8ZUiaX_e768VJjiT6oe7x9jwl8I1ygODNkERg9tHYA/3.jpg?psid=1

https://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1plEKIp78CmAZWmVI5zyDwqHk0TTUKzZ_FgktjNqKnJ_8Yspk H9lL1-Jc9nNWoeXxuenF0-Ra1QmmnnW1Nf8WkDg/5.jpg?psid=1

I'm definitely fairly new to this and am largely self taught, which did lead to my one "scary fab" experience and was definitely a lesson in strength over cosmetic details. I'll let the pictures do the explaining...

Frenched spring hanger with welds ground down to look pretty(and yes...I realize that it didn't penetrate fully either)...

https://public.bay.livefilestore.com/y1phxQF-hCZy2u98jJRwVJIV26W-SLGIxfiekPGwbMWif3Hd-jWuNeOml3I6G8lX8Dywy_7aTNR7ODrc-8is3Uuhg/30.jpg?psid=1

Plus rushing to get done for the Moab trip you got invited to go on, then driving down the dirt road into Behind the Rocks this happens....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/oops1.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/oops2.jpg

Not my proudest moment ever and I was just lucky that I had a friend with a trailer there to get my ass back into town (and that it didn't happen at 65mph on the highway).

I guess it wasn't said enough on the trip, but it bears repeating now that the dude who helped out with multiple trips from BFE to Moab with a fully loaded trailer was Aaron Elson(aka Volcom) on here. Sorry I didn't say it enough or make it clear how thankful I was for that, but you definitely saved my ass. Too little too late maybe, but I'll still say it.

Big shout out to Jeff Stevens from the Red Rock Wheelers in Moab for helping me get it straightened, welded, and gusseted well enough that I could thrash it in Moab for the next two weeks.

Moral of the story is 1) Don't grind down your welds when you don't need to 2) Angled/rounded cuts 3) When in doubt, gussets are your friend. Consider it lesson learned.

[Haku]

Anyways, that was just the start of what I am considering my "real" build. I think it will probably still remain a "rock magnet" (coined after overhearing someone call it that...after I spent too long on an easy section of Carnage Canyon getting hung up on rocks). All I know is I hated how the front suspension was working and it needed to be gone. Started out with a cobbled together pack of RUF and god knows what else leaf springs that would always seperate and was only a matter of time before they broke, to a unaltered set of RUF springs that were almost always at negative arch.

My initial plan was to do a 3 link with Panhard to replace it, but the more I thought about it the more I dreaded having to find room for all that stuff under there, decided to ditch it and go with a 4 link front and rear. I had already bought the RuffStuff 3 link kit, but they were cool enough to swap out the relavant parts with a 4 link kit.

In the meantime, I started in on my exo cage and tube bed. Its still very much a work in progress, but I'll still post up. Another shout out is in order for Dan (aka DCastell on here) for helping me get the main hoop bent up. I had tried previously and not gotten it right, so I decided to get the help of a more seasoned hand and it definitely paid off. Here is where I'm at so far....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/CageBuild3.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/CageBuild1.jpg

and a bit further...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/CageBuild4.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/CageBuild5.jpg

and a view of what the over door bars will look like....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Exo-1.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Exo-3.jpg

More will be getting added as time goes on, but it gives you an idea. This still needs to be relatively road legal since I don't own a Tow Rig yet and will be driving to the trail. Definitely not a daily driver, but it'll still need to get around town on occasion. This means at least some resemblance of fenders, full width nose (no dove nose for me) and I'd like to keep full doors and such too. I'll be adding another hoop (in parts though) and some cross bars, plus the tradition fender bars that attach to the front bumper.

[Haku]

My intention with this build is to make a great all around, but still full on "extreme" vehicle. Sort of thinking something along the lines of a street legal budget Ultra 4 Stock Mod, if that makes sense. I don't think it will actually be legal for that class, but something that can haul ass (like only a 22re can) through the woops and bumps, but be happy crawling and climbing too. Due to its need to be happy on normal surface roads, I decided to keep it with 37" tires for now. Might eventually got to 40's, but not for a while yet.

I started with this list:

1) FJ-80 Axle
2) Hell Fire Knuckles
3) Dual Triangulated 4 link suspension with 14" Sway Away coilovers
4) Full Hyrdraulic Steering with PSC Double Ended Ram

Picked up the FJ80 axle last year, got in on the end of the 1st batch of Hellfire Knuckles (which are BLINGY and awesome BTW) and started in on all the 4 link stuff more recently. I've been saving up for this stuff for over a year, and its finally starting to come together.

The FJ80 axle is nice because it still maintains the smallish center chunk that a Toyota has, but the rest of the axle is a much stronger setup then a Minitruck axle. Birfield seems twice the size, axle housing is a better design, bigger brakes, and overall just a much stronger setup then the mini truck stuff. Oh, and did I mention its 8" wider, which matches the Tundra axle I have under my rig already?

The only real downside to the FJ80 axle is that there previously wasn't a truly good way to do a high steer setup. The FJ80 does the steering much differently, with the steering arms mounted under the knuckle instead of on top, and the tie rod is behind the axle and goes below the pinion. The only high steer option previously was the Slee setup. I'm friends with some of the guys there so I won't slag off on it, but we'll just say it was a bit spendy and leave it at that.

