Builds Fixing up “The big Ox” (1 Viewer)

[on the rocks]

Well, turns out I was speeding a bit with moving on and had some adjustments to make on the booster/ MC combo. During the final testing and troubleshooting I did get solid testing on the rotors, calipers and mounting. Extremely confident everything on the brake change up is solid and for quite some time. Had some booster piston length issues causing lockup of calipers when driving with details here:

80 Series brake hydro booster conversion installed

'Murica!

forum.ih8mud.com

One last adjustment on the MC spacer and the fat pig will be road worthy and also ordered up some more PSC goods and hoses I will fine tune over the summer and its back inside for a while next then time to get her back on some local trails for final suspension adjustments and maybe overnight stays.

Next week an inspection by a local trusted Toyota shop for insurance reasons and were hitting the pavement!

Next up will be some sound deadening, Goose gear, Some green mega mat, OBA and a lot of electrical fitment in the rear!!

 

[on the rocks]

Cleaning things up I found this today. Scan of the actual book I i still have and got myself back in 97'.
Still in pretty good condition. I remember it well, I rented a dumpy apartment to a rich NY college kid and he had a brand new 80 with lockers, never did get why he stayed there other than he had a budget set from pops for an apartment and used the rest for pot and going to the hills. Went skiing with him in it a few times. I was a jeep guy and remember him trading it for a new Grand Cherokee and I thought that was the greatest thing ever until he told me how much of a POS it was compared to the 80 and how he regretted asking daddy for a new SUV LOL. I went down right after and got this and test drove a brand new 97'. Took a couple years to actually get a used one, the one I have now, but I was hooked from then on.

 

[on the rocks]

Picking back up where I left off mid way page 3, bedroom added in the basement, 2nd bath relocate and remodel, foyer remodel and what little time left this happened slowly.
I'm finding I'm not an inside sound proof guy, I find it hard to stop covering metal LOL.... Yes, I hear you don't need to 100% cover, but it is and I did. Will have to trim some back to fit panels but may not even sure I will go OEM paneling on finished product. I will test it on some overnighters, hopefully soon and go from there after I see what works best. Found the roller Dynaliner offers works best. Had some knock offs from Amazon I returned right away.

Dynamat, sticky stuff, sound now inside is amazing just from this alone. Only went to the front of the 2nd row. Still debating the outcome of the front row. No doors as of yet, will completely rebuild them then. Looking for clear glass...

Then some Dynaliner. Amazing sound proof and no carpet going back in. Some soft spongy stuff. Tape kind of sucks and is overpriced. Patterns you see are imprints from crap sitting on it for months. Also picked up the Goose drawer system (plate in pic 1)...

 

[on the rocks]

GOOOOOOOSE GEEEEEAAAAR. I think it took 12-14 weeks....
rear plate. The foam Dynaliner is pretty thick. I "think" they recommend pulling the carpet, no instructions. Their tech support guy answered right away on any calls, had great responses and even called back after he found an answer without me asking for it... Excellent customer support. More than makes up for no instructions. Sit back open it up, drink a beer or 6 and figure it out. Not too difficult, much faster with instructions tho oh well I don't read anyway.

So, with the Dyna liner, and covering every threaded mount. it was tight and I'm sure floated the plate some. Still worked well. I had to order longer bolts and the Dynamat "tar" underneath worked for excellent sealer and thread locker. Turned out not to be a bad idea. Bet in 20 years my interior around the removed seat bolts will be more rust free than yours lol. Any potential difficult treads I threaded from below. Worked wonderful. After counting the holes and bolts and looking at their website 100 times because there are NO install threads on these, I got it. 8 large bolts, 8 small bolts. plate in

next, the drawer system. Top picture, again, no instructions. This threw me for a loop, I swear I tossed bolts and mounting, trash came that night..... Nothing to mount this. Not possible, it has to be secured. Gave up, probably good because I was a few drinks in. Came back the next day pulled drawers and looked inside. 2 brackets. s***, I have to remove this and look for holes? nope, no holes. Oh shiat, loosen them and adjust to front and rear. Had a couple extra bolts with the rear wings. fit right in the threaded holes!

This proprietary liner is great but marks like crazy. Windex... works wonders. Had to pull the top rear drawer plate to access it all and secure. I'm pretty sure I forgot the tighten the extruded aluminum mounts as the system slid forward when testing the hyrdoboost brakes... NOTE TO SELF. TIGHTEN REAR DRAWER SYSTEM

 

[on the rocks]

Rear top plate back on, rear seat delete next. Assembled inside and flipped to fit. I used some 1/4"-20 studs I had on hand. The one thing that sucked is the short bolts they offer. Near impossible to start the thread. I know they aren't listening but they should REALLY consider these. It would add cost tho... These were free to me.
Pretty slick system, Extruded aluminum 1"x1" and all panels can come off as needed. EVERY door has a lock

These had a fairly big planned gap in the front outside. Thought it was odd at first but since I have the Dynaliner, I had to trim the side panels a bit and closed the gap to level the fronts, it was bowing the outsides up. I may move out, depends on cable routing and cooling for electronics.

