Builds Big Red Toy (2 Viewers)

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Quick update,
I'm still waiting to win the bid for fuel lines. I can get 5 fuel lines on ebay for the price of one from cummins. In other news I spoke with airlift and ended up buying this
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000CFO07C/?tag=ihco-20
It will fit the stock land cruiser to a maximum of 10 in. Mine sits at 10.5, so I'll need to weld a spacer on the bottom of my frame to give it some room for articulation. I also need to figure out a quick way to disconnect the bags for when I'm offroading. This solution (i'm hoping) would not only level my truck when I add the RTT, but also do away with the need for a rear sway bar. Hopefully this works out as intended.
 
Thanks for all the positive posts! I'm going to look up the specific data on the air lifts to help out. I guarantee you'll need some fancy spacers. Just to review, you're going to replace your stock shocks with Air-Bags to help with the over-loading?
Some thoughts on the disconnect: What about a 1000lb electromagnet in each spacer? make a 1" spacer that can be split in half and a gigantic electromagnet that can be switched on and off to allow the air bags to be both a: deflated and b: detatched to allow greater suspension flex!
 
I'm trying for low tech and cheap. I'll be keeping the shocks, the air bags are to level it and help with sway. I have some ideas on How to make it detachable, I just need a welder to help. Either way it's on hold until the fuel lines come in and I'm going to be outof town all week next

EDIT: My idea is fitting a box tube into a C angled metal, female to male, welding one side to the bottom frame and the other to the top of the air bag bracket. they should fit into one another snug and held together by a tractor pin which can easily be releasable. I still have to figure a way to keep the air bags out of the way from getting ripped. Like I said it's still a plan in the works that's a few weeks away. We'll see how it ends up looking like.
 
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So this came in the mail. Upon mock up, it looks like I won't need a spacer to get the desired height I want so I can go ahead and install it. Down the line I would have to come up with a quick detachable way to release the bag so i don't rip it while the truck is flexing. I'm still waiting on my fuel lines to come in and since I'm out of town next week, this will be two weeks from now.
20140327_130150 2.jpg
 
If I can get some time today I will draw that accordion hinge I was telling you about and email it to you. Sorry been slammed.

J
J I appreciate it, but there's No worries or hurries. Like i said I won't be able to get to this for another week at least.
 
ok quick update. Picked up a manifold fuel line this morning and replaced the broken one. Big Red is working again, all the correct brackets were on the old one so age, corrosion and that 60 mile trail we did at Katemcy broke it. While it was down I replaced the sway bar bushings on the front. I drove the rig for about 30 miles, first time with the roof rack on and I felt minimum sway, it doesn't feel top heavy at all, but there was a lot of wind and you could feel the drag. I'm waiting on more fuel lines to come in, and when i return next week I'll install the airbags. Hopefully by then the RTT would be here and ready for install.
20140331_123946.jpg


I also got a generous donation from DAVEGONZ. Two Chevy seats to replace my slanted 62 seats. I just need to figure out how to mount them correctly. We'll see what happens, right now I'm just trying to get the rig ready for the PINS run in mid April.
20140330_153233.jpg
 
Hamps seats, that's cool? What was wrong with them Dave?
So any available brackets for these seats our will it be a pain?
 
Hamps seats, that's cool? What was wrong with them Dave?
So any available brackets for these seats our will it be a pain?



I don't think he was willing to cut out the OEM seat box frame like I was and build custom brackets??? So they were too tall for Hamp.

I don't know of any seat bracket to adapt to the 60. SO, 2" angle iron and some welding and they will work. Should be very similar to how I fabricated bracket/rails and mounted the Volvo seats in Marley...

J
 
J,
I lack both the expertise and the welding equipment that you have. I'm just about running out of favors with my buddies too. We'll see what comes of it, it might be easier/cheaper to buy one of those foam cushions from SOR. Either way, my immediate target is the air bags for right now.
 
J,
I lack both the expertise and the welding equipment that you have. I'm just about running out of favors with my buddies too. We'll see what comes of it, it might be easier/cheaper to buy one of those foam cushions from SOR. Either way, my immediate target is the air bags for right now.


Talk to Jas about a PS bottom cushion and install it on the DS.. 30-45 min job and you can beef it up with jute padding from the local fabric store or a scrap remnant from an upholstery shop... about half the price of the SOR cushion. I just did this on my DS seat and it is like new now. I added some jute pad as well to help support my big A$$..

I keep forgetting you don't have a welder... Sell them, kick in some coin and find a used machine and start practicing.. HEE HEE..

J
 
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Talk to Jas about a PS bottom cushion and install it on the DS.. 30-45 min job and you can beef it up with jute padding from the local fabric store or a scrap remnant from an upholstery shop... about half the price of the SOR cushion. I just did this on my DS seat and it is like new now. I added some jute pad as well to help support my big A$$..

I keep forgetting you don't have a welder... Those seats are worth 300.00 +/- on Ebay/CL.. Sell them, kick in some coin and find a used machine and start practicing.. HEE HEE..

J
Shhh, you're giving Dave ideas. I still haven't picked them up yet. I need to really get my priorities straight and start by looking for a decent job. The rest comes in time.
I'm toying with the idea of water meth injection waaaaay down the line. Any idea how much they lower EGT by?
 
doesn't the methanol eat up the head gaskets? In any case, I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Here's the list of to dos before I even get to that.
Air Bags,
AC Leak,
Re-alignement,
Mount RTT when it arrives,
Seats,
Paint,
Rear dual swing out bumpers,
Air Lockers,
Water Methanol injection if the benefits out weigh the drawbacks.

So I'm talking sometime next year probably.
 
doesn't the methanol eat up the head gaskets? In any case, I'm getting way ahead of myself.

Here's the list of to dos before I even get to that.
Air Bags,
AC Leak,
Re-alignement,
Mount RTT when it arrives,
Seats,
Paint,
Rear dual swing out bumpers,
Air Lockers,
Water Methanol injection if the benefits out weigh the drawbacks.

So I'm talking sometime next year probably.


M, I think it eats them when you are HEAVY on the methanol mix or try to run straight methanol. For a couple hundred degrees, I would look at tuning the motor up first.

You are in flatlands where you are correct? I push 1100 to 1300 degrees in the hills/mountain passes and 800-1100 on the open flat highways. In town, unless I jump on it all the time, I barely get to 800* most days.

Are you blowing black all the time? If so, visit your air to fuel ratio and adjust. In my experiences, black smoke is cool, but = higher EGTs in most cases.

J
 
J,
I have minimal smoke (for a diesel), but I tend to ride right around 1000*. It gets up to 1100-1300 on hills, but I always let off to keep it below 1100 where I can. On long stretches of highway I'm between 780 to 900 on good days. I'm mainly thinking of a methanol/water mix for when I decide to visit Colorado or Wyoming and it's all uphill both ways. I should probably start with a larger intercooler. Like I said it's a pipe dream for now.
 
I'm back in town. I met up with Dave and he gave me his seats.
20140407_172639.jpg


I got home and decided to replace the fuel lines. I have them all with spares except for cylinder number 2. I'll keep looking for on ebay, they cost me about 20 bucks for all of them vs 106 from Cummins.
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While I was in there I decided to clean out the air filter, I hadn't cleaned it since Katemcy. Here's the before
20140407_160850.jpg


and here's the after

20140407_171739.jpg


managed to break the tip of my knife while doing all this, I nearly cried, that knife has been with me for over ten years now and done every single mission Ive been on. I'm still really bummed over it.

On Wednesday I'm installing the air bags and doing some last minute checks before we head out to PINS on Friday. I'll take pictures of the install as I go.
 

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