Fortunately BillyBob came along and designed and manufactured the Hellfire Knuckle kit....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/axle-4.jpg

Newly cast and majorly beefed up Knuckles, super burly steering arms with lots of surface area and a nice wide spread of the studs. On top of that, with full Hydro you can get 50 degrees of steering out of this axle. Super easy to set up too, since it has a trunion bearing preload built in, so no more worrying about shims and such. Nice machined and well worth what he is charging for them.

I mentioned the Full Hydro already, but I'll show my process of setting it up. When you imagine it, its not really that hard to set it up. However, when there are so many different measurements involved it can get a bit frustrating. Took a couple trys over a week to really get it where I wanted, but got it there....

Mock Up...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/axle-1.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Axle-2.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/axle-3.jpg

Starting to get it set...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Axle-5.jpg

At the end of the day it takes a ton of patience and lots of measuring before cutting. It would have been easier if I had a tie rod or something to base it on, but since its a new setup with no previous setup and no way to rough it in it just took a bunch of fine tuning. Definitely wanted to get it right, since I'm hoping to get this to 75mph on occasion and want it to behave well. Oh, and I'm not getting into the argument about whether Full Hydro is legal or not. I'm confident that with the proper attention spent on making sure that the hoses are run safely that I'll be plenty safe and I'm not worried.

I got the upper link truss mounted up too. Used the Ruff Stuff one for the FJ60/40, but it needed a lot of modification. Nothing to impressive, but I found that it didn't sit on the FJ80 axle the same as it would the FJ60 one. First off, it didn't reach far enough past center, so the horizontal link bracket hung off the side of the truss. I it was also a bit on the tall side, since the FJ80 is square on top and slopes up towards the diff instead of remaining flat and curving abruptly like the FJ40 one. Part of me thinks that it would have just been better to make it myself, but oh well. Here is the finished product all welded up....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Axle-7.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Axle-6.jpg

I only tacked the upper link mount onto the truss just in case it didn't work out. I don't have any pictures yet, but I fully assembled this axle and its sitting under the truck with wheels on ready to start welding on the frame side link brackets and the lower link and coilover mount tabs too.

Speaking of, I'm a member at a Club Workshop and finally got to play with the CNC Plasma they have there. Definitely a badass tool to have access to, and makes life much cheaper and easier. Here are the custom designed brackets I made (and shown in the pics roughly placed how I am thinking of mounting them). They are made with 3/8" steel plate that I inherited from a neighbor, so they are practically free. Only had to pay for the consumable tip for the plasma.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Lower-Frame-Brackets3.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Lower-Frame-Brackets2.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Lower-Frame-Brackets1.jpg

Ok, enough for now. Work has run dry lately, so I'll be taking advantage of the time off to get some more done on this. One other project I am doing at the same time is a flat belly, completely with cut out transmission tunnel and a custom "Front Range" style t-case mount. I'll definitely keep ya'll posted though.

[Haku]

Finally brought my camera and made some progress today too.

First off, here are a few pictures of the axle built and under the truck...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Axle-8.jpg

Full Turn on the axle....not bad at all...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Full-Turn.jpg

Some Tie Rod action...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/TieRod-1.jpg

Cut out some brackets for the lower link crossmember on the CNC plasma, sand blasted all the crap off of them, and then cut some angle iron to weld to the frame and mount them up. Need to go get some more 2x2 square tubing tomorrow to make the crossmember, and I should be good to start welding it all together.

I have to say that being a member at a Club Workshop is pretty nice sometimes. I'm very new to machining and mill work, and one of the dudes at the workshop put his project asside to help me countersink the brackets to fit a flat top socket head bolt....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember1.jpg

You would think that its as simple as finding a countersink and just toss it in a drill press, but its almost impossible to find one on the shelf in Denver. I used 5/8" bolts, and the socket heads I used are just over an inch diameter at the top. The only counter sink I could find wasn't big enough, but this dude came to the rescue (his name is Jeremy and he works for Ball Canning...they make beer and soda cans among other things)....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Mill1.jpg

We spent like 1.5 hours using a counter bore with a countersink bit in it. Used his own carbide counter sink and everything. Definitely owe him dinner and a beer or two. :beer:

Anyways, got that done and I'm very pleased with the outcome...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-2.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-3.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-4.jpg

I learned my lesson about not welding straight and up and down on a frame, so some of the markings on the angle iron were me figuring out how I wanted to make cuts to angle the welded surface in. The cross hair markings on there are where I cut a 1.75" circle out and will weld around the middle to make sure its well covered.

More to come tomorrow. I'm a night owl, so I might recreate my 4 link calclulator worksheet and post that. Stuff is starting to come together for sure.

[Haku]

I've been working on this a ton lately and finally getting some stuff done, but I've been slacking and not updating on progress.

