Family haulin'

[Tapage]

Originally Posted by boots4

Thanks tapage, that's nice to know about the pyro too. I've got the probe in pre-turbo so I figure I can get 1100-1200F before I need to back off. So at shut down you aim for 250F before turning it off?

Preturbo in both turbo cruisers and yes .. sometimes ( not really usual ) I take the chance to go close to 1250 - 1300ªF before backoff the skiny pedal ..

Usually I let it really calm down .. sure if I have the time .. if not, at least to 300 - 325 in a real hurry.

[boots4]

Not much to update with family in town but I have noticed that I seemed to be getting more vibs than before so I started looking at mounts and found one of my motor mounts had a nut that slightly loosened. So I got a wrench in there and tightened it up. I checked them all but that was the only one that loosened. The vibs reduced and now my hood doesn't shake so much. I'll add this to my visual inspections as I lay underneath and just look at stuff.

Part of the problem might be that seam in the metal that the washer is resting on. The nuts are ny-locks so it didn't go very far but enough to let it vibrate more than what felt normal.

[boots4]

Family left and other issues popped up in life but I was able to get some time on the cruiser and conduct a distance trip test.

First I picked up a 10' stick of 3" exhaust tube to redo the exhaust. I'm ditching the muffler and going to try out the those baffles I posted on the previous page. So to prep for that I started cutting and welding. The previous downpipe I made had dents in part of it and I got some free tubing with a bend that I could use so I cut up the old one and put on the new one.





Here is what my frankenstein downpipe looks like now.



I shaped the piece that will replace the muffler section and got to the part to clear the shock and go over the axle.



I tried these mounts I found at the local hardware store but it's ended up being too soft. I'll either need to find something more ridgid or mostlikely redesign the mount.



My sweet wife decided that I needed a decent tool box for my birthday so we found some on craigslist and ended up grabbing this one. It'll be nice to have most of my tools in one spot so I cleaned it up and started organizing stuff. My distance test came when we picked up the box. It was a 2 1/2 hr round trip pulling my trailer on the freeway. It towed great but need to get the lock-up wired on my tranny and my 38s mounted. I was pulling at 70mph no problem but it was out of my efficiency range and used more fuel than I thought. I hovered around 200F on the tranny temp without lock-up so I know that will come down once wired up. I'll plan on adding a cooler in the near future because when we go the get a load of wet wood for next season it's going to be a little more weight to lug. The steering is still too loose for my tastes so I think I'll pull the steering box and check out the preloads per FSM to see if that will tighten it up. I checked for movement in the system and believe that's where the slack is coming from. I know I've changed the geometry (wider tires, wheel spacers, leafs) and the wide, bald, out-of-balance tires on it now are playing a part but I'm trying to tighted it up more before I get the 38s fit and the ram assist mounted. Maybe the ram assist will take care of some of it. As for the engine it happily pulled along running 7-10lbs of boost with the trailer empty and didn't miss a beat. Great little engine. Anyways it's an 18 drawer cabinet with ball bearing sliders.



What instigated the need for a tool cabinet was the suprise of a friend getting rid of a bunch of tools he got from a deceased diesel machanic (widowed wife passed them on). My friend thought I might be able to use them so I picked it all up. Just a lot of misc. stuff and some duplicates of what I already have but there was also a box of just taps. One of the taps (which I'm sure I'll never use) is a massive 1 1/2". Maybe I'll mount a spare tire with one bolt.



I hope to finally go to the junkyard this weekend and get some leafs to play with and get the front pack reconfigured.

[Tapage]

Dude .. did you already go to the alignment shop and get the caster values for your Cruiser .. ?

There any play in your steering box .. ( maye can tight it a little with the top adjust )

[boots4]

I have not gone to an alignment shop but I cut n'turned to 3 degrees with the weight of the rig on the axle and added a 5 degree shim so I should be @ 8 degrees (that was my cheater way of not having to cut off the axle perches and weld them back on to bring down the pinion angle). It does track straight at speed but the wheel feels loose and I have to "saw" away on the wheel (go back and forth) before it feels like it's engaging the wheels. I've played around with toe-in too and am currently running 1/4" toe rather than 1/8th" like normal. It tightened it up a little but will cause more tire wear; something I don't care about on these junker 35s but want dialed in before I start wearing my 38s away. I've also played with the adjusting nut on the top of the box and I get similar results of a slight increase in tightness but not satisfying. I know I'm being picky and that these normally have some play in them but mine seems like too much. Steering box internals is the only place I haven't checked yet. I simply took it apart and put it back together when I ported the box. I think the issue was pre-existing and having wider tires plus spacers is amplifying that previous issue because I do remember it being sloppy before the build. It may end up being a worn out box but I won't know that until I take it apart to measure and get some FSM comparisons. At least it's not leaking.

