chaplinfj60
Well-known member
damn just saw rear drive shaft. is that like 5 inches long or what?
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Project perseverance - start to finish
- Thread starter abrogate
- Start date
abrogate
Red Skull Member
Ha, it's longer in real life! I swear! I think its actually 21" compressed. I'll post pics of the shaft situation later on.
Things were starting to come together at this point.
Plenty of head space for my wife.
The cowl piece was rolled to match the cowl and the ends bent to follow as close as I could get it. The cowl and hood sit approximately at the centerline of the outer tubing.
Holding the sheet metal inward put a gap on the interior of the tube which was heated with a torch and tapped closed when I welded out the chassis.
The windshield intrusion bars followed the roof tubing and kept further apart than my last rig.
chaplinfj60
Well-known member
love the cowl.....
94toytruck
Eastcoast crawler
There was a guy I follow on IG that used to wheel a rig just like this
Hopefully a build thread means maybe you blow the dust off it!
I do wish I did a cowl on mine every time I look at yours. I even sourced one but never got around to making it fit.
Hopefully a build thread means maybe you blow the dust off it!I do wish I did a cowl on mine every time I look at yours. I even sourced one but never got around to making it fit.
abrogate
Red Skull Member
Hey you. I thought I would seek validation on a site with more like minded people!! I'm proud to say that I almost have my life sorted out to where I can get back into wheeling.There was a guy I follow on IG that used to wheel a rig just like this
I do wish I did a cowl on mine every time I look at yours. I even sourced one but never got around to making it fit.
pennsylvaniaboy
make fullsizes great again
- Joined
- Jun 27, 2020
- Member Number
- 2192
- Messages
- 1,061
East coast wheeling IG user? Do tell haha
abrogate
Red Skull Member
I wanted to keep my shocks beneath the hood if possible. I bought some broken Sway-a-way 16" remote reservoir coil overs for the front. One shaft was bent and the other was sheared off. I got a good deal on them from a friend. Hindsight would prove that 14" would have been plenty, but I was budget minded at this point. I worked on continuing the windshield intrusion tubes out to the fender area.
The upper shock mount tube would also act as a structure to mount the radiator off of.
You can see that I was playing with the idea of using a Volvo fan as a pusher for the radiator. They are easy to mount and have a simple relay system that can be included when you source the fan.
The shock tube was also tied back into the base chassis.
The rear shocks were initially going to be a set of 16" Sway-a-way 2.5" airshocks. I bought them when I was in the parts collecting stage. I started the simple tube work to provide a spot to mount them. The sway bar tube was put in its final place and it would also act as a portion of the fuel cell mount. I finished out the tubing for the fuel cell to sit on as well.
The upper shock mount tube would also act as a structure to mount the radiator off of.
You can see that I was playing with the idea of using a Volvo fan as a pusher for the radiator. They are easy to mount and have a simple relay system that can be included when you source the fan.
The shock tube was also tied back into the base chassis.
The rear shocks were initially going to be a set of 16" Sway-a-way 2.5" airshocks. I bought them when I was in the parts collecting stage. I started the simple tube work to provide a spot to mount them. The sway bar tube was put in its final place and it would also act as a portion of the fuel cell mount. I finished out the tubing for the fuel cell to sit on as well.
abrogate
Red Skull Member
His is @94krawler and mine is @threlkelddd . I'm by St Louis though
abrogate
Red Skull Member
The sway bar was installed so I could verify clearance for the rear shock and I placed the rear air bump cans after that. Everything fit great and had plenty of clearance.
The fuel cell hold down system was wrapped up next. I had cut some pieces that would weld to the chassis and to a removable tube in the rear. I needed to be able to remove the cell and a normal tube clamp or tube flange didn't seem like it would provide the side clearance for removal. I made two small pads and added some nutserts in them and was able to keep things slim.
With the removable tube done, I installed the cell and laid out the holes in CAD.
The upper lip of the cell sits on top of four strips that were welded to the chassis and removable tube, then the long pieces were added to the top to sandwich the cell. I used nutserts everywhere so I wouldn't have to fool with two tools at once to remove things. The area behind the cell was getting tight, but I can still put a cooler and some tools back there. I'm not overlanding, so I don't need the kitchen sink.
