'85 mini truck for trail use only

[zucruisers]

i had to go to nyc today and didnt get a whole lot done yet, here's a few pics, the rear diff is also welded now, just gotta bolt it back in

- spring hanger tacked in place

- fj60 ubolts/plates

- ifs rear axle, cleaned up and painted

- shackle hangers, relocated, and boxed the ends in for more strength

- all bolted up with new bushings and hardware

- shackle angle is decent, it'll be about perfect once there's another 500lbs or so worth of propane tanks, tubing, spare tire, tool box, etc...

 

[zucruisers]

jeff stopped out for awhile tonight to work, i got the diff put back in and welded the spring hangers in for good, while jeff cleaned up the back side of the backing plates and painted them, along with a few other little things, not a whole lot of progress, but here's a couple more pics -

- its supporting its own weight again;p


jeff's planning on coming out again tomorrow w/ some more supplies, paint, fluids, etc...so we can get some little stuff outta the way

there's a few parts that need cleaned up and painted, i need to get the rear brake lines hooked up, weld on some rear diff armor, jeff wants to swap the tcase out for the 4.7 equipped one, hopefully it'll be back on 4 wheels and be able to crawl by tomorrow night...still a lot more to do though;p

 

[zucruisers]

more updates soon...me and jeff are still in the shop now

 

[zucruisers]

no pics yet...doesn't look much different anyways;p

but, 4.7 tcase is swapped in, driveshafts are back in, jeff cleaned up and painted the new steering parts and the brake drums, rear brake lines are all hooked up, and i eliminated the load sensing valve and got the brakes kinda bled, i welded some 1/4" plate on the rear diff for some armor, and set the rear axle back down on the ground with some 31's on it;p

 

[zucruisers]

jeff really wanted to put the swampers back on it, so they are;p

rear diff is filled up w/ gear oil, toe-in is set(tie rod and drag link are both installed),

steering input shaft is finish welded/painted/reinstalled

jeff pulled the tranny pan, cleaned it up and painted it, welded up the hole where someone tried to install a temp sensor(leaked really bad), installed a new filter and a new gasket for the pan

got the radiator pulled out, and started trying to make a stock shroud work with the 350 fan, should work out ok

i got the tcase shifter back in the other day, but it wouldnt shift, took it back out and did some measuring, apparently the shifter rails that were in the other t-case were specific to the adapter for the th350, at least thats what i think, because the stock rails are over a 1/2" shorter than the other ones...major ...so the tcase has to come back out, have to pull both cases apart and swap the shifter rails, major setback but oh well

not much progress otherwise, just doing little stuff and its time consuming

 

[zucruisers]

tcase came out tonight, swapped the shifter rails over, and reinstalled it, driveshafts are back in, and shifter is in and working this time...tranny and tcase just need filled up, other than that, jeff messed with the fan shroud and got mad at it...but didnt make much progress on it...oh and he wire wheeled and painted his shocks

 

[Wayneraintree]

I am stoked that the t-case is in for good It will be cool to see how low 4 to 1 gears and the auto is on the trail.

We are pushing for the trailride but it will take some serious all nighters to get it done! Either way, I'll be there for the ride.

I still need to reinstall the rad and add the shroud, get the cage and tube work done and painted, add the rear springs up front, and install the propane stuff!

 

[bkfj40]

if it weren't for midnight oil, no work would ever get done....


bk

 

[Wayneraintree]

you got that right BK : ) When the baby and wife are asleep : )

 

[cruiserhead]

if it weren't for midnight oil, no work would ever get done....


bk

What was that song?Something about the beds are burning.Get it going Jeff.
David

 

[Wayneraintree]

well, today I learned the hard way not to be hasty when trying to get something done.... I reinstalled the t-case with the longer shift rails and managed to break the aluminum adapter plate between the TH350 and minitruck t-case : (

May be able to get someone to weld it up... otherwise, looks like I am going to have to either buy another adapter ($550, ouch) or yank the driveline completely and start over : ( What a set back!

On a good note, I did find a 4.3 from my brother in law to swap in place of the 350 sometime, either sooner or later I am not sure when. We'll see... it is hard to get the cooling set up on the V8 with such little space in there, a taurus fan won't fit, the fixed fan is small (now smaller since I had to clearance the blades to even get a shroud to fit which is still not completely clear how that will work).... but, as John told me today, it will come together : )

 

[zucruisers]

yeah the tcase has been fighting us every step so far...but i'd rather not rush it and have something else go wrong, im just glad i found this now and not the day before a planned ride;p

the 4.3 will make cooling a lot easier and more reliable, plus not having to worry so much about the 350 threatening to break parts as often will be nice;p

until jeff gets a chance to come out and help pull the tcase, i pushed the truck outside, and since it already wont run because of the radiator being out right now, i pulled the gas tank out and pulled the rear driveshaft ahead of time

 

[Wayneraintree]

I think the tcase is doing something more like this to us....
I don't wanna go in:shotts: you'll be sorry if you actually put me in oh and BTW, you for trying to put me in then there I am in my :whoops:

 

[BROKEROB1]

wow... that is rough! Maybe this would be the time to swap in the 4.3... That is such a great motor. My father in law is looking to swap one into his Miata

Anyway, Jeff, DON'T GIVE UP... stick with it! It will be worth it do it right.

I wonder if you can purchase the midnight oil in mass quantities?

 

[zucruisers]

wow... that is rough! Maybe this would be the time to swap in the 4.3... That is such a great motor. My father in law is looking to swap one into his Miata

Anyway, Jeff, DON'T GIVE UP... stick with it! It will be worth it do it right.

I wonder if you can purchase the midnight oil in mass quantities?

4.3 in a miata!...that defeats the whole entire reason of owning a miata;p...they're built for handling

and trust me this rig will be done right, i'll make sure of it since its coming out of my shop

jeff brings me some midnight oil on a regular basis, for me it comes in a green can and is mt dew

 

[jtaco1]

Damn guys that sucks, check Pirate for a used adapter, i am sure there is one floating around. Maybe for the radiator you could just put it in the bed, probably wouldn't be much more work and it would be a little more protected and give you more room.

 

[Wayneraintree]

I will have time tomorrow to pull the t-case (again) and pull the adapter, take it to a shop near us, and see if they can weld it up. I am hearing that it is possible to do that without too much issue. It is worth a shot, if it goes well, then we'll be back on schedule...

I though about mounting the rad in the back but with the toolbox, two LPG tanks, and a small rack, there will be little to no space on the flatbed. I will be happy when I get the 4.3.. all I will need is a carb'ed intake for my LPG injection to fit right on... plus, the 4.3 has no miles on it

 

[jtaco1]

Very nice, should be able to TIG it up without too much issue, hopefully it didn;t break at a bearing surface.

 

[zucruisers]

Very nice, should be able to TIG it up without too much issue, hopefully it didn;t break at a bearing surface.

from what i can tell with the case still in the truck, the adapter just looks cracked, i dont think its broken off, it straight across the bottom half of it, we'll have to wait it and see what it looks like once its out, but im hoping it can be welded up fairly easily

 

[jtaco1]

Did it break at the crossmember mount , maybe add another crossmember to cope with the extra torque from the engine or chain the motor mounts, just an idea