I finished welding up the lower link cross-member yesterday. Its super beefy and should be quite strong. I used 3/8" plate steel for all the brackets, and some 2x2 .120 wall square tubing with a piece of 1.75" .120 DOM round tube inside it. I couldn't find a decent piece of 2x2 .250 wall square without doing a brand new one, so compromised with this. I did tack weld it in place, just so its not sliding around. Capped it off with some .120" plate.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-5.jpg

No pictures of this part, but I tack welded the angle iron that the cross-member will mount to onto the frame, which had the counter sunk mounting brackets bolted onto it too. I then got the cross-member tube lined up and tacked on, so that I was sure of the width and that it would just bolt up. I also got an idea of where I wanted to put the link brackets, then pulled it off to work on the bench. Much nicer to do all the mocking up and welding on a nice table rather then trying to do it under the rig.

Used two heims bolting the brackets together to make sure all the holes lined up and that it was the proper width, then tacked everything and finally did the final welding. Took the heims out for the inside welds. I did have to spread the brackets back out afterwards due to light warping, but it worked out.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-6.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-8.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-7.jpg

These will be the primary point of contact under the vehicle, so i figured something to protect the heim joints would be nice, in addition to it being a nice flat and relative friction free surface for rocks to slide over. Its just some .120 plate cut to size and then welded on, with the edges ground smooth. Should help keep the brackets straight as well. I designed the link brackets to protect the heims, and as it sits the will move unhindered to almost straight down, so I think it should work well. I'm using 2.25 .375 wall for the links, so that will help too.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-9.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Crossmember-10.jpg

I also spent some time doing the fender cutting and rearranging under the hood. At the end of the day, it was easier to just completely cut out the inner fender wells. It will leave the engine compartment a bit more vulnerable and I'll have to relocate the battery and such, but at the end of the day its not a huge deal. I was just striking out trying to get the sheet metal to co-operate. I did a comp cut look on the fenders. Not original, but I do like the look and am very please with the outcome.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Fenders-1.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Fenders-2.jpg

Since almost all of the support for the front bodywork that the radiator and such attaches to is gone, I'll need to add some 1x1 or so tubing under the top lip of the fender. I'll probably try and do a fender skin at some point, but I have some other stuff to figure out before I can proceed with that (like shock towers).

I'm headed back over to the workshop tonight to do the upper link mounts. Just some tabs on the axle and I should have the link part done soon. Then its bump stops, then shock towers and it will be on its own weight again. From there, getting the steering system put together and I should be able to at least move it around under its own power.

I'm a bit scared at what the wheelbase will be on this. I know I increased the belly clearance by 6" with raising the drive-train, but I'm still worried that I'll be scraping my belly on stuff all the time. I moved the front axle forward around a foot, and my wheelbase is sitting right around 124" long. It will be sweet for steep climbs, but I'm a bit concerned about break over. I could move the rear axle a foot forward too, but the rear tire would be about 2" from the back of the cab. That would ruin my idea of mounting the coil-overs on the trailing arm, since the cab body would interfere. Not sure, lots to think about and I guess I'll see what a 124" wheelbase is like first. Reviews I have read around the net say its not too bad, but its not ideal either.

[Haku]

As promised, some pictures and such...

So I got my 4 link setup pretty much set. I still need to do fine tuning, but the axle is located under the truck.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Links-1.jpg

All of these pictures are at full bump, or even just a bit higher then full bump. The drivers side of the oil pan is making contact at this height, but with some slight modification could get a bit more up travel out of it I think. I already took a hammer to it, but I think for now at least it will be easier to just lower the bump stops half an inch or so.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Links-3.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Links-4.jpg

The upper link axle mounts are a pain in the ass to weld, especially on the passenger side where all the brake and fuel line connections sit. I had to raise the body up at least 6" to even have a hope of welding to top of the Ruffstuff Brackets I bought. Here it is with the body back down. As you can see, less then an inch of clearance at the top...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Links-2.jpg

The other downside to this is that the bracket sits exactly where the exhaust would normally run, so I'm going to have to figure that out too. I bought the TG "rock ripper" header back when they had it on sale, and it definitely won't work with this bracket in the way, which sucks. Guess I get to sell it and recoup some money aye?

Once I got my links all done, I did my bump stops. I got some Air bumps from FOA a couple weeks back and its a heck of a deal they have. Not the prettiest finish quality out there, but its a well made unit and considering at least a few of the parts probably made it through a fire I have no complaints. They came with the round bump stop cans and hardware. There is no flat spot to weld these on, so I decided to make a stand off. I should have taken pictures of the buid process on these, but you can see by this picture that it does a decent job...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/BumpStop-Mounts-1.jpg

Lots of measuring later, I cut out the sides and top on the CNC plasma cutter and got them all welded up. Tried TIG welding them first, but since I'm a noob at it it ended up looking like crap and I was getting frustrated, so I moved over to my MIG welder and got much better results. These are completely boxed in and should do a great job, and they hit the axle in a good spot too. I still need to make some stand offs for the axle to make sure the bump hits a flat spot that won't bend, but that should be as simple as cutting a piece of 2x2 square tubing in half and welding it on. Here is the other side, in addition to my orbital mounts and the start of my shock hoop mounts...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/BumpStop-Mounts-2.jpg

I ended up getting a great deal on a orbital "column" that fits the Toyota U-Joint from BillyBob, and it made it much simpler and easier to work with. Its nice using the Toyota steering setup, and it will be easily removable. I can't say I'm super happy with the welds on the orbital mount to the frame, but there was a small gap and trying to fill it and weld up side down was no easy trick. Not the prettiest welds, but they'll definitely hold and hopefully a coat of paint will make it look a bit nicer.

