Lame small tire build

[skyhiranger]

For sure. Funny that I’ve twinsticked two other rigs without front lockers and never used 2-low ever in them.

Not as much of a need if you don't have a front locker, but still useful/helpful in some instances. It's nice to be able to flick it out of 4wd when turning sharp on a high traction surface and keep it in low range. Or if you need to slide the rear end downhill in a sticky situation. Once you get used to using it, it comes in very handy.

 

[Levigarrett76]

Not as much of a need if you don't have a front locker, but still useful/helpful in some instances. It's nice to be able to flick it out of 4wd when turning sharp on a high traction surface and keep it in low range. Or if you need to slide the rear end downhill in a sticky situation. Once you get used to using it, it comes in very handy.

Also nice to pull the front end around in some turns

 

[YotaAtieToo]

That's a good point. My old 4runner was selectable rear, auto front and 2low rear off was basically like open f&r.

Although the same locker in my samurai front is a little more stubborn to unlock.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Yeah the Auburn lunchbox locker I installed never unlocked all day that I could hear. I even forgot to unlock the front hubs for the first few miles of the flat tow home….didn’t hear the front locker click or ratchet when I made the turn onto the highway. Or when I pulled into the state park to unlock the hubs.

I think I’m more inclined to save up for another TRE air locker than twin stick the tcase.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Fitted the RRO t-case mount last night. It’s cheap but not sure I recommended it. Just about impossible to install with the tcase in the vehicle (I tried hard too). The mounting bracket around the back of the case interfered with the dust flange on the output, so I had to grind both the bracket and the dust shield to eliminate the interference. And on top of that the front most rubber mount can’t be reinstalled so I had to make a plastic spacer instead. Next time the case comes out I’ll modify the RRO mount again to be able to use the stock rubber.

Otherwise it seems sturdier than the stock one and hopefully should be adequate for 4.16’s.

 

[skyhiranger]

How I do it, is I box the long arm and plate the short arm and tie both together with a tcase bucket (I copied the Forrest bucket from years ago).
It may not be pretty, but it works.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

skyhiranger i like that a lot. i will probably copy you in the future to beef up the driver's side mount and figure out how to make some sort of bucket/skid plate.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

How I do it, is I box the long arm and plate the short arm and tie both together with a tcase bucket (I copied the Forrest bucket from years ago).
It may not be pretty, but it works.

4.xx or 6.xx gears?

I feel good with the bucket design on 4.xx gears, but 6.xx I like the full cradle spine thing. I prefer the low rang end of story over the pussy grabber or whatever from the guy in az.

The eos is the only one I know that adds an extra frame mount.

I also feel like lower axle gears should help take stress off this stuff.

 

[skyhiranger]

4.xx or 6.xx gears?

I feel good with the bucket design on 4.xx gears, but 6.xx I like the full cradle spine thing. I prefer the low rang end of story over the pussy grabber or whatever from the guy in az.

The eos is the only one I know that adds an extra frame mount.

I also feel like lower axle gears should help take stress off this stuff.

Which samurai?
The first one I built is used on my main off-road samurai with a home made kicker 3 with a stock trackick tcase and 4.16s in the samurai case and 5.12 axle gears on 34s. I built that one back in ‘06-‘07.
The second one I built is used on my play off-road samurai with 4.16 tcase gears, stock axle gears on 29s. Probably built in ‘08-‘09.
The last one I am putting together will go in my son’s samurai. It has 6.4 tcase gears, stock axle gears on 29s. So far we just have the arms reinforced and are running it that way for now. I have the bucket pieces cut, but we don’t have them welded up yet.
All have the arms reinforced the same way with the home made bucket tying them together. Stock rubber mounts on stock frame brackets.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Ended up ordering a Low Range cage kit about a week ago after seeing it for $800 shipped at summit and it woulda been about $400 more for one of the others.

At least TG stuff is drop shipped, usually Summit uses that OnTrac shipping which is always way late and usually dropped off by some crackhead in a rape van.

Got most of the rear half tacked together so far

Tydes hooked me up with some old 15x8's for when i get big kid tires someday

Yeah, i live in oregon and my DD is a hand me down Subaru Baja

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Funny you have issues with summit, when I lived in norcal it was less than 24 hours for some stuff. Like order at 4pm and it was there at 10-11am the next day.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Funny you have issues with summit, when I lived in norcal it was less than 24 hours for some stuff. Like order at 4pm and it was there at 10-11am the next day.

It’s whenever they used that OnTrac service. No tracking and it was literally a hobo rape van that dropped my stuff off.

 

[YotaAtieToo]

It’s whenever they used that OnTrac service. No tracking and it was literally a hobo rape van that dropped my stuff off.

