- Thread starter
- #61
from what i understand, fj40 knuckles? how do i figure out what i have?
Builds Halo's New Ride
- Thread starter Halogrinder
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- Thread starter
- #62
aight, so progress....i got my knuckles, spindles, hubs, and bearings into the parts washer for a nice clean out...i chased the steering knuckles with a thread chaser, and cleaned the threads on the studs. then i brake cleaned the threads and red locktite'd them in....cleaned and stored the longfields for now.
now in the mail department, i got these HFS shackles from coolcruisers.com....with the gun drilled bolts so i can grease my bushings.
i want to lay my shackles way back, to a) increase wheel base B) to have lots and lots of droop and c) it ride like a caddy with worn out everything
or do i do it normal and make them stand up?
im also putting the springs directly under the frame, im not using the stock hangers...
remember i wanna stay low
now in the mail department, i got these HFS shackles from coolcruisers.com....with the gun drilled bolts so i can grease my bushings.
i want to lay my shackles way back, to a) increase wheel base B) to have lots and lots of droop and c) it ride like a caddy with worn out everything
or do i do it normal and make them stand up?
im also putting the springs directly under the frame, im not using the stock hangers...
remember i wanna stay low
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I kicked the shackles back when I did the 55 rear springs on my 40. That is the best way to get good ride and travel out of leaf springs imho.
What year are your FJ-40 knuckles? 1978 and older are small pattern, 79 and newer are large pattern, same as mini truck.
What year are your FJ-40 knuckles? 1978 and older are small pattern, 79 and newer are large pattern, same as mini truck.
- Thread starter
- #65
I THINK i have the new ones with the mini truck pattern, in fact im pretty sure i have the mini truck pattern.
what do you want to trade? how much just to buy them?
what do you want to trade? how much just to buy them?
- Thread starter
- #66
ladies and gentlemen, we are welding once again for the low price of 180 bucks for the motor.....ugh
ok heres the deal i have now....i have welded in some cross bracing on the rear bumper, and welded in the bumper in the rear as well, inside and out.
my problem: where do i mount the leafsprings, under the frame where the shackles are, or under the frame for the front of the springs?....since the frame tapers out from the center of the truck to the rear, the leafs wont be under the frame rails in both places. im thinking i want to put the front of the rear springs under the frame rails, narrowing the spring width, and letting the shackle hang where ever it wants on the rear bumper stuff.... so i came up with this little solution to my problem, the question at hand is, will it be strong enough?
ok heres the deal i have now....i have welded in some cross bracing on the rear bumper, and welded in the bumper in the rear as well, inside and out.
my problem: where do i mount the leafsprings, under the frame where the shackles are, or under the frame for the front of the springs?....since the frame tapers out from the center of the truck to the rear, the leafs wont be under the frame rails in both places. im thinking i want to put the front of the rear springs under the frame rails, narrowing the spring width, and letting the shackle hang where ever it wants on the rear bumper stuff.... so i came up with this little solution to my problem, the question at hand is, will it be strong enough?
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There are two sizes of knuckles For fj40's If you take the stock steering arm off the drum brake front end you will have an example of the small pattern knuckle .79 and later cruisers and mini trucks have a larger pattern . The larger ones are easier to find hi-steer arms for (minitruck ones will fit) .If you have the option !
- Thread starter
- #68
i figured out they are the big knuckle ones, im good to go
Halogrinder said:
how? I think I have large on my 78 but I would like to confirm it.
- Thread starter
- #70
Im Batman. no seriously, i looked at my old ones, and my new ones. one was small, one was big.
I guess that works.
- Thread starter
- #72
now for a while i have been waiting for this time....i felt very confused with trying to make the springs sit correctly under the frame in the front, and hang where ever they wanted in the rear, while keeping them perpendicular to themselfs. i also had a hard time keeping the leafs centered and square on the axle, they wanted to keep rotating on the spring perches....pain in the ass....it only took a 6pack of shiner winter brew to figure that out. no more stock perches, and all cleaned up fer some paint
now, since i had the springs in the correct position on the frame, and on the axle, it was time to join them back up...so i made the shackle hangers like i was trying to explain earlier. i cut a section out of them, and allowed them to join up onto the rear bumper...i then cut out a triangle gusset and welded that to the top of them. that is also welded to the back side of the bumper....i dont think they are going anywhere now...that took 4 guiness extra stout's
now, since i had the springs in the correct position on the frame, and on the axle, it was time to join them back up...so i made the shackle hangers like i was trying to explain earlier. i cut a section out of them, and allowed them to join up onto the rear bumper...i then cut out a triangle gusset and welded that to the top of them. that is also welded to the back side of the bumper....i dont think they are going anywhere now...that took 4 guiness extra stout's
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- Thread starter
- #73
now the biggest problem i cant really figure out, and i figgured its time to ask you bastids....how do i attach my front spring hanger for the rear spring? the spring is 2 3/4 or so inches wide, and the frame is about 1 3/4 or so inches wide
do you see what im talking about? the spring is wider than the axle...this is from the floor, facing up
and this is where the spring is, on the inside of the frame. i know im going to have to box the frame in right there, but im still wondering how to hang the front of the spring off the frame.....SUGGESTIONS? all mine went out the door when the beers took over...
do you see what im talking about? the spring is wider than the axle...this is from the floor, facing up
and this is where the spring is, on the inside of the frame. i know im going to have to box the frame in right there, but im still wondering how to hang the front of the spring off the frame.....SUGGESTIONS? all mine went out the door when the beers took over...