So after striking out with these bad boys...

http://www.ballisticfabrication.com/assets/images/newbrackets/wraparound.jpg

... I decided to make my own shock tabs. Those ballistic ones are frustating since they don't play well with sitting on a bent piece of tube. The outer radius of of the tab is also too big and will make contact with the coilover top cap, so not sure what they were thinking on these. They do work allright on a straight piece of tube, and with some spacers will clear the coilover caps, so I might be able to use them elsewhere, but for the front I had to turn elsewhere...

Since this whole project is me learning how to do stuff and to increase my design skills, I decided to do a fancy one and use both the plasma and a press break to make them. I have to say I'm quite happy with the outcome, especially as a first try making something like this. Took a couple hours trying to get the CAD program to cooperate (I've been using Alibre) but got it done.

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Shock-Mount-1.jpg

Sand blasted and looking prettier...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Shock-Mount-2.jpg

They sit pretty nice on the tube...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Shock-Mount-3.jpg

Well, thats it for now. Its going a bit slower then I thought or planned for, but I'm happy with how its turning out. I still have a decent amount of work to do though, so definitely some time. I'm definitely tired of people asking how much longer and "hey, you know its wheeling season....why don't you just get that done". I've put in at least 200 hours over the last month on this, so trust me, I know.

Still on the list of stuff to do....

- Finish Shock Hoops and get coilovers mounted

- Run Hydraulic Steering lines

- Fine Tune link lengths and such

- Figure out driveshaft situation (its gonna take at least one carrier bearing to get i over the top of the lower link mount)

- Modify exhaust header output and run new exhaust

- Reconnect the rad support/front wall to cab (nothing holding it together now that fenders are cut)

- Clean up engine compartment and make sure everything is mounted firmly

- Weld on FROR style T-case mount (I have it made, just need to weld on the tabs and bolt it all together.

- Seal up transmission tunnel

- Put new vibration damper material down and add thermal barrier on floor inside cab

- Install and start to tune Megasquirt PNP system (engine control).

- All the stuff I forgot or haven't discovered yet

Definitely a long and daunting list of stuff I have to figure out, and it doesn't even take into account some of the other projects like my exo and flatbed that I want to finish too.

[Haku]

Any updates on this rig?? :smokin:

Here are some of it on its feet with shocks and stuff installed. I took these a while back and didn't realize I never posted them here....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Suspension-1.jpg

This is lifted 36" from the inside of the tire to the ground with some more downtravel left on the tire on the ground....
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Suspension-4.jpg

I actually drove it for the first time last week, but only for a couple miles to get it home. Spent a bunch of time working on the wiring and such and making sure the stuff under the hood is secured and out of the way. Cut a bunch of stuff out of the wiring harness and rerouted and relocated the fuse box and such.

Also relocated my gas tank (moved so it goes across the frame and is a bit higher) and added some hose and longer wiring onto it. At the same time I moved my battery to the back and will be running two back there with a isolator between them. Gas tank is super easy to drop out now, just pull the rear driveshaft and 6 bolts and it drops straight down if I need to.

I still have a ways to go before its ready to rock and the brakes are the biggest issue right now. I had almost zero brakes coming home, despite bleeding the heck out of them and such. I think I need a new master cylinder, so I'll probably upgrade to an FJ80 one to match the front brakes. I think part of it was that the current MC might have gone dry, so its essentially like having a brand new one and a good bench bleed might help. Still, even after pumping it a bunch it barely builds pressure, so there is definitely something weird going on. I bodged together some brake lines using the extended steel ones I had on before and the FJ80 ones that came with my calipers. FJ80 stuff has a banjo bolt instead of a standard tapered one like a Mini-truck, so adapting had to happen. I think I'm gonna just call Crown Performance and have them make me some nice long extended ones, and that should do the trick.

Other stuff still on the "big stuff" list is exhaust finalization (muffler and rear section need to be finish welded and such), need to have a short driveshaft made for the front between the carrier bearing and t-case output, and need to have the rear one lengthened a few inches since the carrier is much higher now then it used to be. Still have to do the tranny tunnel and all the interior stuff, but that is probably the last thing I'll do. I want to get it driving safely first, so that is my focus.

I also noticed that it was having a hard time tracking straight, so I need to mess with the castor and toe to get that to something where I don't have to make constant small adustments. That said, the steering has a nice feel to it, and besides the alignment issues works like a charm and no leaks or scaryness yet.

The good news is that it steers and drives, and that is with the Megasquirt installed and everything. Lots of little stuff and a few big things, but its definitely a major milestone.

I'll have some pictures of it outside and showing some of the work I've done over the last couple months tomorrow.