[boots4]

We had a sister come up from Medford to attend a training class last week. Upon shuffling the vehicles around to park the cruiser behind the others (I leave for work first) I bumped into the fire heidrant that is located on the corner of our lot.



It was dark and I got a little to friendly with it and I heard large PSSSSH sound. I looked to the that corner and saw no water (thank goodness) but noticed the front right drop several inches. I got out and saw the damage and drove the cruiser up the driveway first so I could park it (I'd be taking the car to work instead). I put a jack under the axle to get the rim off the ground and here is the damage to the tire. I don't think a few tire slugs were going to fix that.



That's a pretty good sidewall rip, enough to get my arm in.





The suggested we just get another cheap 35 and stick it on. I told her I might as well throw on the 38s instead of waste money on a 35. She said she didn't understand why I wanted to put such a big tire on since hopping into the truck in a dress for church doesn't excite her. I think I'm losing her . So what do I do? Just like any loving husband I'll just build her a step because the 38s are goin' on! To get all the tires to the shop to swap them over I needed to tow the trailer so I put on the old original tires. If anyone still wonders if it will look alright doing a SOA and running small tires please look at the following pic.





I went to a local little tire joint and helped them mount the 38s. They were the max for their machine. It was interesting to see how they did it and it looks like reseating a bead on the trail might be challenging. For balance I used 14 oz. of heavy weight airsoft pellets in each tire. I followed the chart on Tire Chart Map and added another oz. or two to be safe. I had a few onlookers ask me some questions and what I was going to run them on. I did end up popping the hood and showing some of the conversion but once the tires were done I drove home and I parked the 60 for a test fitting.

This pic is more for a comparison



Here's the meat.



I jacked up one side and put them on. Now we're talkin'!



Yup, now we're talking clearance. Remember, I've moved the rear axle reward and the front axle forward a couple inches. This is the rear clearance with the quarter panel.



I've got 4 fingers between the tire and the body mount. I'll have to stuff it to see what I need to cut out.



Here's a look at the front.



I'll definitely be hitting on the front when stuffing. Some of that will need to come out.



I did some full turn tests and actually don't hit anything standing still. Add some road bumps or trail roots in the mix and I'll be getting contact.



That's almost full turn to the left. I'll probably need to take a couple of inches off that too since with a SR the axle will move back.



Front spring clearance almost full turn to the left. I should be fine. Full turns usually only happen at slower speeds, at least for me, don't know about some of you crazies out there.



I threw on the other front tire to get a shot of the front.

[brokenparts]

looks great man... you're defiantly in the need for trimming. Too bad too cause the body is so nice. Mine was easy since the body is pretty beat.

[boots4]

Have fun in Moab Zach!

Let see if this will work the second time.

Here is my projected line for the quarter chop.



I got out the cutting disks, welded, and did some grinding. Again the axle is on jacks so I could put the tire in and out for visual clearance so it's not bolted to the axle. While the chop might seem high (it did to me) I will have sliders/protection running underneath it and that should give the rear end a little more plumpness.



I echo the concensous that body work sucks. I'd spot weld in little strips to attempt to keep the heat out of it but I'll probably use a health dose of sealant and bondo to smooth it out. I'm trying not to spend too much time on the chops since I'll probably get dents back there anyways. I used 1/8" plate for the bottom caps.



I used some rod for the fender lips to give me something to weld to and give it some structure. It helped absorb the heat from having too much juice on my welder.



While I had the bottom open I got a hammer in there and pounded out the dent on my rear corner. It only had surface rust so the panel is a keeper.



I didn't get as far on the passenger side.







Two more pics just for eye candy.

[HawkDriver]

Wow! And those rear quarters are turning out real nice.

[brokenparts]

Nice work as always ... Looks like you managed to keep those body mounts in there too. How much room do you have when the tire moves up?

I finally finished up my rear bumper in time for Moab. It really improved the look of the rear with the quarter chop not to mention added some good protection. I got my aals in too... Kinda looks like its doing a wheelie now. Hope they settle out a bit.

[Tapage]

It rocks !!!!

I'm not a fan of those tires .. but they look amazing hot in your cruiser dude ..

P.S. looking forward on your step .. coz my wife scream for some help heach time that we go out in Tencha.