 

[on the rocks]

Finished, for now... Testing to come on panels and what to do. Going mostly black inside I do know that. Materials and finish is the question.
2 , well3 defects I see. I need to call them next week. Both drawer panels were warped on the outsides and not tight, This flip up panel was warped, seems to be coming down in the heat. Test fit the Duo mega mat. Damn, that sucker isn't cheap either, was windy and cold out this day and I had it pumped laying inside looking around and about fail asleep LOL. First test pretty darn good! Long/ wide mat, perfect fit. really, perfect...
Oh, also test fitting the Delta side panels, I was worried it would be tight 2 people but so far so good.

 

[on the rocks]

Oh, forgot, That @Delta VS lower rear gate drawer system will look damn good here!!! Common Dave, hook me up!! I think I need some more damn Delta stuff
I even made a hand sketch to make it easy for you to to check fitment lol.

 

[bwiygul]

have you done the doors yet? I can tell you that it makes a massive difference....I didn't even do all that you had done and it made a massive difference. awesome build!

 

[on the rocks]

have you done the doors yet? I can tell you that it makes a massive difference....I didn't even do all that you had done and it made a massive difference. awesome build!

I have not, or the rear gate. Good feedback! cant wait to get it all done. I will be deleting the speakers in the mid doors(pretty useless now and likely the door card's so thinking I will also fill in all the openings with the Soundproofing. I'll even likely do the Dynaliner inside the seat delete also. Planning on an ARB compressor in there, Forgot to mention the space inside the front delete system is bigger than expected. Great bonus!

 

[bwiygul]

I have not, or the rear gate. Good feedback! cant wait to get it all done. I will be deleting the speakers in the mid doors(pretty useless now and likely the door card's so thinking I will also fill in all the openings with the Soundproofing. I'll even likely do the Dynaliner inside the seat delete also. Planning on an ARB compressor in there, Forgot to mention the space inside the front delete system is bigger than expected. Great bonus!

Awesome!! Phenomenal build.

 

[on the rocks]

Needing OBA more than anything and little time again to move forward for a while, I'm going to start with the layout and especially battery/ compressor layout I will start with on the PS first due to the 80 being driver side heavy typically.
Testing a heavy duty side slider drawer I acquired to support a 114lb AGM battery I have on hand for free. Really don't want the weight but I have had these for years and better yet free to me, a couple going on 15+ years I gave to a friend and his RV. Solid battery's and built for telecom. I have some connections with NorthStar and confirmed I can run this on its side. Vent holes are for Hydrogen discharge and I will vent these outside ultimately.

Also thinking of routing BOTH +12 and GND feeds from front to cab (1/0). Planning on overkill and going officially hybrid since using this Amphenol connector right LOL??!? I like the fact it's an extra emergency disconnect and possibly opens the door for other things in the future to temp feed other things including a camper. Initially thinking passenger routing and thru the console area to the rear for now. I converted and think I need 55MM for the cable(1/0) and these are up to 70MM I believe, unfortunately their smaller connector is size only to 50MM. May have to resize and/ or return, in stock items but hopefully not an issue.

I had to go HVIL option as it's the only type in stock. From what I can tell it's a safety device for EV's. I will utilize possibly and if not use it as another passthrough if I can get this to work well.

 

[on the rocks]

Quick check on progress and weights to date of the fat pig. This pains me to be adding all this crap as I have had 35's and stock for years but It's time to add convenience I suppose....
2020- 25's and empty, no seats, time to begin!!5380 total I really miss this weight....

2021- 37's and F/R bumpers- 6450 total... UGH

This week at the local gravel pit- 2 people about 300lbs total but about the same with above battery and awnings to be added back on. 6820. Rear springs holding very well! MRR's low setting seems to be needing to be re-valved IMO(maxed now). Little soft and under sprung for the weight, but no expert here. Adjustment probably needed.

 

[on the rocks]

Got some extrusion parts in and doing a little mock-up. Now I know why the GG system is so $$$$. Extrusion parts are not cheap. Went with more 1x1. Few 1x2 possibly for the battery and just go lighter fixed tray. If all goes well I have 15 years until I pull the heavy bastard back out.
The 500lb drawer system for the battery(slide out passenger rear door) didn’t pan out, just too heavy and large , rear doors also suck and need to open up further to allow the drawer to extend. With the fact the seat delete is easy to get out and I will frame the internals separate I’ll move on. Lower pic is initial layout(box is the battery). Time to cut and fit. This side will have alot less going on. Just battery, compressor and OBA/ battery accessories. Maybe tie water/ heat controls here. Hard to see here but entire side and front will be open with the side and top access.

