Builds Fixing up “The big Ox” (1 Viewer)

[on the rocks]

After stalking Bowfin for what seems like months, I finally got an order in on their roof rack.
Shipped pretty quick even. Packaging was interesting but, hey it worked...
No pictures of sorting out the parts and assembly but it was pretty straight forward, The instructions almost read like I wrote them LOL, but got through it.
Man, this opens the door for a lot more goodies but will hang tight for now. Mountain west overland expo coming next week and I'm super excited to go. Been waiting two years now.. So lucky this will be right in the back yard here in Loveland,

 

[on the rocks]

Came in for lunch before jumping on a blown out GS350 strut and UPS stopped by.
Delta 5L arms!
Have a few things going on so unfortunately may not get to these until later this week… I will post up my 4” standard Delta arms for sale soon but want to get these on and package them up in the 5L packaging. If anyone even reads this DONT even try to lowball me on the 4’s. They will likely go full price, you pay shipping NO TAX. About 100 miles on them if that. Did I mention they are large group order only now!?!? This will be a when the check clears they get shipped deal, no wait…

 

[on the rocks]

5L's installed and torqued down and NO RUBBBING! on the pavement anyway, major item checked off the list. 4's already sold and shipped,

For the undercarriage GM Charcoal canister-
- used some old 1/6" telecom cabinet panel I had laying around,
- ground off the white paint, marked it up and cut it to fit the mock up. Found a local metal supply shop that made the bends for $25.
- Test fit prefect, will weld it up, drill some holes and possible clean it up a bit before a few coats of paint.

Got some hose and barb fittings for the venting. I believe I measured 1/2" (went fuel line) and 5/8" (radiator hose) from Amazon ordered up.

 

[on the rocks]

Unfortunately getting really busy and prepping for a beach in a month so hard to find time to progress. Couple more smalls out of the way.

Bracket welded and prepped for the new canister. Figured its tucked away so good time to fab something myself and work on the welding grinding and paint. Pretty low cost and makes me appreciate the hard work some of these guys put into their product. I have a looong ways to go but happy with this round. Also a glimpse of the sound proof going on in the rear of the ox. HUGE improvement with the two layers in before the drawers go in,
I feel like if I had time I would sit on the street corner with a sign and beg for knowledge and use of machinery for labor. For now it's hand tools and rattle cans where I can get away with it. Note to self,prep the metal before bending, especially if removing old paint and re-purposing metal for a bracket.

couple shots of the canister and mount. Pretty solid and tucks in above the Delta bumper nice and tight. Next is yanking the old air line and pluming the breather line and getting it all connected. May be time to clean up the old home made receiver hitch mount bracing and finally weld it in 15 years later. Looking rough from the chloride and thankfully the frame is in much better shape.

 

[on the rocks]

Had a few hours to move forward on the new charcoal canister relocate.
venting- Went with a spot near the gas cap I used to have an air chuck for the OBA. I plan on moving the air chucks to the many options the Delta bumpers offer soon so opened this perfect location. Ended up with a slim marine metal fuel line vent with 5/8" barb. Secured it with some stainless wire similar to what I use on the dirt bike throttle due to the limited space. no mods needed but drilling a hole in the flat plastic surface. The CC I went with had a large 5/8" ID feed so kept it the same size.

Temped in the lines.
Right- vent: 5/8" ID vent to the right as previously mentioned, Keep the run 5/8" the whole run, Seems to be way overkill but had the room.
Center- purge: 1/2" ID purge valve line, after finding out I had the wrong barbs to connect to the OEM lines, I made another order to fit 1/2" ID to 1/4" ID feed to the rigid line to the front near the tank.
Left- tank: 5/8" ID tank line, will reduce to the OEM 1/4" ID soft hose or go direct to the tank fitting same 1/4" size.
I'll likely reduce right at the secure point I fabed on the bracket.

