Builds 86 Xtra Cab Build (4Wheelunderground 3 link front, 4 link rear and 3.4 swap) (3 Viewers)

[aztoyman]

I looked up a few available bolt on bumper options for various trucks and many were a lot heavier than mine.

Most of mine is only 1/8". IDK if I could have been okay with 3/16" instead of 1/4" on the winch mount part of it.

I'm ok with my outer ends bending if I abuse it. No way I want my winch tearing off though.

 

[gnob]

you still didn't add any go fast holes
you could probably shave 2lbs

 

[aztoyman]

@gnob I can cut the go fast "notch" above the fairlead and I can cut a pretty good chunk elsewhere to get under a hundred. I'm too tired of working on this bumper and I just spooled on the synthetic line.

Besides, all the holes will just attract packrats and get even heavier with all their junk inside. Probably whistle going down the road too.

 

[Broski]

I looked up a few available bolt on bumper options for various trucks and many were a lot heavier than mine.

Most of mine is only 1/8". IDK if I could have been okay with 3/16" instead of 1/4" on the winch mount part of it.

I'm ok with my outer ends bending if I abuse it. No way I want my winch tearing off though.

My bumper is 1/4” center and 3/16” wings and is in the 100 lb range.
I don’t think you would want to go thinner for the center/winch mount.
Like you said you want the winch to stay put.

I did dent the bumper for the first time on the last trip in the center no less.
I was surprised to dent that quarter inch plate.

 

[aztoyman]

Well I got to pick away at a few things that needed to be done. I wrapped the winch line back on the drum. I saw someone post about painting the drum on one of the threads in the winch section. That it could be too slippery and the rope wouldn't grip like it needed to.

I never really thought about that and my drum is pretty slippery with the epoxy primer I put on it. So before spooling the rope on I roughed up the surface with some 60 grit just in case. Made a noticeable difference.

 

[aztoyman]

Then I cut a couple more M6 - 1.0 studs out of some all thread to secure my starter cable to my oil pan with Adel clamps. The battery wiring is finally good to go.

 

[aztoyman]

I started to run the wire for the in cab winch switches. I drilled another hole in the firewall. I need to get a grommet and cover the wires once the switch location is final. I hate working under the dash. I went backwards a bit because of what is to come. You'll see on my next post.

I also ended up putting my fuse panel back on. I'm running the H4 headlights, the light bar and the winch control circuits on it. I will shorten the wires once I determine where it all goes. I have Weather Pack connectors for this.

 

[aztoyman]

I ripped my dash apart after all that work redoing it for a couple reasons. First one being I want to do a clean job running my wiring. I need to get in there.

Second, because I am trying to figure out my roll cage and I don't like how the cages on the market mount them. Especially how the front bends around the dash and blocks the door opening a bit. I'm going to end up cutting my dash. I won't have speakers in the dash, my A/C vents are toast anyway and IDK where I would find any good ones. I'll have to figure out an alternative vent on each side.

Third and many of you may think I'm crazy. But I want to try to put in my windshield with a gasket like the rest of the world markets used. I found a few posts where guys did it. I will probably have to grind my glass a bit to get it to fit properly but I'm willing to try. If it doesn't work out, I'll have it glued in.

You can see my cage base plate for a clue of what I hope to do.

 

[aztoyman]

One of the things that caused a problem with the windshield gasket installation is the lip on this piece. There's no way to work the rubber gasket over the windshield frame with this lip right up against the windshield opening. Some guys cut it off. I drilled a few spot welds and removed it.

 

[aztoyman]

It would be a bitch trying to use the rope in your windshield gasket and get the rubber to go on properly.

You can see the difference with the piece removed.

 

[aztoyman]

As far as the roll cage. I looked at the rules for a few racing organizations. The SCORE book seemed to be the best "guide" for my application. I'm not racing and I won't need to get it inspected but I wanted good guidelines for a safe cage.

I'm not frame mounting it. SCORE says for bolt in cages I need 3/16" thick minimum base plates with a doubler plate underneath using grade 8, 3/8" minimum bolt size. They give specs for tubing material, size, welding requirements, gussets and design.

I read MANY arguments about tying in the base plates to the frame. Both for it and against it and why.

I decided to mount my base plates directly over my body mounts. I can do it in a way that I can still lift my cab off the mounts IF I really had to. I've got new poly mounts so hopefully I won't be needing to anytime soon.

My front plates are 6" x 7" and the rears are 5 1/2" x 9" and bolt through 3 layers of factory sheet metal and hang over the rockers and gusseting. I can't install the doubler plates that typically goes over the flat floor sections because of the formed gussets underneath the cab floor. I can make a custom shaped one to add to the thickness though.

 

[aztoyman]

Maybe my thinking is wrong but , it seems this is as close to frame mounting my cage without frame mounting it that I can get. The purpose of the large surface area double plates sandwiching the floor is so the cage doesn't punch through the floor or tear off. To me it seems right over the body mounts is stronger than mounted over one flat layer of floor.

