Final product all painted and installed. That's 1/4" plate against the engine to reduce warp from welding and stay flat & 1/4" plate where it bolts to the stock mount on the frame for the same reason. All the rest of the plate is 1/8" and gusseted. Note the slight notch I had to make to clear...
4 1/2 years ago, I used 22RE rubber mounts (since they're very common and were in use for decades) on my own brackets. After about 6 months, they relaxed enough to let the oil pan contact the steering relay rod (center link), so I built a new oil pan to clear that (it was already close when I...
someone asked in a private message about the Ford 9" I built - how it's holding up 2 years later and if I'd do anything different - so I thought I'd share the reply
The Ford 9 is still doing great. 35 spline is the way to go, enough beef without being overkill (almost as strong as a Dana60 but...
saving rally cars, 1 at a time at the Oregon Trail Rally (yes, that's a Domino's Pizza sign bolted to the roof of the car, and yes, it lights up 😂)
This one went wide on a turn and up an embankment before dropping into a ditch, registering a high G impact with the Rally Safe tracker. In the...
That's part of the reason why I went from a 3" thick 3 core to a 2.5" thick 2 core radiator, though the new radiator does have more surface area than the old one which is a step up anyway (294 sq in on the Griffin vs. 370 sq in on the new Champion). The slightly thinner radiator allowed me to...
also got the new radiator fan on. Decided to go with a Maradyne M166k. <- click link for specs and dimensions
I really wanted to use one of the Derale HO Single fans because they're 2 speed and rated well, but just couldn't find the space.
It has a slightly less powerful 160W motor than their...
for anyone chasing every fraction of an inch at the front of the engine to fit a better electric fan . . .
3UZ (SC430 specifically) fan bracket on the top, original JDM 1UZ VVTi bracket on the bottom
original JDM 1UZ VVTi fan bracket with bolt-on pulley
3UZ fan bracket with pressed on pulley
Yep. It's just butyl holding it in and relatively easy to cut off of the topper
(I had them out last year when I installed new sliding window weatherstrips)
Installed a new radiator this weekend. The 19"x 15" universal Griffin was fine for the truck by itself, but it lacked a bit while towing in hot weather or low speed high load scenarios. Also, at 3" thick, it reduced the space available for a good fan. After A LOT of searching online for...
Almost got my hands on a free 3UZ a few weeks ago which got me thinking.
If I had to do it over, I might go with a 3UZ given that JDM engine prices for a 1UZ or 3UZ are about the same. It's the same exact dimensions and offers more torque with the same HP. An added benefit is that it uses AFS...
Went out the Columbia Gorge and chased some stage rally cars at the inaugural Mike Nagel Regional Rally.
I haven't seen any of me on stage pop up yet, but here's one from last month at the Olympus Rally recovering a Subie which wedged itself between 2 trees after the tie rod broke while at speed
Thanks. My 'runner is IFS, so I'm not 100% on the answer, but from what I've read, an SC430 mid sump oil pan is what you're looking for. LS400 and GS400 are both front sump oil pans. I'm 99.9% sure that a 2UZ oil pan will bolt up to a 1UZ or 3UZ engine, so that might be another option worth...
Sneak peak of my new oil pan in progress.
Chop and weld of a stock LS400 oil pan - making sure every piece has tight fitment to the one next to it is a pain, chasing tiny pinhole leaks is tedious, and I still have to make a new oil pickup/strainer. It's screwed down to a 1" piece of plywood to...