Removed that damn POS canister finally!!
Opened up the space nicely:
Need to address a throttle mount relocate. Low priority but it's flopping on the distributor. Will try to ignore and save for a LT conversion unless it presents some sort of unforeseen issue.
I already see some need for harness re-routing options but will be patient. Maybe focus on that ABS next in this area. Brakes are amazing with the caliper upgrade so the ABS is tolerable. May push a bit on a booster/ ABS removal solution but bigger fish to fry to get back to some overland ready camping next year first. Moving inside soon.

Reused one of the existing lines to the old canister. I may bend the rigid line but this works and happy with the results for now. 3 options to use the previous OEM lines for this feed to the purge valve.

 

[on the rocks]

New canister final plumed in and the first start it started right up better than ever. I could be on crack but I swear it was also idling better.... Something did feel / sound different but it is cold out. Wish I could say it felt like I installed a turbo but no luck there. I shot a video of something I haven't heard for 20 years but don't know how to attach it. No swoooosh opening the gas cap first drive....
Mixed up clamps because the 1/2" didn't have a tight fit with a spring clamp. May do a rigid line to the OEM Purge line and tank but will wait to see if the exhaust causes any issues with he soft hoses first. Overall routed OK and very happy with the results so far.

Right line is OEM extension to the purge valve
Extended the OEM soft line to the tank with the old purge valve rigid 90 going into the motor. It was tight up in there and getting cold out so didn't want to take a chance and screw something up and have to drop the tank.

 

[on the rocks]

Never been a fan of sliders and 20+ years of never needing them I finally dove in. All the weight I'm adding is painful but thought it would be smart to add them on and complete the Delta set. I was hoping it made the entry with the 37's easier but now it's kind of a flop in lol.
Good instructions and they went on fairy easy and I tried doing it solo. Got a bit hung up on trying to re-mount the brake lines over just bending them all but the front but finally gave in as the mid set suck to get to. Last mount driver side sucked but manageable. Passenger side exhaust hanger hit the middle mount. I had to grind the mount off and flip it 180. Need to re-weld it back to the exhaust soon so hopefully I don't forget.
Like:
- The fact they mirrored both sides. May hit up Dave and the @Delta VS team to see about fabing up a aluminum water tank on the driver side mirroring the cat guard for the older models and mount. Seems like it would be very simple and a perfect location. Ditch the exhaust touting for a V8 hopefully soon and do a second on the passenger side. Not sure if this was ever a thought on the design but I would buy one, even 2.
- Skipped the cat skid plate to avoid added weight and really don't need it.
- The step traction plates, looks and function tho yet to try in the snow.
- The fit and lines following the body are spot on.

I'll try to get under skirt pictures of the mounting soon.

 

[baldilocks]

Nice looking rig.

 

[GW Nugget]

Clean rig.
A lot going on real fast build.
What are your plans with the space voided by the old charcoal canister?
Have you had time to test flex new 5L arms for tire rub.

 

[on the rocks]

Clean rig.
A lot going on real fast build.
What are your plans with the space voided by the old charcoal canister?
Have you had time to test flex new 5L arms for tire rub.

sorry overlooked this.
CC- No plans as of yet, just hate the spot they put it and I'm happy to move on from it I plan to go with a GEN5 LT1 and was thinking about the ECU here after yanking the ABS, but see Torfab went passenger side for this. Possible options for power steering with the LT and maybe hydraulic brake booster. Basically, just cleaning up the area for whatever comes it's way lol.
5L- No luck here yet, super busy since I got them on and all trails nearby are closed from fires. I may try after some beach time coming up but so far:
no rear inner fender rub now
Front cleared bumper on compression
Wheel pushed further forward and looks better
solved a slight out of caster problem on this lift I had with the 4
Sold the 4's(bulk order list only now) full price in a day if your thinking of upgrading and don't want to throw down the cash a second time
haven't tried post alignment but it handles great on the pavement
Dock test on the 5L's, I couldn't get the 37's to rub on the fender or the shock to bottom out. So want to get it out real world and try to get that sucker flexing as much as possible to do final front bumpstop adjustments. So far everything works great on the 5L's tho.

