Satan, 1992 pickup build (1 Viewer)

[meigsrock]

I nick named the truck Satan because it is black and the wife hated it when I brought it home. "too many cars" she said .

I started with a stock 1992 4x4 truck, 22re, 5 speed manual, 4.10 gears. I bought it for a bargain with a fairly newly rebuilt engine but it needed a new front fender. It is kind of a novelty too. It is a base model with no power steering, no tilt wheel, no intermittent wipers, no cruise control, but it has AC!.....go figure. All this factored into why I got it for a good price and why I bought it. (picture 1)

Last year I added 2-3 extra leafs to the rear to beef it up and lift it a bit. I also cranked up the torsion bars and installed 1.5" ball joint spacers. This gave me 2-2.5" or so of lift and I installed 33" tires.

 

[meigsrock]

Pictures of rear leafs after extras were installed. The stock shocks worked OK but I had to add some washers to the front shocks to make them long enough so they would not limit down travel.

These extra leafs worked really well. I think they were from a gen 2 mid to late 1980's pickup but they gave it extra lift and load capacity. Basically a cheap add a leaf of sorts. Worked really well.

I had to notch the rear axle spring perch when installing the Trail Gear U-bolt flip kit.

 

[NorCalBorn]

Nice. Plans are??

*Don't satan, say eleven?

 

[meigsrock]

I am getting there....picturs are loading slow tonight.

Front shock pic with washers for spacers.

I also picked up a rear third member with 4.88 gears and installed it. I found a whole factory front axle with 4.88 gears in it but never got around to installing it so I had to run 2wd all summer with the 33's but it was a pretty good set up except for the 2wd part.

I should have installed poly bushings and longer shackles with greasable pins to leavel it out but I never quite got there.

 

[meigsrock]

I liked that set up ok and would have left it like that for a while longer but I found a 4" IFS lift kit used for dirt cheap. Then I found a sweet deal on a pair of rear trail gear 4" lift springs, bushings, and shackles.

I had also managed to hunt for some other parts last summer. I found a driver side fender in good shape, I just need to paint it. I managed to find a complete steering column with a tilt wheel and intermittent wiper switch. I also tracked down a complete power steering set up for a 22re.

I have been driving around for a while with bad lower ball joints so I decided now is the time to put all the parts on and do some upgrades.

So I will be doing the following upgrades this month:
Power steering install
Tilt steering wheel and intermittent wiper install
4" IFS drop bracket front suspension
4" Trail Gear leaf springs in the rear
4.88 front axle swap (switching the ADD 4.88 axle over to a non ADD axle and installing)
Driver side fender replacement
New pitman and idler arm
New lower ball joints
Stainless steel extended break lines
35" tires

I also managed to get a good deal on some 35" BFG AT's on rims.

Eventually I would like to do a SAS but just can't do it now. A 3.4L swap would be nice too but we will see.

I am still collecting parts for future upgrades. I have a warn 4287 winch if I can find a bumper that will work with it, if not I will have to make one. I also have an extra t-case to do a double transfer case mod but will wait to do that with the SAS. I have a 1985 FJ60 front axle and a 2000 Tacoma rear axle that I can eventually use for a SAS as time and $ allow.

I figure I will do it all at once kind of like now once I get all the parts I need and then get a chunk of time to do it. I may get the axles built up and finished before I start the SAS to save time, but that will be in a year or two I think.

 

[meigsrock]

Disassembly started about a week ago and now I am playing catch up posting progress. I work slow but I have about a month before I need to have it done and start on another truck so I have lots of time and should be able to get it done in time.

I usually come home for work, shovel snow for about an hour every day or two, eat dinner, then start work on the truck for 4 hours or so. That is about all the time I can stand crawling around on the floor in my small work space. I only have 2-3ft around the truck to work.

Front bumper off. I did not have any wires or lights in the marker lights in the bumper. Is this normal or did the previous owner remove them? Hmm......oh well no need to replace those when I get a new bumper I guess.

Driver side fender off. While it was off I also adjusted the Door alignment so It shuts better. My door hinges are original and in good shape I just think it has sagged or was never installed that great from the factory.

Front suspension removed. It took me about 3 days to get this far.

 

[meigsrock]

Here is my lift kit I scored. All there except for rear blocks, front break line extended brackets, and front bump stop brackets. No big deal, installing longer stainless break lines instead, TG 4" springs in rear instead of blocks, and I can fab up my own bump stop extensions.

Don't worry, I painted it black before I installed it. I am not sure what brand but could not beat the price. I did have to go to the fastener store and buy some bolts for it but no big deal. Ran me $20 and I can probably return half of them if I want too.