[Haku]

Its pretty crazy how much of a difference the camber makes with steering. I think I set it in negative camber by accident when setting it up initially, and it wouldn't center and was really touchy and I had to make constant adjustments to keep it going straight. While I had it on the rack I turned the upper links so they were about 1/4" shorter(bringing it into Positive Camber) and it self centers like a pro and drives pretty much normal now. Its still easy to oversteer a bit, but is not scary anymore. I'm gonna mess with the toe a bit to fine tune, but its already a ton better.

Ok....a bit late again, but I have pictures for ya'll. Not sure what you guys want to see, but if there is anything let me know.

Front shot....still have to put the lights back in and design/build a new front bumper....

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Front1.jpg

Profile shot from the drivers side....
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/drivers-side-profile-1.jpg

and the Passenger side...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/passenger-side-profile-1.jpg

and the only major addition I've done since the other pictures was relocating my gas tank and batteries...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/gas-tank-1.jpg

I still have to install the 2nd battery and put the isolator in line. I'm thinking that I'll try to keep one battery just for the engine/starting, and the other for winch, interior and accessories. There is already a GM alternator on my truck, so it should send plenty of juice to do both.

Like I said, not much else to show that hasn't been already. Lots of little jobs and things to do yet, but it will at least be good enough soon to go do a trial run and see what works and what doesn't.

[Haku]

I've still been working on this, but its been a bit of an issue with a few parts of this.

First off is my driveshafts and getting them all figured out. I thought that moving the axle forward 10" from stock would add enough length to the front driveshaft to keep it from binding. Unfortunately I think it will still bind because with the current location of the link crossmember I need to use a 2 piece driveshaft with a carrier bearing mounted on the crossmember. Its just too steep of an angle, so I'm gonna have to reconfigure the whole lower link setup. I have a FJ80 elocker with a chipped ring and pinion that I got some new gears for, so I'll have a nice new High Pinion diff that will help with this problem, but I still have to change the crossmember too.

I think its gonna take moving the link crossmember so its directly under the transfer case output, which means the links need to be about 15" longer and the crossmember will need to be reconfigured. The only other way it MIGHT work is to spend a bunch of money on a new driveshaft with higher angle joints or something, but I don't really want to spend the money. It will require some work and going backwards on the build, but it will simplify things in the end.

Moving the crossmember under the t-case further will allow me to use a one piece driveshaft, so all I will have to do is get it retubed. I'm actually having the same kind of issue with the rear too, since I raised the drivetrain 6" and the angle of the driveshaft back there was getting extreme with a 2 piece driveshaft back there too. The answer is the same there, but its an easier fix since I only did some basic welds to locate the frame rails, so it will be easy enough to reconfigure that part and use a single piece driveshaft back there too.

Unfortunately that means my links are 15" too short, and I don't have enough left over link material to make ones that long. I'd prefer not to have to go buy another 10 feet of the 2.25" DOM that I used, so I'm gonna get creative and cut, sleeve, add more tubing in, and then weld it all up again. I'm gonna use 1.5" .250 wall to sleeve inside the 2.25" .375 wall tubing(total of .625 thick), so in theory this should be WAY stronger after all is said and done despite cuts and welds and such. The 1.5" stuff is much cheaper and easier to find, so think it will work out. Feel free to call me crazy or submit your objections though.

While I've been figuring all that stuff out, I also decided that I sucked at bending, or more specifically that I suck at bending doing it the "Bending 101" way. With that realization, I decided a copy of Bend-Tech Pro was in order. I've scrubbed way too much tubing trying to get to where I am right now, so a couple hundred bucks for some very useful software will go a long way. I did all the tutorials and such, and threw together a couple of chassis designs to familiarize myself with the software, and now that I'm at least compentant I spent the evening inputting my existing cage into it and then measuring off the truck to design the exo. I'm pretty happy with it so far, and hopefully the actual tube bending will go well too. Here are the two chassis's I threw together and at least the start of the exo cage so far. I still have to do all the calibration stuff that tells Bend-Tech how my bender works, so things will change slightly...

First chassis....inspired by the GotPropanes "truck buggy" (my favorite chassis out there)....
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Truck%20Buggy%20Concept%201.jpeg

Second one...more Ultra 4 I guess but with an emphasis on comfortable driving position(lots of room inside)...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Truck%20Buggy%20Concept%202.jpeg

Picture of my existing exo cage for reference (thanks again Dan...still owe you that case of beer...guess its gonna be premium beer now)...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/CageBuild4.jpg

My exo design render in BTpro so far from the main hoop forward...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Exo%20Cage%20Render%201.jpeg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Exo%20Cage%20Render%202.jpeg

Now I gotta go get some more tubing so I can start this up again, but I'll probably do the suspension and driveshaft stuff first.

Oh yeah....and here is the inspiration for the 1st chassis design....


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=na2CdAohP9o&feature=youtu.be


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_jhTuwDvimc&feature=youtu.be

[Haku]

So I spent the last two days (12 hour days) doing the modifications to my setup. Started by measuring and modifying the frame...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Location-Difference.jpg

I actually like it better now since it sits directly on the frame. More of a pain in the butt to mount now, but a stronger setup. The angle iron towards the right is the old mount (I was going to gusset it but hadn't gotten there yet) and the holes in the frame are just there to let the bolts go through. I drilled and tapped then welded these on...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Frame-Plates.jpg

like this (no post-welding pics...sorry)...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Mockup.jpg

Lots of clearance for the CV joint and good driveshaft angles. Here are some pictures, but note that the pinion will be more level with the ground then in these pics...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/CV-Clearance.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Driveshaft-Angle.jpg

[Haku]

With the crossmember mounted I measured for the links, and I think they came out well. They ended up going from ~40" links to 51" or so. You would think that DOM would make fitting those up easy, but the tolerances were off enough where I had to take around a thousanth off the sleeve tubing. Luckily I had access to a lathe, otherwise this would have sucked big time.

