Builds FJ40 buggy re-fresh (1 Viewer)

[too tall]

So I've built many front gussets for rigs without the need for hydraulic ram mounts so but not one quite like this. I started with a piece off 1/4" wall 2x6 HSS. I made the gusset so that it incorporates the steering stops into the end of it (not that I'm going to use steering stops) but give pretty good support all the way to the balls. I've done it like this quite a few times and really feel it helps keep the factory housing from bending.
Couple of pics to show the progress.

 

[Rock40]

That right there, is a hellava gusset

 

[cruisermatt]

Damn. That looks like a full day of grinding

 

[too tall]

Damn. That looks like a full day of grinding

Not a full day but it took a while. I plasma'd out the rough scribe lines then started fitting it. It usually takes a day to weld it out though. They will pull pretty bad if you don't exercise a lot of patience once you begin.

 

[Broski]

. They will pull pretty bad if you don't exercise a lot of patience once you begin.

I was wondering about that

 

[White Stripe]

So how long is your welded in spacer now? Personally I would trim that brace so it's shallower. It looks like it extends beyond the diff cover about 2". I would probably trim it so it extends maybe 1/2". I have a feeling the 2" will cause clearance issues in some way. But I could be wrong. Just throwing ideas out their?

 

[GLTHFJ60]

Not a full day but it took a while. I plasma'd out the rough scribe lines then started fitting it. It usually takes a day to weld it out though. They will pull pretty bad if you don't exercise a lot of patience once you begin.

Do you chain the housing ends down with some upwards preload via a bottle jack? I've never done such a large gusset, but I've seen that method used.

In this example, it looks like the chain pulls down and the stands hold up, doing the same thing.

 

[too tall]

So how long is your welded in spacer now? Personally I would trim that brace so it's shallower. It looks like it extends beyond the diff cover about 2". I would probably trim it so it extends maybe 1/2". I have a feeling the 2" will cause clearance issues in some way. But I could be wrong. Just throwing ideas out their?

The brace is just barely wide enough to protect the ram once it is mounted. If I make it narrower, the ram will be out further than the front edge. I don't think it'll cause any clearance issues. The tires will make my approach angle more than 90*. I trimmed about an 1/8" off of the tube extension to make the stock long side 80 length axle engage the side gear the same depth as stock.
This picture shows a rough finished position of the front axle. The tubes sticking out will be trimmed back and I'll most likely add tabs for shackles into them. I set the wheelbase at 114" . Seems to work well around here. Everything we try to climb gets steeper and steeper, more WB helps a lot with the cat walking/back flipping issue.

 

[too tall]

Do you chain the housing ends down with some upwards preload via a bottle jack? I've never done such a large gusset, but I've seen that method used.

In this example, it looks like the chain pulls down and the stands hold up, doing the same thing.

No I do not chain or clamp the housing while welding it out. It wouldn't help if you were welding it too hot. It would bend anyway. As I said in one of my previous posts , it takes roughly an entire day to weld out allowing things to cool completely as its welded out in sections. I've done it this way probably 20 different times and only the first one pulled to the point it caused issues afterwards.

 

[too tall]

I threw a knuckle and hub on so I could mount a tire and check for any interferences before I completely weld out the housing. It clears everywhere by quite a bit. The hellfire knuckles have the larger caliper mounting ears so I thought I'd try the larger tundra callipers and see if I could come up with a slip on hat type setup. From what I can tell if I machine down the OD of the wheel mounting flange on a 60 series hub and run 60 series spindles, the thicker tundra rotors should be very close to working using the hellfire caliper mounts.
I'll try to get pictures of the idea tomorrow.Here is a a shot of it with a wheel back on .

 

[Mike Shull]

Nice stance. It’s low and it looks like you have plenty of up-travel. Great work!

That front housing is set for life.

 

[too tall]

So I'm not certain, but I think I may have discovered a new brake package idea that uses tundra rotors,WL13 size callipers and 60 series hubs and spindles. I haven't had time to check if this idea will fit on a stock 80 series knuckle but it works on the Hellfires . Basically you take a 60 series hub, machine down the mounting flange so the tundra rotors slip on the front side and mount the callipers to the factory mounting holes. Voila ,big brakes for your hellfire setup. It decreases the WMS by a bit but you could get the width back by adding spacers on the outside (defeating the benefit of the slip on hat but still allows you to run the larger brake package).
Please Let me know If I've missed it but I can't find anyone who has done this mod. Not sure who the moderator is on this forum right now, but It might be worth cross posting this to the 80 series forum as a useful tech idea. I may do a separate thread over there to show those guys ? Please chime in if you have seen this technique before. I'd be interested to see who discovered it if it wasn't me. A few pics to show how it all works.