 

[on the rocks]

Finding it hard to find time for the 80... Very little progress on the interior. Everything torn out, just need to get to a local shop to address headliner refinish and maybe put things back together. Hopefully try to get on the trail in a few weeks and finally stretch the suspension a bit. Do final checks on rubbing the bumps stops. So far the changes to the 80 feel way heavy, Spring shock combo feels very under sprung so really need to keep working on the settings. Drives great on the road tho, minus the heavy feel under sprung rocking on hitting gutters at an angle.

Got a new toy for a long term larger camping setup(F-150 Limited W/ 3.5 H.O. Raptor motor) and another distraction. Man, I wish I had this 3.5 H.O. in the 80.... Doesn't look like much but damn, this motor is fast and would pair great with the 80.

Going black on interior. SEM seems ok but scratches easy. They have a bed liner type product I think will work better but trying this for now since it was recommended by a local shop.

Took the 80 with this dynadeck to a local shop. Unfortunately I can't shape the Vinyl to the body so will have to do it in pieces. They gave me some good ideas so went with cutting in 4 pieces (splice down center, upper/lower) due to the split Goose system and the idea to route wiring from the console to the rear area when I get there. This saved having to get another piece for the area (one floor/ one upper deck, no splice on either). No need to do the rear here due to the Goose drawers, Just stuck to mid front seat section to the rear wheel wells. Front area will meet up mid front seats and hide the splice well, front to likely come next year. Found out the Dynadeck had a foam underside, so the Dynaliner is overkill but it worked well with the system and should help a ton with noise and heat.
First of 3 section I cut out of the full piece ordered(they have a few sizes available). This would be possible with an upper and lower section without the splice but it would obviously double the cost.
First impression is this stuff is great. Will clean up well, very well made, no issues with moisture here since in the high desert, that the the floor is sealed very well with the Dynaliner. I will for sure extend to the front.

 

[on the rocks]

Drove the fat pig about 800-900 miles and over 6-7 passes in 3 days with one a mild offroad and it did amazing. Some gas smell which I'm thinking the rear vent/float in the tank is letting fuel by to the CC(likely why so many have issues with the OEM CC as the vent line is always filled with gas? Will continue to watch and just a guess). Outside this and the fact it's getting WAY heavy on the uphill passes, it did amazing and better than expected, especially, the road handling and braking on the curvy roads.

Vinyl flooring and tape is holding up great in the mid section. Excited to get the front done with the same flooring (spray down interior with hose? nope, but way better than nasty carpet and should still clean really well). If you ever have anything to hold in place, the 3M VHB is the tape to use....
Paint on the plastic trim, not so much. Looking at other option for the bulk of the interior plastics that will hold up much better, just scuffs too easy. Going to trial vinyl wrap.
Looking for someone to resurface the headlining and get it sound/ heat protected just to get it back together before 5 years pass.... Until then, some movement on the air/ electrical.
For now pushing forward, general layout and pricing below:
Worked on this last year and figured I better scan it before it gets destroyed and lost.

Extrusion in . The GG seat delete is solid but not braced well for what I'm planning. So many parts and time to plan this out and put it together. Any panel can be removed now and it will hold together giving many options to dig in and troubleshoot and add circuits.
ARB was a PITA mounting so after fitting I just left it in, she isn't coming out. rear of 80 is top of pictures.
I think I can still get to the fuel pump without total and complete disassembly??

Driver side layout, will house the Redarc redvision master switch with additional house battery feeds planned, the controller 30 with DC/DC converter and AC charger, We Boost, 2500 inverter and the AccuAir tank W/ internal valves. I originally wanted to put this outside in the rear but a little worried how well they stay sealed and the internal valves and electronics and these seat delete storage sections are bigger than expected so decided to squeeze it in.

Passenger side, twin compressor with filter to be mounted, and battery(cardboard box testing fitment), little concerned still about running it on its side but manufacture was confident it would be fine. 155 AH and 110 lbs. So much overkill... The Battleborn 270 AH(80 lbs) beast will also fit. Saw one at the MW expo and @ $2400, I passed.... I will stick with free and the extra weight.
Plenty of room for a few breakers I will still need to fit in along with some 12v and RTN buss connections. Also may try to fit and wire in my NOCO jumpstart. Not sure if you can do this with these or not.

Looking back, I way overthought and overspent on this but originally wanted to tow a small base camper for home base and tie this all in to the camper. All the weight added, this will go out the door. Not going to tow much if anything now... I'll learn to plan out separate 80 camping and toy hauler trips.