Turned it down...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Turning-Sleeve.jpg

Took some time, but it came out well in the end. I did have some chattering and roughness, but I the lathe at the shop isn't the pinnacle of precision and I'm relatively new to machining, but it was smooth enough for my needs and it fit tightly but was loose enough that I could slide it in easily.

Before and After
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Turning-Result.jpg

Fits nice and tight
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Fitment-1.jpg

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Fitment-2.jpg

Measuring for the new extension piece
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Fitment-3.jpg

I ended up cutting the sleeve to the exact length between the existing heim bungs. I was worried that the sleeve would make contact with the heim shank if I needed it to be short as possible, but the bungs are longer then the depest the heim could go so I was good to go. I just slid the tubing pieces together till the sleeve just hit the bung on each side. Ground an angle and left a small gap so the weld would penetrate into the sleeve too...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Fitment-5.jpg

then welded them up...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Welded.jpg

Not the prettiest welds, but I did it in two passes which isn't ideal and the gap on top was pretty big, so I'm happy with the results. The above pic was the first tube, and the second looked better but I didn't get any pictures. I threw it back in the lathe and ground it smooth so it would be catching on rocks and such...

http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/Smoothing.jpg

I was under a time crunch to get done before the Workshop closed (Its a club workshop) so I didn't get any pictures of installing everything. The first link went on relatively well, but the second was a complete bear. There must have been a small wear spot in the slip yoke of the driveshaft because it was binding up and kept me from moving the axle, and then the getting the heim bolted into the mounts on the axle took an hour and lots of hammering. I did get it back on its feet though, and it drove just fine at a crawl(might even be a bit more solid feeling). Still have to do alignment adjustments and such, so we'll see how that goes.

We'll see what the results are when I finally get it out on the trail. I think it will be plenty strong, since its 5/8" walled from end to end now, but I guess we'll see. Worst case I'll just make a new set sometime and use these as my spares, which are good to have anyways.

[Haku]

Ok, that is it for now. This picture (from above) is pretty much representative of where the build is at right now... http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/drivers-side-profile-1.jpg

I think I mentioned it in my last post, but the whole crossmember relocation moved my axle back a few inches, which means the shocks went from relatively straight up and down to them leaning forwards (top in front of the bottow). Not ideal, since it just gets worse the more it droops. I wasn't crazy about where the top mounts ended up before, but now it definitely needs reworking.

This means I need to relocate my shock towers so that the shock leans back a bit. I saw a set of 4wheelunderground prototype shock hoops in a build thread and contacted him about getting a set. It took him a while to ship them, but I finally got them and found I need to modify them a bit, and I'll need to relocate the Orbital Steering Valve since the steering shaft goes straight through where the shock tower will be now.

I did get my exhaust done the other day, so I'll maybe take a picture of that when I get the chance. After I relocate the shock stuff, I need to get driveshaft stuff figured out(mostly just getting them made to the right size, so its more money then time) and some clean up stuff and it will be ready for a shakedown trail run.

Its get off my butt time and it would be great to at least have it done before the snow falls so I can take on dry trail or two.

[Popsgarage]

so I can take on dry trail or two.

You said dry trail.........HAHAHAHAHA. Good luck with that one. Gonna take months to dry out up in them thar hills! By the By, you runnin' Trail Worthy Fab beadlocks?????????

[Haku]

haha....fair enough...though it being Colorado this could all dry up and we'll have wildfires in a few weeks (knocks on wood). Its too bad we can't store this water up somewhere safe and use it for drought conditions later.

Yep, they are Trail Worthy Fab re-centered HMMWV rims with the PVC insert. I have some rock rings for them that I have to install, since the edges of the outer plate on some of mine are majorly bent. Other then that and the fact that they are heavy as all get out (140 pounds a corner with tires installed) and they are 16.5" rim size, I have no complaints and wouldn't run any different style of beadlock. I've run them down to zero PSI without the rim moving on the rim, so they do the job as intended (that was for a snow run, and it made a huge difference).

[Popsgarage]

I really like the look of Hutchinson's Rock Monster DOT legal beadlocks. I figure if the company that makes the basis of your beadlock does it that well for the military, they probably make a pretty good aftermarket wheel as well. Plus, they are one of the very few DOT Legal beadlock wheels on the market. http://rockmonsterwheels.com/products.php

[Haku]

Yeah....I like those a lot too, except the price. I've thought about getting rid of the ones I have and getting those in 17" rim so i can have a broader choice of which tire I can run, but at almost $400 a rim plus tires, it gets expensive fast. I think I paid $700-800 for all 4 of mine unpainted and shipped(plus another $100 for the rock rings), so they are significantly cheaper. They also are heavy duty rims, whereas the Rock Monster wheels are medium duty. Still, I'd love to have a set of those or maybe the Stazworks ones (same idea...double beadlock). Besides a more common rim size, the RM wheels are also about half the weight, which would be nice too. Still, there is a lot I could spend $1500 on right now, so those are fairly far down the list.