[boots4]

Originally Posted by brokenparts

... Looks like you managed to keep those body mounts in there too. How much room do you have when the tire moves up?

I still need to flex it to see what I need to cut. I should be able to keep the mount, just a little less of it.

I never got to see you completed bumper but I figure there will be plenty pics of it once you're back from Utarrrrr.

Originally Posted by Tapage

P.S. looking forward on your step .. coz my wife scream for some help each time that we go out in Tencha.

Yeah I got a good deal on the tires so I couldn't pass them up.

Sorry, don't mean to get your hopes up. It'll probably just be something I can throw in the back once she's in and probably only be used when she's in a dress. On the high note, she'll get the door opened for her now.

[boots4]

Originally Posted by HawkDriver

Wow! And those rear quarters are turning out real nice.

Thanks, I'm glad they look better in the pic than in real life. Really they aren't that bad, it's just my first time doing sheet metal so I'm learning.

[Tapage]

Originally Posted by boots4

Sorry, don't mean to get your hopes up. It'll probably just be something I can throw in the back once she's in and probably only be used when she's in a dress. On the high note, she'll get the door opened for her now.

you gotta get problems with my wife .. coz I send a message and said that a fiend in mud it's designing a step for 60 series ..

Now she will be diesapointed .. it gonna cost me other 3 hours of my sunday in the mall

[CreeperSleeper]

Sexy! That is so cool... (I want 38's...)

[boots4]

Originally Posted by Tapage

Now she will be diesapointed .. it gonna cost me other 3 hours of my sunday in the mall

[lulo]

Originally Posted by boots4

hahahahaahaaa... your rig in this pics like a Skate-Board!





Big Tires!

Good job mate!, nice pics, but i dont like cut the body , enjoy

[4alarm]

Looks like a monster truck with the little wheels they put on them to get them in the trailers.

Awesome build!

[1974FJ]

That is so freakin sweet!!! i love the rear fender cut you made, that makes it look awesome!

[SAR_Squid79]

Top-notch work as always, AND - your first & second official wheelin mods are done!

[boots4]

I found out this weekend that I suck at body work. I tried 3 layers with sanding inbetween and I gave up. So it looks like I'll need to get some texture on the quarters to hide the imperfections and mask some of the wavyness. At least now I have a better appreciation for those who can do it well. I just threw on some primer to keep rust from starting. Here are my results











Testing continues:

My first test drive with the 38s was pulling a trailer going to get a load of wood. On the way back it's probably the heaviest load I've had on the trailer and towed with the diesel so far. I really like the 38s. Smooth, not very loud, and more comfortable than those worn out 35s. It even tracked better. I did notice an increase on my pyro but the 4bt pulled great. I did get the tranny pretty hot, 240F on the gauge, and had to pull over and let it cool off (stop and go, warmer day, in hilly terrain pulling a heavy load). I am reconsidering about using that heat exchanger and thinking about ditching it for just a cooler. Before I do that I'm going to get a fan for that radiator and redesign the lower coolant hose since it's got a kink in it now from readjusting the motor mounts. I'll probably build an inlet port for the engine side that's the same size as the radiator outlet so I can use one size of hose. Should be much easier to deal with leaks although suprisingly my frankenstein hose isn't leaking a drop. I'll plan on using a tranny cooler with the exchanger and see what happens.

The next day we hooked the trailer back up and picked up a swing set for my daughter's Bday. As we pulled onto the street it was really sluggish and felt like a dog. I wasn't registering any boost on the gauge but could hear the turbo spinning, just not as much as it should. I kept thinking about what it could be as we drove there and back with our load and when I got home to start investigating I noticed the tubing for my boost gauge had come off of the t-fitting for a boost signal. I hooked it back up and we went to pick up some plants. It was boosting like normal and then as I had my foot in it the boost dropped and it became sluggish again. I pulled over and saw the tubing had popped off again so later that evening I fastened it with a hose clamp and used some glue to bond the tubing to the rubber fitting that goes on the T.



So if you notice an immediate drop in boost, it's not registering on your gauge, and your engine feels like a dog then there could be a pressure leak somewhere, mine was easy to find. This was good to find because I'll be increasing the boost pretty soon by playing with my wastegate. The tranny was running hot again so I hope to finally hit the junkyard this weekend and will add a fan to my list. I'll also do a fluid flush before a big trip to California at the end of May.

The front tires are rubbing on hard turns and I'm getting some slicing so I'll be cutting some chunks out of the fender very soon.



So the testing continues and hopefully one of these weekends I'll get some springs to reconfigure the fronts and flex it!