The fuel cell hold down system was wrapped up next. I had cut some pieces that would weld to the chassis and to a removable tube in the rear. I needed to be able to remove the cell and a normal tube clamp or tube flange didn't seem like it would provide the side clearance for removal. I made two small pads and added some nutserts in them and was able to keep things slim.
With the removable tube done, I installed the cell and laid out the holes in CAD.
The upper lip of the cell sits on top of four strips that were welded to the chassis and removable tube, then the long pieces were added to the top to sandwich the cell. I used nutserts everywhere so I wouldn't have to fool with two tools at once to remove things. The area behind the cell was getting tight, but I can still put a cooler and some tools back there. I'm not overlanding, so I don't need the kitchen sink.
abrogate
Red Skull Member
I was fast approaching having a rolling chassis. The front end and the roof were the last things I focused on. The bumper was tied in with the chassis.
With the shock tubes wrapped up, I added another removable spreader to mount the radiator.
I added some tubing that covered the engine and the entire section is removable as one piece.
The roof seemed a little open and I wanted some additional coverage. I added some more tubing and held it back so that once I got to panels, I could have upward visibility once strapped in.
With the shock tubes wrapped up, I added another removable spreader to mount the radiator.
I added some tubing that covered the engine and the entire section is removable as one piece.
The roof seemed a little open and I wanted some additional coverage. I added some more tubing and held it back so that once I got to panels, I could have upward visibility once strapped in.
abrogate
Red Skull Member
Have you ever built a ship in a bottle? Well that is what I had done. We owned a forklift at the time, but it was at the farm shop and there was no way to get that into my home garage. I had an idea. I would make the table into a "trailer" and drag it out from beneath the buggy somehow.
I moved the table away from the wall using floor jacks. I was left with figuring out how I would lift the buggy up and remove the table. I have the Rigid pipe jacks and they are rated for 2,500 Lbs each. It was decided by myself and my companion, Heineken, that I would lift the buggy up with the pipe jacks... by myself. I snagged some 3x3x .188 square tubing we had at the farm that was long enough to span the width of the table and sit on the pipe jacks. I'm not saying this was safe, but I am saying this worked for me and I survived.
LOL. Yeah, it was stupid, I agree. But it worked!
I moved the table away from the wall using floor jacks. I was left with figuring out how I would lift the buggy up and remove the table. I have the Rigid pipe jacks and they are rated for 2,500 Lbs each. It was decided by myself and my companion, Heineken, that I would lift the buggy up with the pipe jacks... by myself. I snagged some 3x3x .188 square tubing we had at the farm that was long enough to span the width of the table and sit on the pipe jacks. I'm not saying this was safe, but I am saying this worked for me and I survived.
LOL. Yeah, it was stupid, I agree. But it worked!
94toytruck
Eastcoast crawler
Awesome, glad to hear it!
chaplinfj60
Well-known member
abrogate
Red Skull Member
I finally had a roller. This was a big moment for me. Getting the tires mounted and seeing it sit at full squat was very motivating.
Seeing it next to a stock TJ Rubicon really puts it in perspective how compact it is. An 11" tire height difference and sitting on GoJacks. The ride height was projected to be ~8" higher than this.
Seeing it next to a stock TJ Rubicon really puts it in perspective how compact it is. An 11" tire height difference and sitting on GoJacks. The ride height was projected to be ~8" higher than this.
'84 Bronco II
El Chingón
LOL. Yeah, it was stupid, I agree. But it worked!
How did you get it down from this point?
abrogate
Red Skull Member
I have four 12 ton jack stands that reach about 30” high. I slowly lowered the screw jacks at each corner in 1/2 turn increments and just worked in a circle around the death trap. Once the axles touched the jack stands, I used a floor jack with a block of wood to lower it two teeth at a time, front then back and repeated until I could put a tire on the ground. I wish I time lapse filmed it.How did you get it down from this point?
chaplinfj60
Well-known member
abrogate
Red Skull Member
Younger, dumber and full of alcohol. I should've died but I didn't. I shared this as a warning to not build a ship in a bottle.omg yes death trap, metal on metal slides real well. hahahah but wow.....
abrogate
Red Skull Member
The exhaust wasn't convenient to access with the table in the way. This was one of the drawbacks to using a giant table versus the minimalist chassis jig designs. I started with the passenger side and had to keep it high and tight for driveshaft and link clearance. I decided to use 2.5" and wrap it around the front of the pan then have the drivers side Y into right at the 3".