TWF sells the Rock Monster wheels (http://www.trailworthyfab.com/Rock-Monster-Wheels/) and he was talking about making a 17" version of the HMMWV rims in a similar price point to them, but put it on the back burner to bring out his competitor for the Atlas t-case instead (gonna be cheaper and uses a standard set of parts that he can stock instead of having to make each one custom like AA does...based off the STAK t-case).

The re-centered HMMWV rims have a DOT stamp on them too actually, but that is left over from the donor rims. Still, the DOT stamp is pretty vague anyways, and is more a statement of the belief on the part of the company that the rim will hold up to DOT standards. You don't have to send them in to get checked and certified, you just have to be confident they'll pass if the DOT inspects them.

[Popsgarage]

Amen on all of that! I'm for bed. Chat atcha later.

[Java]

Great thread! Really nice work, and thanks for posting the frame crack pics, it's an easy lesson for the rest of us that way. :thumb:

[88Toy]

Awesome all the way! BTW, is the 'club' taking new members? ;)

[Haku]

Awesome all the way! BTW, is the 'club' taking new members? ;)

Yes...always. There isn't really an application process, you just say you want to be a member and what kind (punch card, monthly, etc) and you are in. Clubworkshop is kind of a wrong name for it, its more a group workshop or communal workshop (except one guy owns the place, though equipment is sometimes brought in by others for the use of everyone). It has been going through some changes that are a bit disheartening, namely that they seem to be trying to take the emphasis away from automotive work with how they have reorganized the shop. Still, its a great resource even if it isn't setup in my ideal way.

Its at 999 Vallejo Street near Denver Bumper and Stadium Auto Parts and DazBog Coffee (east side of I-25 between 8th Ave and Colfax) if you want to check it out.

[Brucker]

Good to hear you are getting some time to work on this! Let me know when the shake down run is. Would love to get my butt out of the shop.

[Haku]

Thanks man. I'll let you know for sure, but I still have at least a few 10 hour days to get my orbital mounted and those shocks relocated, and this coming week I'm going to have zero time to work on it. The week after is free for me though, so I'm gonna try and get at least some of it done then.

I'd really like to have this done and ready to wheel by my Birthday at the end of October, since I kind of want to hit up Moab with it before it freezes. If anyone wants to come and keep me motivated, then let me know. There are lots of little jobs to get done on this thing to button it up, but I'm jonesing to get it done.

[zukrider]

looking good Josh! email me when your on it next week. i have Thursday off, and would not object to work on it with ya!

joseph-frank@hotmail.com

[Haku]

Unfortunately next week is SUPER busy for me with Work, but I'm gonna be hitting it hard the week after. I'll definitely take the help then if you have some free time and want to come get your hands dirty.

[zukrider]

28, 29, 30, 1. im available any of those days. no plans for that weekend. work mon-fri that week.

[xaza]

That workshop is basically right around the corner from me, would love to check it out. Never been a part of something like that. I don't go back to work till the 23rd so if you happen to be heading down there this week I would like to come by.

[colozj93]

Amazing build. Can't wait to see it some day. Any possible info on the club workshop would be great as well

[Haku]

Amazing build. Can't wait to see it some day. Any possible info on the club workshop would be great as well

Thanks man, I can't wait to wheel it too (hopefully soon).

Not sure what information you want about CWS, but I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about it. If you are in the area, stop by and have a tour if it is peaking your interest. Its not a perfect fit for everyone, but for me its worth the $99 a month that they charge for membership. That gets your free access to most of the tools and machines. Just provide your own materials and some of the consumables for the welding/plasma stuff. Long term projects will be charged a storage fee, but they are relatively reasonably priced (though more expensive then when I did this build there).

To those offering help, I have a busy week this week, but might try and get in there and do some work next week. I have lots of little jobs that will need to be done, so I can spend a few free hours doing those even if I don't have time to do the big jobs. I'm thinking maybe Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday(or maybe several of those) next week depending one what life brings.

[Haku]

So after way too long of being unmotivated, I've gotten a lot of the stuff done on this that have kept me off the trails with it.


First off, I cut my old shock hoops out since they we making my coilovers bind up and just weren't working and installed a set of the 4wheelunderground ones. They are "cut to fit" and take a bit of messing around, but are super beefy and a definite upgrade from my old setup. Here are some pictures...