Time to switch around front axles to get the 4.88 gears in the front. My truck is 4.10 non ADD, so it has manual hubs. The Axle I bought for the 4.88 gears is a ADD with the vacuum switch sleeve for in cab 4wd. I kind of would have liked to leave the ADD in it as well as the manual hubs but I would have had to find a way to make the vacuum work, buy more parts and mount it in the cab. This would have been nice since I do winter driving in 4wd half the year but I was not sure how and did not get look into how to do it so I will just leave it non ADD with manual hubs.

I decided to use the ADD axle carrier for two reasons. First of all I would not have to pull out the gears and re set gear depth/pattern and replace seals. Second The ADD case uses needle bearings to support the axle shafts before they contact the spider gears where the non ADD axle uses brass bushings which I have read can wear out faster than the bearing will.

I just followed the Factory service manual for removal.
Non ADD axle:
Used a slide hammer puller to remove long side axle. Unbolt long side axle.

ADD axle:
Remove vacuum actuator, remove the axle tube bolts, use slide hammer to pull out axle with tube connected on the end.

I also removed the front inspection cover to check condition of the gears before the swap.

 

[meigsrock]

Here is the ADD axle with the short side of the long axle in the axle after removing the outer section of the tube and axle shaft and vacuum actuator. It needs to be removed and an oil seal installed before installing the non ADD axle and tube back on.

I did not have a special service tool so I took a trip to NAPA and got lucky. They had this small puller which was just about right. (I took measurements before I went shopping). I did have to grind down the edges just a little to get it to clear the edges of the housing so it would slip down around the shaft edges.

I removed the center rod and installed it on my slide hammer to remove the axle stub.

 

[meigsrock]

First photo is after the axle shaft stub was removed. You can see the needle bearings in the axle.

New inner oil axle seal installed in the ADD third member ready for non ADD axle tube and axle to be installed.

Install the long side axle tube, torque all bolts to spec, then tap in the axle shaft, and axle is ready to install.

 

[meigsrock]

All the front suspension is back on with new lower ball joints (upper still ok) except for shocks which I need to find a good set and order (suggestions?). I still need to torque down a couple things but mostly complete.

I had to grind / remove 1/8" on the edge of the back of the bracket here (pic 1). I wish I had done it first but fortunately I could get my dremmel with a cut off wheel in there to remove just enough.

Ordering parts this week:
shocks
sway bar bushings and possibly sway bar disconnect links?
break anti rattle springs for front
extended break lines (ordered)
rear spring frame perch (ordered)

In the mean time while I wait for parts I have lots to do like steering, wipers, oil change, full tune up.

Does anyone know if a sway bar disconnect is a good idea on an IFS truck? and if so a good place to get them?

Does anyone know what to torque these bolts to (pic #2)? I can't find it in my FSM or Chilton's. I may weld the bracket at this junction for strength after alignment is done and straight for extra strength. Some think this is a weak spot or at least can get knocked around and get out of alignment. Any Thoughts?

 

[jynx]

Wow you have been busy. I like the truck and that you are reworking the ifs and not just hacking it off.... for now anyway.

The only thing I will comment on is the sway bar question. I have been running my pickup without one for going on three years now and I honestly can't tell a difference so unless you just want it on there, you might try riding without for a while. You could always put it back on later. I am still stock so you extra height might give you some extra sway.

Anyway, keep up the great work. Oh and how is the camper coming?

 

[eetdirt47]

i dont run a sway bar but i'm rockin some larger sway-a-way's.

 

[meigsrock]

Wow you have been busy. I like the truck and that you are reworking the ifs and not just hacking it off.... for now anyway.

The only thing I will comment on is the sway bar question. I have been running my pickup without one for going on three years now and I honestly can't tell a difference so unless you just want it on there, you might try riding without for a while. You could always put it back on later. I am still stock so you extra height might give you some extra sway.

Anyway, keep up the great work. Oh and how is the camper coming?

ya, bussy for sure. I also did some work on my FJ60 to get it up to a DD before I started on the pickup. I did fuel filter, pump, tire rod ends, oil change, semi tune up, 2.5" extended shackles, 33x12.5's, and basket roof rack.

I will give that a try with no sway bar and see what I think...good idea. I left it off on the FJ60. Then I can hold off on ordering those parts for a bit. It is or was my DD and probably will be again because it gets better mileage than the FJ60 for sure.....even lifted, so I do need it to handle well for on road driving.

Thanks for the comment on the IFS. I see some folks out there with this kit or similar but you don't really find much info on boards about them. It all seems to be body lift, bj spacers, or SAS.

