Dean’s 80 no more, now LX-450

[dr_dobro]

Keeping this simple, for others to use as I have used other threads to help me with this project. @nukegoat here is the start;
As a long timer cruiser fan, bought this car for a dad and son project. Dean (my kid) loves this sport and has some serious driving skills that I didn’t even know about,
We decided to buy something he can drive and learn at the same time as he struggles in school and one of the few things that keeps him motivated in life. He likes to drive better than wrench but doing some work on his own.

Back to tech, the plans are:
- 4 link the rear with coils with a 609 axle and 14” ORI’s with piggy backs.
- 4 link the front and full hydro (have a 9.5” front axle with 80 outters)
- gear up as high as I can 5.29’s and the tocase gear reduction
- 40” maxxis creepy crawlers and beadlock
- protection as needed
- minor other stuff and nothing fancy, just want to build fast before summer.

Bought the car last year in April, we wanted to wheel it right away, so called David otero for some dobinson 4” coil suspension, just got the 4 coils, 4 struts and the control arm plates, I made my own mods for the panhard bars.

 

[dr_dobro]

The dobinson suspension worked really well, no noise at all at full drop, even though this is the first 80 we ever owned. We kept it completely stock minus the suspension and the 37’s I had laying around. A perfect way for Dean to learn wheeling with no lockers and undergeared!

 

[dr_dobro]

Kid in action at 12, dad spotting at a drop.
He did let me drive for 10 min each day of wheeling

 

[dr_dobro]

Took him out on my 40 when he was 7 and he instantly got hooked.
And His first trail carnage

 

[dr_dobro]

After doing some serious renovations at home, totally had to destroy part of my garage as part of the new extension. Keeping cheap and simple for now so I could park the 80 and start the work. Garage is really small but have built a few cars there in the past !

 

[dr_dobro]

Moving forward now, cutting as much as I can. Peeping the rear axle using the stock spring bracket. I did an offset cut to the bracket to push the axle back. I also took about 3/8” of height, to make the car lower

 

[bryanb]

Cool Dad/Son project!!!

How'd you decide on a 4 link vs a 3?

I like the idea of my landcruiser becoming my kids', but I worry about how awful the on-road manners are. A good yank of the wheel at freeway speeds to avoid something.... and that thing is going on it's lid.

 

[dr_dobro]

Cool Dad/Son project!!!

How'd you decide on a 4 link vs a 3?

I like the idea of my landcruiser becoming my kids', but I worry about how awful the on-road manners are. A good yank of the wheel at freeway speeds to avoid something.... and that thing is going on it's lid.

That’s all good valid points. The car will be strictly for recreational purposes and some local driving. By the time he reaches the legal driving age, I think the truck will need an overhaul then.

As for the 4 link, I am based on the difficulty of the high steering if I keep everything mechanical. Doing full hydro, I can add a pump where the ac compressor is while keeping the stock one for hydroboost. Of course, full hydro forces me to do 4 link which is anyway better than having a panhard. I hope we can be successful on it.

 

[dr_dobro]

I have been using parts from another project that never happened, like the 609 rear axle.
Everything was setup minus the all the bracketry. I sold the 8 lug Dana 60 hubs in order to buy the gym 6 lug pattern. The difficult part was to find the right wheel studs with the right knurl and shoulder.... the conversion felt funny as I used a gm Dana 60 hub, a late Tacoma rotor that I turn by hand since don’t have the expensive tool and ford wheel studs..... totally hybrid
The main reason of the rear axle change was the spline count as seen here

 

[dr_dobro]

Turning the rotor wasn’t that bad by hand...
Dean really wanted some music in the car so took a brake to install this pioneer unit that has car play which I though it was neat ....
Dean used some gift cards he had about $90
And spent about $175 total that I ended paying

 

[dr_dobro]

Here’s a better shot of the spring axle bracket, the ruff stuff frame link bracket I used and an approximate calculation for the rear 4 link in order to have a reference where the links should be placed at. This part is never accurate as you need to deal with a lot of frame obstacles and limits

 

[dr_dobro]

Get it finalized for the new links and a comparison with the stock ones

 

[dr_dobro]

Links in place and testing any interference which I found one at full stuff, my upper axlemount link is hitting the driver side of the cross memeber, will have to notch it to gain another 1.5”

 

[dr_dobro]

It will be super cool if suspension articulates like this pics, but that will never happen as I have coils !!!!!! I think this is what @jcardona1 and @nukegoat are looking to see, I think jcardona is doing struts and will significantly improve the suspension vs coils

 

[dr_dobro]

Last picture is ride height and the end of it for now. Have to install the coils and adjust all links again before burning everything to place

 

[nukegoat]

Your numbers in your link calculator are off. The X dimension on both our rigs should be similar since we tie to the same crossmember and mine is something like 10 inches different from yours...

Hmm.

 

[dr_dobro]

Your numbers in your link calculator are off. The X dimension on both our rigs should be similar since we tie to the same crossmember and mine is something like 10 inches different from yours...

Hmm.

I just realize that, I did a bunch of different scenarios a few weeks ago and most likely snapped shot something I was dreaming of?
Now that I have everything in place will have to run it again with the coils and the weight of the truck. It’s a tiddious process as you know it

 

[nukegoat]

I just realize that, I did a bunch of different scenarios a few weeks ago and most likely snapped shot something I was dreaming of?
Now that I have everything in place will have to run it again with the coils and the weight of the truck. It’s a tiddious process as you know it

Make sure you evaluate the pinion angle change through bump and droop and make sure it doesnt go past your misalignment capabilities at the pinion. It would suck to droop out and blow a driveshaft

 

[nukegoat]

Also please gusset and support the cantilevered coil bucket. I suspect you planned to... but just in case

 

[dr_dobro]

Make sure you evaluate the pinion angle change through bump and droop and make sure it doesnt go past your misalignment capabilities at the pinion. It would suck to droop out and blow a driveshaft

Great tip, definitely need to cicle it with all the weight and see what happens One think that sucked is that my upper links capped at 20.25” in length, I might have to increase the angle of the uppers a t the axle to get a little more levarage