Clearly they were too tall...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/index.php?cmd=image&sfpg=KjRXVS1TaG9jay1Ub3dlci0yLmpwZypkZGM0OTY0ODVmO TA5MzIwNGQxNDkzMDIyZTUwNWJmOQ


and the steering shaft was going to be an issue (more on that later)...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/index.php?cmd=image&sfpg=KjRXVS1TaG9jay1Ub3dlci0xLmpwZyo0YWMzN2E5ZTFjM zI3MmYzNDIzNTI5MDY2OWYwNGE3MA


So I marked them out...
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/index.php?cmd=image&sfpg=KjRXVS1TaG9jay1Ub3dlci0zLmpwZyphNDhiNjAyOGQzM WU0MzUwMDAzOTc0NWJiMmUzNjM1Yw


A slowly figured out the shape I would need and cut it out with the Plasma cutter
http://hld-illumination.com/haku/Pictures/index.php?cmd=image&sfpg=KjRXVS1TaG9jay1Ub3dlci01LmpwZyoxOGRkZGU2NDY1N Tg0MjM1NDc5NzE1MzZjOGU0MzVkMA


This was all like 6 months ago or so, and as I was doing this I figured out that it really wasn't going to work with the steering shaft where it was, and I didn't want to do the "Series of borgeson joints" like others have done. This is actually the point where I lost motivation and just went and wheeled my stockish 4runner for a while instead...


Took my Addicted Bumper and Winch off "the Magnet" and put it on this guy, installed some duals t-cases and welded the rear and it does pretty well. Wheeled in Moab for a week and had zero issues other then a broken shock. Not bad for less then $3k invested so far...
https://kwijhg.bn1.livefilestore.com/y2pXrtanjN4XLVuMTmYJLDtidMXgTXp4WIwK5p7IjeK_cYJguE iaWztTeUEuYWpA6qIpYZ7d5ZZxs4FQxvH-W28bzsfwBxyR3BdVsNOz5AeTOY/15.jpg


I do have plans for this truck in the future, but I'll leave that for another build thread.


So roll up to the last couple of months and I've got the motivation back again...


I figured out that the steering shaft could be cut down and it will still rotate without binding if I mounted my orbital steering valve on the inside of the frame just behind the motor mount (Towards the cab). I don't have any pictures of it installed, but here is the mount I cut out on the CNC plasma...


https://l2gkpw.dm2304.livefilestore.com/y2pMwPf9xCez6Lqv1z-w7fjtuh5-10aJmKGL6ohkGD1sJWED_uiN7jUxIWZJCxoylU3HJF_4aDEqSr fb4yCcMfqdE2byaFE7dUM-C_L238wm7g/Orbital-Flange.jpg?psid=1


I actually really like where it is, as the orbital is still protected, it puts the hoses in the perfect spot to run down the upper links, and solves the steering shaft problem.


So from there I could actually get the shock towers installed. There was some more fiddlng and cutting to figure out, but I started with the drivers side and it came out like this with all new hardware and my limit straps installed...


Sorry for the crappy pic...didn't have my good camera with me so Cell Phone had to do...
https://dk3pxw.dm2304.livefilestore.com/y2ppkCT20S0idaNKfCkbLv4zdnnbO8zuotJOO03Y1it9p-grD-qY4fGIi3bv_AUgSrjP9lel7SH9kLSMJLjbbtb6fHLkxxhSIHF7 vsSFFKCTog/Shock-Tower-Complete.jpg?psid=1


On the other side I decided to cut stuff off the frame and make it flat rather then trying to contour the shock tower like the first one, and it made the process much easier. It is pretty tight clearance with the intake manifold there, and it took special care not to block access to bolts or trap part of the engine in there. If I ever decide to do a 1uz swap or similar, it'll definitely take some reconfiguring (I'd probably just chop the frame off and start over).


Now that I knew the axle was going to be where it was, I could get my driveshafts altered and finish up some little jobs on the axle and around the truck, which I finished up last night.


Not being able to resist now that the front axle had drive to it for the first time since I bought it and built it, I could resist finding something to crawl up...


Again...cell phone pic so appologies for quality...
https://dk3pxw.dm2301.livefilestore.com/y2pCcNmhDiZv0vz9QSFuf58cNuZg67qaUmxcWPgs-pZySfoIlSUCePGKRA4GD7Gc5zZM-LUjMyNNpq9izOg9QMBpkDkUXoa0D05P0RGScCiHMA/Flex1.jpg?psid=1


There was some popping and other noises coming from the truck, but it pretty much climbed right up it without hesitation which I'm super psyched about. Having the front end approach angle like I do makes it super nice for those vertical wall obstacles and I want to maintain that when I make a winch bumper for it. It is also clear that the rear suspension is the limiting factor on the truck now, and I'm hoping to remedy that now that the front is pretty much done other then some minor tweaking.


It is definitely time for a real shakedown run, which I hope to make happen in the next week or so.

[glacierpaul]

That is a sweet Toyota Josh, nice job! I would love to set up my 82 J-20 that way :)

[Haku]

That is a sweet Toyota Josh, nice job! I would love to set up my 82 J-20 that way :)

Thanks a bunch Paul. I can't say I'm at the place where I could do it for you, but I'd be happy to give some pointers on where to start and the basics and you could go from there. A linked J-20 would be a super sweet rig and if you did it right it would be fully capable of every trail in Colorado or Utah (at least ones it can fit in).

Just doing that little bit of urban crawling is making me jones to get the rear 4 link setup done sooner then later.

[Brucker]

Congrats on the progress! I know whenever a long term project get to this stage from me, it celebrating time. Hope it works well for you!