I used a combination of V band and slip fit clamps to assemble the exhaust. The muffler I had been using previously was a Flowmaster Super 44 and it had a serious drone to it. Sometimes I would get headaches from the noise. I found a compact "muffler" from Magnaflow. 3" in/out with a 5" body. The ends were already setup for slip fit, so I found some Walker slip fit clamps. I have used these before and you can disassemble the exhaust when needed. The tail pipe dumps just behind the drivers seat and I have not had issues with exhaust fumes making me feel nauseous.
The seats needed another crossmember to permanently mount them. The plan was to have a floor that stopped at the front of the seats. I wanted to have an easier time mounting to them, so unlike the rear one which is bent, I mitered the forward crossmember. This also helped me keep it tight to the transmission tail housing.
I used a combination of V band and slip fit clamps to assemble the exhaust. The muffler I had been using previously was a Flowmaster Super 44 and it had a serious drone to it. Sometimes I would get headaches from the noise. I found a compact "muffler" from Magnaflow. 3" in/out with a 5" body. The ends were already setup for slip fit, so I found some Walker slip fit clamps. I have used these before and you can disassemble the exhaust when needed. The tail pipe dumps just behind the drivers seat and I have not had issues with exhaust fumes making me feel nauseous.
The seats needed another crossmember to permanently mount them. The plan was to have a floor that stopped at the front of the seats. I wanted to have an easier time mounting to them, so unlike the rear one which is bent, I mitered the forward crossmember. This also helped me keep it tight to the transmission tail housing.
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chaplinfj60
Well-known member
very cool
exhaust for me was one of the fun things to do. being creative
exhaust for me was one of the fun things to do. being creative
abrogate
Red Skull Member
With seats mounted I could move on to the placement of the steering wheel, brake pedal and shifter. The T-case shifters were obviously going to be a nightmare and I was kicking that can down the road. I purchased a Char Lynn valve that came with a very short wheel adapter. I wasn't sure how long of an adapter to get and I figured I could extend the shaft temporarily to find the best placement. The adapter had a smooth .75" shaft that I slid a piece of 1" DOM over. Since I wanted to be able to make adjustments, I just cross drilled two bolts 90 degrees apart. The wheel end I slid a stub piece of .75" into the 1" and welded the hex adapter to it. There is a saying that nothing is more permanent than a temporary fix...
I had CNC manual brakes on the old rig, but the pedal assembly was a forward swing and I didn't have the room to use it. If I haven't mentioned it before I will say it again, I was on a budget. Build my dream car with spending as little as possible. Brake assemblies can be costly and I wanted to repurpose what I had. I called CNC to see what my options were for a reverse swing setup. They told me that the forward and reverse swing base were nearly the same except for the pedal and how things were assembled. The sold me just the pedal and reconfigured everything. It worked out perfectly. I had a shorter pedal with a better ratio for less pedal effort. Side note: if you are ever feeling lazy for finding hole layout, just use a scanner.
Now that the steering wheel and brake pedal were in place, I tackled the dash tubing. I rolled some 1.5 x .95" to tie the cowl tube into the forward crossmember and for the bottom tube of the dash. The upper center opening was going to be for gauges and switches and the lower center was for my Art Carr Sidewinder.
I really like how the dash worked out. There is plenty of room for easy entering and exiting. Plus there is tons of space for my legs when sitting in the car. The shifter is perfectly in reach when fully strapped in and I can comfortably grab it in any position. You can see that the shifter is setup for a RMVB for the Th400 and it also has the rock gate for unobstructed F to R movement.