 

[too tall]

The caliper doesn't sit perfectly centred on the rotor but it is very close. The second pic shows the incongruence. I think it will be ok without modifying anything else.

 

[cruisermatt]

That would be a downgrade on an 80, the 93-97 80 rotor is pretty much same diameter, but thicker, and has larger caliper pistons. And aren't the 80 spindles a little shorter and have larger indexing ring where it centers into the knuckle?
I did the opposite and put 93-97 80 rotors and calipers on my 60 knuckle/hub/spindle a few years ago.

 

[too tall]

That would be a downgrade on an 80, the 93-97 80 rotor is pretty much same diameter, but thicker, and has larger caliper pistons. And aren't the 80 spindles a little shorter and have larger indexing ring where it centers into the knuckle?
I did the opposite and put 93-97 80 rotors and calipers on my 60 knuckle/hub/spindle a few years ago.

80 spindles are shorter. The hubs are the same length as IFS minitruck or 4 runner hubs. The rest of the Birfield is the same as the smaller ones. I'll check the indexing ring in a bit but from what I can tell, the 60 series spindles align the Birfield into the spindle/ball the same as it does with 80 ones.
Here are both calipers side by side. The pistons are not bigger in the 80 series caliper. I didn't measure them but they appear to be the same size. The pad surface is larger on the WL13 caliper. I get the thickness argument, but you're saying there is no benefit to more surface contact between the pad and rotor?

 

[cruisermatt]

You might be comparing to the 91-92 80 brakes which are a bit smaller (they can fit under15" wheels)
00-06 Tundra caliper piston is 38mm OD, 93-97 80 caliper piston is 39mm OD. Doesnt sound like much but that's 60.5sq mm per piston, so 242sq mm per caliper. You can increase the pad surface in the 80 caliper by using the 100 series pad.

The 80 front brakes stopped my 37's in my +6000lb 60 series very well. Now I have 5th gen (2010-2014) 4runner brakes which are massive, 13.5" rotor. those will easily lock a 37" on a heavy rig or the 40's on your lightweight rig. do you have 17" wheels? If so what's your reason for not running the 5th gen 4runner stuff?

I have seen guys do what you posted but for the reason of running the studless hubs (which are based on 40/60/mini hub) on a 80 axle

 

[too tall]

I do have 17" wheels. I'm not that familiar with the 5th gen 4 runner brake stuff. I was just trying to figure out an easy setup for brakes with removable hats so I could pull the spindle hub assembly in the bush without having to expose the wheel bearings to foreign debris. Faster and easier on the trail. My smaller brakes were actually more than adequate enough for stopping my rig on 40's. Happy to have bigger brakes regardless. I had never seen anyone do it this way before. Got any pics of the guys you've seen running this setup?

 

[Firemedic831]

I have been running the tundra Rotors and calipers and they have been fine . What you are doing is basically the same set up i have had

 

[too tall]

I finished welding out the gusset then re-mounted the axle and set the caster to 4 degrees. The next couple of pictures are the ram mounted . I'm using a surplus center 10"x2.5" double ended ram. I'm planning on making a set of 1/2" UHMW pucks to limit the ram to 9". I measured it the other day and I'm getting 50* of potential steering angle lock to lock. Swing to swing I'm getting 10"+ of travel center of furthest hole in the hellfire arm. I'm thinking at 9" I'll limit the steering to roughly 45*. Even at full lock the 80 birfs spin freely without any sort of binding when spinning the pinion by hand. I still need to finish a few things but getting close to being able to check the front axle off the list.

 

[Broski]

I finished welding out the gusset then re-mounted the axle and set the caster to 4 degrees. The next couple of pictures are the ram mounted . I'm using a surplus center 10"x2.5" double ended ram. I'm planning on making a set of 1/2" UHMW pucks to limit the ram to 9". I measured it the other day and I'm getting 50* of potential steering angle lock to lock. Swing to swing I'm getting 10"+ of travel center of furthest hole in the hellfire arm. I'm thinking at 9" I'll limit the steering to roughly 45*. Even at full lock the 80 birfs spin freely without any sort of binding when spinning the pinion by hand. I still need to finish a few things but getting close to being able to check the front axle off the list.

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Nice work & moving fast !