 

[on the rocks]

So a couple more drives on the new charcoal canister and all is looking good. No hiss on 3rd check with gas cap removal, no fuel smells, no check engine light.

For the sliders, I have a few more pictures to show of the bottom side. Everything working great here also.
Passenger side full view: Driver side full view:

couple mounting shots: as mentioned mirrored on both sides to accommodate all years. 3rd is the dreaded driver side mount I tackled solo. Sucked...

Issue with exhaust hanger, it hit this mount where it was, facing rearward. Had to cut out and move the mount to the front where shown:

This is a shot of the cat cage they build to mirror both sides pending the year. I hope to chat with Dave at Delta soon to see if they will have time to make an aluminum water tank to fit in this cavity on the driver side. Perfect location and they already have the mounting designed. Post LT, hopefully second on the passenger side. Should more than accommodate any overland water capacity and keep it low. One note, I didn't get a full shot, this cage will hang down a bit and I could be wrong but don't think it's necessary for the slider mounting. I passed on the armor for this and not concerned with the height here, but some may be.

 

[Slickrick]

Very nice build. Cool to see I’m not the only crazy person for dumping 25k+ into a 25 year old vehicle.

 

[on the rocks]

Got a few accessories added to the Bowfin rack.
Eezi-awn swift, grey. Liked the size and quality build. They claim it's free standing and it feels solid but I wouldn't trust in any wind whatsoever. Low rise Printsu mounts, Worked great.

added quick release pins from Mcmaster Carr. Works pretty slick.

Originally had the Alu-cab shower stall on the Printsu standard mount and felt it sat way too high. Before:

Swapped for their low rise mount, much better, Rear door just clears and it sits much lower. No quick release here, yet. Might modify it and make it work with a side MTB rack mount hopefully in the works soon.

standard and low rise Prinsu mounts compared.

Got a couple Printsu grab handles with the ability to add BD lighting. Have some ideas in the works to make them work with the awnings.

Couple of poser shots with the awnings open, testing it all out,

My old rear safari tent mount. Will start de-threading it and hope to have a local place re construct a new one. It has been a love/ hate relationship with this thing but I hate the RTT idea and the added upper weight, so hopefully some tweaks to this design it will work better than ever. The first build is going to be pricey but if I could have them make a few and sell them I might make out ok. Likely not going to happen since the Safari went for $500 20 years ago. It will be sticker shock to most hearing the quote I was given... The new design will fill the big gaps the original had. You can see it on the above shot but it wasn't all the way fit on there.

Bit of a breeze and the shower wasn't staked down.

 

[on the rocks]

Well with all the local roads shut down due to forest fires and a busy fall there has been little to no chance to get out and do a final check/ fitment on the suspension. I feel pretty good with it overall and still need to tweak the shocks and finalize the front bump stop height. At best she is seeing a few trips to the hardware store a month just to get it out... Common summer!!!
The new view of just about every local trail in 50 miles from home I have rode all my life... Still closed and it just feels, weird. Don't know how else to explain it.

Figured I would start on some interior stuff and also wanted to put together a list of phase two items to start chiseling away on. Also need to complete a 40-0 brake test just to have on record.