I had CNC manual brakes on the old rig, but the pedal assembly was a forward swing and I didn't have the room to use it. If I haven't mentioned it before I will say it again, I was on a budget. Build my dream car with spending as little as possible. Brake assemblies can be costly and I wanted to repurpose what I had. I called CNC to see what my options were for a reverse swing setup. They told me that the forward and reverse swing base were nearly the same except for the pedal and how things were assembled. The sold me just the pedal and reconfigured everything. It worked out perfectly. I had a shorter pedal with a better ratio for less pedal effort. Side note: if you are ever feeling lazy for finding hole layout, just use a scanner.
Now that the steering wheel and brake pedal were in place, I tackled the dash tubing. I rolled some 1.5 x .95" to tie the cowl tube into the forward crossmember and for the bottom tube of the dash. The upper center opening was going to be for gauges and switches and the lower center was for my Art Carr Sidewinder.
I really like how the dash worked out. There is plenty of room for easy entering and exiting. Plus there is tons of space for my legs when sitting in the car. The shifter is perfectly in reach when fully strapped in and I can comfortably grab it in any position. You can see that the shifter is setup for a RMVB for the Th400 and it also has the rock gate for unobstructed F to R movement.
chaplinfj60
Well-known member
you are gonna make me redo my interior. never thought i could just run them bars from the dash all the way to the seats. thats super cool.... 
abrogate
Red Skull Member
thanks! It looks even better and is more functional when I finished the aluminum work. More to comeyou are gonna make me redo my interior. never thought i could just run them bars from the dash all the way to the seats. thats super cool....
abrogate
Red Skull Member
The last pieces of tubing in the rear were added and the fuel cell could still squeak out of there. These tubes were put off until later primarily because the long cope was not something I was looking forward to. I couldn't easily do it on my JD2 Beast notcher, so I had to hand cut them. I took my time and they fit great. Also the rear looks much better IMO with these installed.
The door spreaders were kept out intentionally so that I could access the interior more easily. I knocked those off the list next.
Another re-used item from the old rig was the PSC reservoir. I wasn't sure if its capacity was enough for full hydro, but it hasn't presented any issues so far. It has an internal filter and all the fittings required for -10 feed and -6 return for the front steering system. The upper coil over tabs were added at this point too. I used tapered weld washers on the inside of the tabs to help give me more misalignment. I wish the Sway-A-Way shock eyelet had more height to it like some other manufacturers because I had to pay close attention to how the tabs were oriented in order to avoid binding. This is definitely something I would like to change in the future if I get different shocks. The reservoirs were placed along the interior of the shock tube. This would require me to make new hydraulic hoses later due to the upper fitting at the shock being a swivel 90 and the hose routing.
I had an old JAZ coolant overflow that was sitting around and that was incorporated alongside of the radiator.
The radiator found its final home and I made a lower cradle that welded to the winch plate and the upper mount spanned between the bezel tube and the removable engine cage. I had to keep things low and tight for hood clearance. Under that I mounted a finned steering cooler with the in and out on the end facing the drivers side. The radiator was insulated from the cradles with a high heat, high density, closed cell, adhesive backed foam from McMaster. I have used this foam several times and it holds up for years.
I wanted to run an oil accumulator in this truck to compliment the Kevko oil pan. When swapping to this pan, I lost the OEM oil filter. I picked up a remote filter base that had different options for in/out and mounted that opposite of the P.S. reservoir. Later I would drill and tap this filter base for the pressure switch for the accumulator solenoid. The hood pins were tucked away upfront as well.
The door spreaders were kept out intentionally so that I could access the interior more easily. I knocked those off the list next.
Another re-used item from the old rig was the PSC reservoir. I wasn't sure if its capacity was enough for full hydro, but it hasn't presented any issues so far. It has an internal filter and all the fittings required for -10 feed and -6 return for the front steering system. The upper coil over tabs were added at this point too. I used tapered weld washers on the inside of the tabs to help give me more misalignment. I wish the Sway-A-Way shock eyelet had more height to it like some other manufacturers because I had to pay close attention to how the tabs were oriented in order to avoid binding. This is definitely something I would like to change in the future if I get different shocks. The reservoirs were placed along the interior of the shock tube. This would require me to make new hydraulic hoses later due to the upper fitting at the shock being a swivel 90 and the hose routing.
I had an old JAZ coolant overflow that was sitting around and that was incorporated alongside of the radiator.
