Builds fat bastard build thread (1 Viewer)

[nuclearlemon]

if i wasn't wheeling, i was doing this....my sprinkler has gotten a heck of a workout the last couple years.

 

[nuclearlemon]

i've gotten a few things done in the last few months. finally got the wiring for the lockers in, but apparently a couple wires at least are crossed because the light is on solid until i engage the rear locker, then it flashes. working on that soon. meantime, a new suspension went underneath. slinky stage one or two or whichever one didn't cost four thousand

only one trip so far and it was without the front shocks, but so far i'm super impressed.

also added a whiteline heavy rear sway bar to help control things. nice and heavy ,but they don't have the correct radius where the links to the frame hook up. apparently this has been an issue for a long time. shame to grind away fresh powdercoating, but it had to be done. i still need to grind more away.

no longer have a front sway bar since the marshmallow lost the mounts years ago and i never welded in new mounts. should have dealt with that when the axle was out, but forgot.

new aftermarket links to the frame with oem hardware since the aftermarket washers and bushings were crap, but the links themselves were great. far better than the rust eaten stockers i had and extremely inexpensive through amazon

 

[nuclearlemon]

also upgraded the factory box. sent a spare out and had it rebuilt with 105 inners. bought a new pressure hose, but mine is fine, so i didnt' install it yet. feeling good now that things won't fail for a while. the boot at the firewall was also crapped out, so replaced it too. i have four more suspension bushings to replace before they're all done, and the steering is done, so a 4wheel alignment at slee is gonna happen soon.

 

[CO_Hunter]

Very interested to hear about your impressions of the slinky kit.

 

[Lumpskie]

Hey NuclearLemon,

I'm interested in your impressions of the Slinky kit too. Is it the 75mm heavy?

Also, where'd you get (or what's the part number for) that steering boot through the firewall? I need to replace mine. (that's the one for the steering wheel shaft, right?)

 

[nuclearlemon]

so far, loving the slinky. i've only wheeled it with my ome shocks up front as the front icons were backordered and it did have big truck bucking going down concrete roads (anyone with a longbed crewcab f250 knows what i'm talking about) that i hope having proper shocks will fix, and it's noisy as hell, but i heard someone else had noise issues and they went away after a bit.

the front progressives are a bitch to get in, so rent a spring compressor if you install yourself and save some prying. there is more body roll, but i used to run with no swaybars in the marshmallow, so i can deal with it. the ride more than makes up for it. traintracks, surprise ruts in the trail and other bumps like that no longer rattle my teeth.

@Lumpskie it is for the shaft at the firewall. 45292-35050

 

[CO_Hunter]

Thanks for the feedback. That bad of noise from springs seems really odd, any ideas on the cause?

 

[IoN6]

My front 50mm Slinky's are noisy too. Twangy spring sound? I am pretty sure it is because of this:

Only comes from the passenger side, which is the coil that looks like this, and only when you hit a pretty good bump.

I have tried fully unloading the spring twice now and it keeps collapsing on itself. :/

 

[nuclearlemon]

My front 50mm Slinky's are noisy too. Twangy spring sound? I am pretty sure it is because of this:

Only comes from the passenger side, which is the coil that looks like this, and only when you hit a pretty good bump.

I have tried fully unloading the spring twice now and it keeps collapsing on itself. :/

wow...mine didn't do that!

 

[Box Rocket]

Thanks for the feedback. That bad of noise from springs seems really odd, any ideas on the cause?

I didn't have any noise from my Slinky's when I put them in but they were installed in Moab the day before Cruise Moab started last year. So they immediately got a serious "break-in" on the trails for 4 days. @woody was the one that told me his were noisy when he first put his in but the sound went away after they broke in.

Pretty sure it's the noise of the top few winds of the coils that are designed to collapse together making contact with each other and "wearing -in". Like I said, I haven't had any noise from mine at all that I've noticed.

My front 50mm Slinky's are noisy too. Twangy spring sound? I am pretty sure it is because of this:

Only comes from the passenger side, which is the coil that looks like this, and only when you hit a pretty good bump.

I have tried fully unloading the spring twice now and it keeps collapsing on itself. :/

That photo is a little hard to tell exactly what's happening. They are designed to collapse the top few winds to the point of touching. You'll notice those winds are smaller diameter. That's what allows the extra free height of the coil but the same size lift as a linear rate coil. More importantly, it's those winds that extend at full droop and keep the coil in place (so the coils don't fall out at full droop like some other springs) and also give tire-to-ground pressure for better traction at full droop.

Do you have another photo that shows the rest of those upper winds and isn't hidden by the bucket? Might be fewer winds in the 50mm ones. Not sure since mine are the 75mm ones. Trying to see if there is something wrong happening here. @AutoCraft Aus you see anything wrong here?

Here's mine fully collapsed at ride height. Totally normal.

 

[IoN6]

Here are shots from the front and rear.

 

[woody]

Mine were VERY noisy/squeaky for a few trips, but have been quiet since they broke in...

PS and DS pics ....PS has a tweaked coil bucket (oops)....air time does that

.....and pay no attention to the imaginary tires....nothing to see here...

 

[nuclearlemon]

Mine were VERY noisy/squeaky for a few trips, but have been quiet since they broke in...

mine sounded like a f'n seal barking at me

 

[nuclearlemon]

so yesterday was my first long distance road on the slinky with the front shocks. i would not daily drive this. while the major bumps in the road are smooth, everything else is translated up to where you feel the skin on your face shaking. also, the body roll is hideous and i didn't have the roof top tent on, just the rack. i do have a whiteline heavy rear sway bar, but no front sway bar. i have no intention of this being a daily driver anymore, it's a wheeling/expedition rig. for that the slinky is great. and it's good under 80 mph except for the body roll. over that, it's more scary that my v8 soa 40 at 100mph was.

but, the gamiviti roof rack is finally done. completely custom since my maggiolina is far wider than a stock 80 rack. i also got extra awning receivers so i can switch the awning side to side. still need to move the rtt forward so the latches are functional and wire the light bar, but then that project is done!

it's nice to not trip over the awning and light bar in the garage. i got the light bar when i was still demoing rigid and truck lite products for a friend and he hasn't been with the company for a couple years now.

 

[nuclearlemon]

next up....delta panhard bar relocation. hopefully this sunday it will get done...the coa4wdci raffle rig has taken up all my wrenching and wheeling time

 

[nuclearlemon]

updated an update, but going through the thread, i never posted the original update. after the first six months of wheeling or so, i trashed the carpet on the tailgate. seems like every trip was in catastrophic pancake stuck to your shoe mud and that's where i have to stand to deal with the roof top tent, so i put down cutting board material

but then, i picked up one of the storage drawer things second hand. when they were first brought up here, i was interested, but didn't like that they opened against the drawers, but i got a good deal on it so i put it in today. door doesn't swing open enough to stay up either so you have to hold it open while you're digging around. glad i didn't pay full price