Phase II in no particular order:
- clean up and sound/ heat control in the rear, thinking Dynomat
- Goose gear drawer system to include the mid seat area system and sleeping platform
- SEM interior trim texture and black plastic color conversion. Ultimate goal to go Aluminum extrusion and molle panel storage from the mid doors back
- repair of mid windows and locks to include possible door card removal and conversion and continue sound/ heat control. Really no plans to put the mid seats back in but I have the ability to with the GG system.
- Yodatec gullwing
- clear glass mid door replacement/ rear hatch glass replacement glass(maybe later phase)
- removal of factory sound system.
- OBA- ordered some Accuair parts and system to do a hybrid front/ rear air up/ down tire deflate/ inflate and the other 2 controls will run the rear airbags (helper) and possibly full rear conversion(an old goal kind of overrun with Dob's VT's)
- ARB twin to run it. Not my first choice but TJM is pretty much non responsive and apparently doesn't want to make money. Couple other options don't seem to fit in my ultimate final resting spot I still don't know will work or was stupid expensive and not necessary (Oasis)
- Dual battery system and solar. Leaning Redarc for simplicity and availability because no one wants to pay their silly price...
- Replace old trailer brake system, again likely redarc mainly because of the controller and ability to place about anywhere, clean up the receiver hitch and add some things tro the rear Delta
- Light bar for the Bowfin but likely a phase III because all these lights are just plain silly and unnecessary and $$$$
- Water system/ water storage/ heat exchanger/ indoor HVAC/ block heat/ pre heat interior in winter and on and on. I'm REALLY liking the Eberspacher S3 B5E perrol system. I ran across a rep in Dillon CO at an Expo and like what I saw and heard. It will likely be the heart of the system
- Delta Console
- Scheel-Mann seats
- More sound dampening front
- Front door window repair/ maintenance
- Shower/ Kitchen
- Rear tent replacement,
- Sound system replacement
- additional sound/ heat dampening roof
Cross fingers the oil burning brick hangs in there a few more....



Time to polish the old turd. Out with the old workout gym floor that served me well for years.

Along with all of this...

Near end cleanup with some more elbow grease coming. Ultimately I got rid of most of the residual tar from the OEM dampening but found to Dynomat to stick very well without it 100% gone.

 

[TYM4FUN]

Nice, can't wait to see the progress! I recommend reading this build thread, as he did a nice job with on board water. I have also played with the idea...

80 series 1HDFT diesel conversion and Expedition build

Big Red is 1993 FZJ80. We had the vehicle since 1998. Bought it with 60K miles to be our family car. We drove it for 22 years and after an unsuccessful attempt to sell it for $3K, we decided to spend $50K and build an expedition vehicle. Took about 2 years to find the drive train. We sent...

forum.ih8mud.com

 

[on the rocks]

Nice, can't wait to see the progress! I recommend reading this build thread, as he did a nice job with on board water. I have also played with the idea...

80 series 1HDFT diesel conversion and Expedition build

Big Red is 1993 FZJ80. We had the vehicle since 1998. Bought it with 60K miles to be our family car. We drove it for 22 years and after an unsuccessful attempt to sell it for $3K, we decided to spend $50K and build an expedition vehicle. Took about 2 years to find the drive train. We sent...

forum.ih8mud.com

Thanks for the link, I'll have to dive in and check it out. Not decided yet but I was considering using compressed air to push the water, Just haven't wrapped my head around it yet.

 

[TYM4FUN]

Thanks for the link, I'll have to dive in and check it out. Not decided yet but I was considering using compressed air to push the water, Just haven't wrapped my hear around it yet.

Exactly what he did.

 

[on the rocks]

Well a couple days into a new phase and start the 80 on a cold morning and press the brake and get a dreaded hssss about half engagement. Reading up I see it's likely the booster going.....
I already was leaning to a ABS/ LSPV delete and this might be that trigger. I also liked the thought of bigger and better brakes and have read through the following link @baldilocks had placed here and done some great research.