The radiator found its final home and I made a lower cradle that welded to the winch plate and the upper mount spanned between the bezel tube and the removable engine cage. I had to keep things low and tight for hood clearance. Under that I mounted a finned steering cooler with the in and out on the end facing the drivers side. The radiator was insulated from the cradles with a high heat, high density, closed cell, adhesive backed foam from McMaster. I have used this foam several times and it holds up for years.
I wanted to run an oil accumulator in this truck to compliment the Kevko oil pan. When swapping to this pan, I lost the OEM oil filter. I picked up a remote filter base that had different options for in/out and mounted that opposite of the P.S. reservoir. Later I would drill and tap this filter base for the pressure switch for the accumulator solenoid. The hood pins were tucked away upfront as well.
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Pickuptrucker
Well-known member
Nice work. Where there’s a will there is a way!
chaplinfj60
Well-known member
i freaking love this fender so to speak
abrogate
Red Skull Member
I found some pics of the radiator and the dual fan shroud that I made for it. I couldn't put the Volvo fan between the rad and the water pump as it was too deep for the space available. It was also larger in diameter than the radiator was tall. That part didn't really bother me but I couldn't make it fit. I researched Spal's website and found the VA11-AP7-/C-57A . I could fit two of these side by side and have them switch on at different temps. I cut the shroud out of some thin AL that I got from work and made it 3/4" deep. Everything fit nicely.
There was rumor that Optima batteries were now junk, but my previous yellow top lasted 13 years so I was willing to give them another chance. I built a mount for a 34/78 and placed it between the seats.
There was rumor that Optima batteries were now junk, but my previous yellow top lasted 13 years so I was willing to give them another chance. I built a mount for a 34/78 and placed it between the seats.
abrogate
Red Skull Member
Another re-used item from the old buggy were the KC Slimlite halogens. They fit the 40 bezel perfectly and I already had them so it was an easy decision. I laid out a design that would be a light, bezel and grill mesh mount.
To wrap up the front end I needed to add a hawse to the winch area.
The winch mounts super close to the from crossmember and I had to cut a portion of it away to ensure that the rope would not chafe anywhere. The welds were sanded and blended as well.
To wrap up the front end I needed to add a hawse to the winch area.
The winch mounts super close to the from crossmember and I had to cut a portion of it away to ensure that the rope would not chafe anywhere. The welds were sanded and blended as well.
abrogate
Red Skull Member
The aluminum fab shop where I was working at the time couldn't use material that had blemishes and would sell me "scraps" for a penny per pound. I got some nice 6061 and 5053 sheets for next to nothing. I don't recall which material I used for each item, but I made a simple interior that would get me moving forward. Further down the road I built a firewall and I'll share that at some point. I started the floors by making some nutsert tabs. If you don't have a nutsert tool yet, I have a Marson 325-RN and it can do up to 1/2-20 nutserts. Its large and they make smaller ones, but I wanted larger capacity. I am done welding nuts if I can avoid it. As long as the tool is setup right, you get a good grip on the nutsert and you can drill them out for replacement. This makes assembly and disassebly of panels so much easier. I will note that cutting an accurate hole is important. I undersize the hole on my plasma table, then ream the hardened edge with an egg shaped carbide burr in a drill press to make the hole more circular and then finally drill the hole to the appropriate size for the nutsert. I made about 50 of these one night and had more than enough to do the buggy.
I only wanted three gauges, oil pressure, water temp and voltage, so I made a simple panel that would fill the center opening on the dash.
The trans tunnel would tie the two floor panels together and also be the home of the ECM. I made an ECM mount that used the factory hardware and the mount bolted to the tunnel. All of that had to fit beneath the intake and air filter and clear the gauges, wiring and trans shifter.
I only wanted three gauges, oil pressure, water temp and voltage, so I made a simple panel that would fill the center opening on the dash.
The trans tunnel would tie the two floor panels together and also be the home of the ECM. I made an ECM mount that used the factory hardware and the mount bolted to the tunnel. All of that had to fit beneath the intake and air filter and clear the gauges, wiring and trans shifter.
chaplinfj60
Well-known member
ok this is awesome, but how in the heck does the shifter do what you did, i have that one and no idea the gold part could be adjusted like that. holly crap......