On Trac is a employee supplied vehicle company. I've seen some interesting characters, but usually they were fast as shit. Less than 24 hours from reno to norcal, and my old work used McMaster Carr who used OnTrac, they were less than 24 hours from socal to norcal.

This was normal ass free shipping too.

Its honestly impressive they can pull it off consistently.

The guy who delivered to my old work had a Tacoma with a tall shell, but was also like a 50 yr old white guy with 3' dreds

But ya, I remember one tweeker looking lady in an astrovan who had her 90 year old dad with her all the time, just siting shotgun like a zombie I had to tell her not to do like Mach 2 on our small shared gravel driveway

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Been getting a little more of the LRO cage tacked in, the a-pillar spreader bar on mine was too short just like Paul so I had to modify to fit. The tie-in bars that go between it and the factory bar seem too long and my targa bar interferes way too much. Im sure my body is tweaked some but idk.

The side plates that I was so opposed to earlier don’t look too bad.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

I also found three 1980’s dimes and an old business card when I removed the windshield frame

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Got my rollcage all put together and painted. While I was at it I bought the folding windshield pieces. Except I broke one of the plastic windshield stays and decided to fab two steel replacements

 

[SKULLYOTA]

And I made a poo pipe cap diff armor for the front

Front diff looks like the Family Guy character with the huge chin but it was cheap

Ran out of motivation to make a rear one.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Ignore my paint run but I also re-used the old windshield frame brackets for doorless mirrors. I just drilled and tapped the endcap of the dash bar to 6mm-1.0

Told y’all this build was lame

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Looks like you're impatient as me while spray painting

Folding windshield is nice, nothing better than no glass wheelin, not just glare, but helps keep the dust out of the cab as long as you aren't following someone close. I like how easy it is to just pull off as well. I leave it at he or camp whenever I can.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Yeah I'm a little impatient with the paint lol. I have a few quarts of brush on Rustoleum I'm trying to use up and it sometimes get it on a little too thick...

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Yeah I'm a little impatient with the paint lol. I have a few quarts of brush on Rustoleum I'm trying to use up and it sometimes get it on a little too thick...

How do you like brush on VS rattle cans?

Fucking rattle cans are so expensive, I've damn near swore them off, but haven't made the jump yet.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Takes a little longer to dry but it’s way cheaper and you can get it on thicker. I did both axles housings, rollcage, a bumper and maybe used a quart, if that. I think it holds up over time better too.

I like it. I’ve also used a roller to paint a few whole rigs too.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Bored, so here’s another dumb post lol


I fabbed up a bracket to relocate the rear view mirror to the cage so it would still function with the windshield folded.

Got about 95% of the soft top back on save for one of the rear zippers

Need a hot day to stretch that final bit around the cage.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

gonna change the thread name to lame medium tire build now


Wifey let me spend some of the tax return on cheap 31's, GT Radial Komodo's from eBay. Mounted em on the rusty chrome rims that Tydes gave me. when the weather is better i'll finish wire wheeling them and try some gray plasti-dip or something.

They look alright though. Haven't driven on em, we'll see if I end up saving for some 5.38's next lol

need to throw them on my new bubble balancer at some point too.

 

[FleshEater]

Wouldn’t a set of 5.13’s from a Tracker be fine?

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Wouldn’t a set of 5.13’s from a Tracker be fine?

Probably. They seem too hard to find these days though.

 

[FleshEater]

Probably. They seem too hard to find these days though.

I might have two sets…have to see how the deal with the white Tracker goes.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Regearing diffs isn’t a priority for me so don’t worry about it FleshEater

I’m saving up for a cheap mill for the next big $$

 

[YotaAtieToo]

Having just regeared my axles to 4.88s, I wish I would have done it sooner. With the 6.4 case's like 1.67 high, it's perfect for ~35s. Plus low range is great for real crawling now.

For something with smaller tires and less of a crawler, I think a 4.16 or 4.9 case and 5.12 or 5.38s would be perfect. Obviously if highway rpm's are a priority, you gotta do your own math, but I think most would rather be on the deeper side with these tiny engines.

 

[SKULLYOTA]

Having just regeared my axles to 4.88s, I wish I would have done it sooner. With the 6.4 case's like 1.67 high, it's perfect for ~35s. Plus low range is great for real crawling now.

For something with smaller tires and less of a crawler, I think a 4.16 or 4.9 case and 5.12 or 5.38s would be perfect. Obviously if highway rpm's are a priority, you gotta do your own math, but I think most would rather be on the deeper side with these tiny engines.

My first samurai had 4.62 diffs, stock tcase and 31’s. I didn’t do a lot of difficult trails with that setup but somehow it did highway pretty well. Maybe that motor wasn’t as tired as my current one is.