It's over 3 layers on top of gussets, the rockers AND the body mount to the frame directly under it. Feel free to offer constructive criticism.

 

[clrussell]

Maybe my thinking is wrong but , it seems this is as close to frame mounting my cage without frame mounting it that I can get. The purpose of the large surface area double plates sandwiching the floor is so the cage doesn't punch through the floor or tear off. To me it seems right over the body mounts is stronger than mounted over one flat layer of floor.

It's over 3 layers on top of gussets, the rockers AND the body mount to the frame directly under it. Feel free to offer constructive criticism.

I like this approach. Well thought out.

Carry on

 

[aztoyman]

6 of the 8 grandkids are over today to swim so not much more progress. Other than needing a grommet for the hole in the firewall, the wiring under the hood is pretty squared away. I used a 4 wire and a 2 wire Weather Pack connector for the winch solenoid and trimmed off all the extra wire.

I had an extra two wire connector so I used it to replace the spade connectors on my light bar. Much better.

I was going to finally attach the grill. After going through all the plastic clips and screw grommets I had ordered long ago, I realized I don't have the grill clips. I have them on the way though.

The cage is definitely going to be a challenge for me. I could use a few more tools to help me get my bends exactly where I need them and hopefully waste less tube. I'll get some things coming. In the mean time I have lots of other things to get done so I'll just keep plugging away.

 

[aztoyman]

Still a LOT going on in my life but I finally got a couple days to actually do something on my truck. WAY back when I was figuring out what I was going to do for an air filter, I ended up with an open element cone filter. I got the layout and couplers figured out but as was pointed out, I will be sucking HOT air from under the hood.

Another thing I didn't think of but found out a couple people ran into was ingesting water off the wheels. Not that I have a lot of water to deal with where I live but one thread I saw on another forum was a guy that hydro'd his Cummins on a deep water crossing. His filter was pretty much where mine is so I built a couple sheet metal panels to deflect hot air from the fan BELOW the filter and out the wheel well. It will also be a barrier to anything flying up under the wheel well.

Here's my CAD that I started out with. I used some 20 gauge sheet metal I had on hand. I used M5 and M6 Riv-Nuts and JIS screws and flange bolts. I covered the hot side with leftover adhesive backed heat shield and painted the other side with the rattle can Rust oleum Bed Liner. The single piece is to slide up from the bottom to block the holes around the hoses.
I have a bunch more pics coming so bear with me.

 

[aztoyman]

It actually goes on really easy. I just slide the side piece down along the fender well lip and insert the 5mm Philips head screws through the wheel well. Sliding the small piece up closes off most of the opening around the power steering resi hoses. I'll put some foam or something to seal it better.

 

[aztoyman]

Then the top goes on. It attaches to the rad support with two M6 bolts and one M6 to the shock tower. Then the row of M5 screws into the side panel. It's plenty flexy that I am not worried about any cracking developing. You already have a clue of my air filter support bracket in the pic.

 

[aztoyman]

The weight of the intake tubing and the foot long filter was really flexing the 45 degree silicone elbow at the throttle body. The end of the filter is really tight between the fuse box and the steering reservoir and it moved easily banging into both.

Originally I was thinking of putting a support at the end of the filter. It would have been a pain to R&I it so I did this bracket instead.

I cut a 1",16 gauge square tube to make the sides and a 3/4 x 1 1/2 tube for the base. I made sure it's not too rigid to allow any needed movement.

It's attached with the two intake fittings and really easy to R&I if needed. I only used one screw to allow free alignment.

I think it should be ok. Time will tell. Engine movement isn't negatively affecting it.

 

[aztoyman]

I closed the hood and used my phone to check clearances under the hood to the filter. Looks like I'm good to go. I was thinking of adding another bolt on section of sheet metal as a deflector to the engine side of the filter. I may not need it though.

 

[aztoyman]

So I fired it up and with the wheels chocked and the parking brake on and watched the clearances as my driver carefully applied the clutch to torque the engine over. So far all looks good.

I got it up to temp and got the fan roaring (parked) to see where the air flow went off the shroud. On the passenger side the majority of the air went out the wheel well. Some still made it back past the slave cylinder which I think is a good thing. Keep air blowing through the trans tunnel. I still don't have a cold air intake but it's better than hot air blasting on my air filter.

The small finger on the top piece I made is really effective at directing air into the intake plenum "tunnel". The space below the top half and bottom half. It also comes straight back from the center of the shroud mainly through that tunnel and slightly driver side toward the brake booster.

The driver side has no sheet metal deflectors.....yet. That side blows out the wheel well and straight into my battery area as well as back along the exhaust side to the tunnel.

I'm going to end up making some sheet metal pieces to help better direct the air flow out and avoid stuff I don't want hot.

I also closed the hood and checked. I got almost zero air OVER the intake and out the hood opening. It pretty much blows through the intake tunnel and down the back at the fire wall. I think that's a good flow pattern.

I don't know what will happen at speed going down the road.