80 Series brake hydro booster conversion installed

A few months ago @RFB started a thread asking about the possibility of converting a gas powered 80 from the factory vacuum brake booster to a hydraulic booster that is powered with pressurized power steering fluid. A kit from a company called Power Brake Service was referred to...

forum.ih8mud.com

Reached out to Matt and waiting to hear back. While revisiting the site I see they have quite a bit of updated product out since the last time I looked and since my ultimate goal is a LT1 I really wanted to entertain a hybrid pump/ electric or better yet full electric and not concern myself with the LT1 conversion to save $$$. Per the link he will do custom and is worth asking and investing into this. I did stumble across this that really caught my attention but think the AMP connector circled may kill that(already being used by GMC and apparently the future of all automakers)... Not sure this is a retrofit option but their site does not show it. 4 lines will be easily used to get to all 4 corners with the ABD/ LSPV delete.... If you could get a standalone and figure it out this has built in ABS capability from what I understand.

 

[baldilocks]

Well a couple days into a new phase and start the 80 on a cold morning and press the brake and get a dreaded hssss about half engagement. Reading up I see it's likely the booster going.....
I already was leaning to a ABS/ LSPV delete and this might be that trigger. I also liked the thought of bigger and better brakes and have read through the following link @baldilocks had placed here and done some great research.

80 Series brake hydro booster conversion installed

A few months ago @RFB started a thread asking about the possibility of converting a gas powered 80 from the factory vacuum brake booster to a hydraulic booster that is powered with pressurized power steering fluid. A kit from a company called Power Brake Service was referred to...

forum.ih8mud.com

Reached out to Matt and waiting to hear back. While revisiting the site I see they have quite a bit of updated product out since the last time I looked and since my ultimate goal is a LT1 I really wanted to entertain a hybrid pump/ electric or better yet full electric and not concern myself with the LT1 conversion to save $$$. Per the link he will do custom and is worth asking and investing into this. I did stumble across this that really caught my attention but think the AMP connector circled may kill that(already being used by GMC and apparently the future of all automakers)... Not sure this is a retrofit option but their site does not show it. 4 lines will be easily used to get to all 4 corners with the ABD/ LSPV delete.... If you could get a standalone and figure it out this has built in ABS capability from what I understand.
View attachment 2897874View attachment 2897876

Well, heck…. Now that’s pretty cool.

 

[on the rocks]

Reached out to Sweeting and absolutely zero response, so went with Vanco also recommended and had an immediate response with Cindy with great provided information. I'm killing the electric pump pipe dream and going full motor driven hydro. May do a little something with the ABS vacant space and the steering assist if I see it's necessary and decide to go even a step further if the pump is struggling. These guys won a SEMA award a year ago and I reached out but they couldn't confirm it could handle the 37's and the big fat pig. I would think it would he great assist/ backup even thought I would rather have a back up pump for both, not just steering. Put it here for reference..

FR40200 - Microsteer Electric Power Steering

Flaming River is now offering Microsteer universal Electric Power Assisted Steering system. It can be easily fitted to virtually any vehicle, without the need to change steering rack or fit a hydraulic system where manual steering currently exist

www.flamingriver.com

The following is the direction I think I will go with a few more questions answered, I will pull the trigger.
A few brief discussions with Joey at Wit's end @NLXTACY and them bringing back their steering pump cooler option very soon(includes hoses in green), hydro lines will be the red and another tie from booster to steering box. I saw the cooler was recommended a few times. I dread getting the new pump as I would love to move on but I think it will struggle and Vanco also recommended it. Confirmed the 1400PSI(I believe the 80 OEM pump puts out) to be sufficient and found a few LT1 options with a greater PSI output and in the same general area for hoses once we get there.
Prices were fairly inline with the link posted above and a bit higher as to be expected these days.
Trying to get confirmation on the Willwood bore size of 1.125 as also mentioned if not a bit larger of 1 1/16" I got with the T100 MC I never used and may have up for sale soon. T100 MC- ABS BKN34031N for reference if anyone reads this and may be interested. price TBD, new in box still from Cruiser outfitters...


UGH, I hate this but the mistreated 80 is talking, I better listen...

also, have hard line parts and tooling coming with some more references there summarized when I have it all on hand and somewhat inline and correct.