 

[on the rocks]

Twin ARB mounted passenger side, left the compressor supplied mounted intake filters on for now. If it helps keep temps down, I'll try pulling cooler air in.
Going with braided line for heat and added in a water filter trap to help keep the tank dry.
3/8" line to tank on the passenger side. Line passes through the rear gap in the Goose system.
3 of the 4, 3/8" runs that will feed out in this same area through the passenger rear that will pass through under the body near the frame later. I drilled a hole to pass them through into the passage way just above the wheel wells, very tight fit but just enough for the 4 feeds.

The Twins "SHOULD" trigger from an adjustable pressure switch on the tank, I should be able to set it at 150PSI once I get it up and running, 150 series made by Delphi, went with Amazon since a little quicker. Yellow wire from the AccuAir to the center purple wire on the pump. Not sure if the ground is required but will pass it through as well. 3rd pin not used. I believe the twins have an internal check valve? Couldn't find this detail anywhere so pilled the one that came on the steel line out, it seemed like it was restricting air way too much.

(2) 40 amp feeds will be too big for the Redarc redvision(max 30 fuse) so unfortunately I had to rethink this and went with a Blue Sea 360 4 position panel I'll touch on soon. Originally wanted to go Blue Sea 187 series breakers but started running out of room and didn't like to mounting options.
These will feed up under 2 mounting plates I added for wire management and whatever else I end up adding in the area. Framed in the area behind these plates, just enough room for a 4 breaker panel and cigarette lighter/ USB feed that can expand into additional breakers if ever needed,

Endo VT 3 gallon tank just fit in the drivers side area. Filling up gaps pretty quick! Slick tank quick disconnect mounts added to the extrusion bracing. These are the internal valves(4 total), 2 each end, with 8 wire connectors from each with 2 each PTC 3/8" feeds. Wires and air lines feed in a cable chase I added to reach the far side near the brains and terminal strip.

The brains are tucked away front driver side of the tank. Easy to pull out and manage wiring. I called AccuAir to get the connector type and wire all valve feeds direct but apparently got an engineer that didn't want to do his job or just didn't want to help identify the part number on the plug to order from Mouser. I later found the plug but decided to do a passthrough so if I need to swap feeds, I could do it easy.

4 feeds collect near the brain up front and T into pressure sensors, loop back and through the Goose at the front, tight fit so added (4) 90's to feed to the rear in a few retainers I made up and as shown earlier, out into the body above the rear wheel well to the frame area.

 

[on the rocks]

Testing some vinyl wrap on the interior plastic. Actually liking it much better than I thought I would. This is where the 4 air feeds would pass thru. I'll continue outside once it warms up a bit.

Mix /matching some Blue sea terminal blocks and the redvision battery monitor back on the passenger side. Added a second ground bar since I seem to be needing quite a bit of ground feeds. Just enough space, I think...
All 2 AWG feeds from the house battery back planned. The actual front alternator feed will likely be 1/0 but the Redvision only feeds a 30 amp charge through the manager 30 system. Battery through the terminal strips then feed out to the other electronics and the breakers I will add for the twins (40amp) with I think 8AWG or #6 if I can fit it, ARB provides what seems to be very small #12... a 50 amp feed to the redvision/ Manager 30 and a 40 for the inverter.

Test fit while I wait for a few parts and try to dig up some #8 and lugs. This panel will sit back about 1" and just clear the battery if I can get it all squeezed in,
Also added some rubber stripping from 8020, love this stuff, to cushion the battery(120lbs)...

Adding a pretty common reference for wire sizing.

 

[on the rocks]

Had a few minutes on the work computer today to lay out the base wiring I'm looking at. A little but it works for me.

*EDIT-
V1, changed breaker size to Inverter to 150 and upped cable feed to 1/0. still undersized for the 2500 WATT but I don't see maxing it out or want the larger cable size or battery string to support it.
V2, removed the accessory feed.

 

[on the rocks]

A really generic overview of the OBA AccuAir/ ARB combo I will use. I just need to add a "T" fitting and chuck to the output of the twin just in case the system goes down.

 

[on the rocks]

A lot of things coming and going in this area. #2 mockup and test fit.
Soooo, I overlooked the 40amp feed for the inverter(white sheet listed 40x9 amps whatever in the hell that means). I believe for a 2500W inverter, your looking at fusing @ 250amps, and a bank of batteries.... Zero need for this and went too big on the inverter and zero interest in running 4/0 cable, just to burn up the battery, so will start with a 150 breaker to match the 1/0 I have and more than I ever see needing.
With that said, shuffle the terminal strips, ditch the USB/ CIG accessory feeds and prep for a lot of 1/0 in and out in a small space.

Cables attached for the most part:

She is tight, making a couple adjustments and hope to be good!