The camper is still on hold because it is too big to get into the garage and it is cold with 2ft of snow in the yard. I ordered extended break lines for it, and should have a 2000 Tacoma rear axle arriving soon that I may try in the rear. That way I can test out 4.10 gears and 4.56 gears to see what I like. I could even test out 4.88 gears if I take the rear from my pickup. I should be able to get back to in mid April or in may after I wrap up the pickup and it is warm enough to work outside comfortably.

i don't run a sway bar but I'm rocking some larger sway-a-way's.

Do you mean larger torsion bars from sway a way? They also make sway bars too.

 

[jynx]

Mine is my DD and I have put probably close to 60k miles on it with out the sway bar with no ill effects. To tell you the truth I honestly couldn't tell the difference with or without. I love my little truck, I've had it for almost 13 years now and have put about 170,000 miles on it. She starts every time and I don't hesitate to hope in and take off. I look forward to seeing yours when you get everything back together.

 

[eetdirt47]

yep. larger torsion bars. it's my DD but i dont really have the average commute.

 

[meigsrock]

I finished the front bracket drop kit (except sway bar stuff) and everything is torqued to speck. Just waiting for break lines to show up and figure out what I want to do for front shocks.

I started working on the power steering today and I think I ran into a snag and need some help. Can anyone tell me how many belts they run on a truck with a 22RE, AC, and PS. Do they run 3 belts / 3 groove pulley on the crank?

Mine only has two (AC and water pump) and I am thinking it should have 3 for a PS truck but can't find anything in any of my 4 service books.

- I swapped out the manual steering box for a PS one,
- installed the idler arm,
- drilled 3 holes in the fender and bolted the PS reservoir on,
- installed the pump,
- installed brackets and pulleys although I need to buy another pulley or bearing because the small adjuster one was a bit wobbly.
- I also installed all the hoses although I did eliminate the section of metal tube that runs in front of the radiator to act as a cooler. I did not want to remove the grille to get that dumb section in so I bypassed it for now. I will install a good power steering cooler if I think I need to. One that is like a auto tranny cooler type with fins.

I picked up the rear spring mounting perches and some greasable bolts for the rear, but it looks like I will be heading to a couple parts stores tomorrow to track down power steering parts.

Hope to finish up the power steering tomorrow if I can track down my parts and start on the steering column and wiper swap.

Sorry no pictures yet, but I will post some up soon.

 

[jynx]

I have 3 groves on mine 22RE with AC and PS. The main pulley only has 2 grooves, the third bolts on the front of the main pulley with 4 bolts. It is dished to sit down inside the body of the main pulley. So I think you just need to find the front section and you will be good. Maybe check the donor vehicle you got all the other bits from. I will look thru my pictures tonight and see if I have a good one to illustrate.

 

[meigsrock]

Thanks Jynx!,

Good to know, I was not looking forward to removing the pulley off the crank. I have done that before on my JF60 and had to make my own special service tool to do it.....but I still have it in case I have to pull this one off. I did notice a couple bolt holes on the front of the pulley but I thought that was just for a puller. I will have to look again to see if there is 4.

I will head over to GTF after work to get 2 more greasable bolts and nuts for the rear shackles and see if he has any crank pulley parts and PS pulley parts in the parts shed. Then around the corner to NAPPA to see if they have pulleys and for PS fluid, belts, spark plug wires, and vacuum lines.

I will have to get 2 crank pulleys, one for the pickup and one for my camper so I can finish the power steering conversion on it too.

I wish I had a donor parts truck but I was just picking up parts last summer I knew I would need/want as people would part out their trucks. Never even crossed my mind that the crank pulleys would be different.

 

[meigsrock]

GTF had what I needed. I grabbed a couple more bolts and nuts for the rear shackles so I have all the parts for the rear when I get to that.

I picked up 2 pulleys so I have one for the pickup and one for my camper conversion when I finish it this spring. I also picked up 2 PS belts, one for each truck.

Picked up a new bearing for the PS idler wheel. I did forget the vacuum line but I know I will be back for something else soon enough.

I think while I have the bumper off before I buy or build a bumper I am going to add some coolers. A power steering cooler and a oil cooler. I have been eyeballing some at JC Whitney but am open to ideas and suggestions here.

Here are a couple pictures.
- Front drop bracket kit finished.
- Power steering tank mounted
- Power steering hoses re-routed / PS pump mounted

 

[meigsrock]

I also want to add another battery and so far the only spot I can think to add one is where the air filter box is. Does any one know where else I can put a second battery? Or any ideas on what I can do with the air intake stuff to re-route it?

Picture 2 above.