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i say use some fixed front spring mounts, or make somthing just like them.
- Thread starter
- #75
WELL lets learn from other mistakes, and listen to others reccomendations.
what a fxxxing waste of the entire day.
i was having a SERIOUS brain fart on how to mount the front spring hanger. i drank and stared at it for a good 2 hours tring to figure out how to make a bracket. i finally came up with a solution, but i fxxxed up. big time. i decided to box the inside of the frame in order to mount the hanger....no big deal. i decided to cut a piece of 2x4 box steel length wise to use the radius of the steel as a spacer. no big deal. i mounted them on the frame, welding them from the inside and out to make sure they arnt going anywhere....whoops, call the fxxxup department....i was using measurements of the leafsprings mocked up on the axle, and the frame supported on jackstands (unsprung). now, i wanted the shackles to be layed back, and so i moved the springs forward, as in heavyTLC's reccomendation about 3 inches to try to compensate for the angle. so i burned in the perches, and mounted the springs to it...i have a serious problem with trying to make two straight leaf springs mount on to a frame that is not perpendicular....besides the point. i lowered the truck onto the ground, and the springs flattened out a ton....making my shackles sit at like a 50 degree angle....crap...so im taking off the front tires, and i hear a large POW in the rear of the truck, i look and one of the shackles had inverted on the spring
so now WTF do i do....get a shorter spring? get a stiffer spring? cut off all the s*** i made today to move it forward an additional 3 inches? say fxxx it and get rid of it? this is a serious blow to my enthusiasm to work on this, when s*** like this happens....i think i need to wrench sober from now on
what a fxxxing waste of the entire day.
i was having a SERIOUS brain fart on how to mount the front spring hanger. i drank and stared at it for a good 2 hours tring to figure out how to make a bracket. i finally came up with a solution, but i fxxxed up. big time. i decided to box the inside of the frame in order to mount the hanger....no big deal. i decided to cut a piece of 2x4 box steel length wise to use the radius of the steel as a spacer. no big deal. i mounted them on the frame, welding them from the inside and out to make sure they arnt going anywhere....whoops, call the fxxxup department....i was using measurements of the leafsprings mocked up on the axle, and the frame supported on jackstands (unsprung). now, i wanted the shackles to be layed back, and so i moved the springs forward, as in heavyTLC's reccomendation about 3 inches to try to compensate for the angle. so i burned in the perches, and mounted the springs to it...i have a serious problem with trying to make two straight leaf springs mount on to a frame that is not perpendicular....besides the point. i lowered the truck onto the ground, and the springs flattened out a ton....making my shackles sit at like a 50 degree angle....crap...so im taking off the front tires, and i hear a large POW in the rear of the truck, i look and one of the shackles had inverted on the spring
so now WTF do i do....get a shorter spring? get a stiffer spring? cut off all the s*** i made today to move it forward an additional 3 inches? say fxxx it and get rid of it? this is a serious blow to my enthusiasm to work on this, when s*** like this happens....i think i need to wrench sober from now on
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- Thread starter
- #76
big fxxxups require big grinders....so i went and bought my new addition to the Halo monster garage, a 7" mil-le-wal-kee angle grinder.... here you can see it near my baby like 4 1/2 inch grinder besides it....it gets'r'dun, ill tell ya
so after 3 hours (!) of plasma cutting, and grinding, i was back to where i started on the morning of turkey day.....ok that disasters over with...
so then i got some 4x4 box tube 1/4" wall, and made white man sanitary brackets....cut the holes in them and mounted them to the springs...now i just need to figure out how to center them in relation to the rear shackle hangers, andhard tack them....THEN ill mock everything up, drop it on the ground and make sure im not going to do this again...
so after 3 hours (!) of plasma cutting, and grinding, i was back to where i started on the morning of turkey day.....ok that disasters over with...
so then i got some 4x4 box tube 1/4" wall, and made white man sanitary brackets....cut the holes in them and mounted them to the springs...now i just need to figure out how to center them in relation to the rear shackle hangers, andhard tack them....THEN ill mock everything up, drop it on the ground and make sure im not going to do this again...
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Gus
SILVER Star
Nice job, the bigger grinders are pretty much mandatory for this kind of work (they at least make things a lot easier).
Halogrinder said:
Why not a spring hanger outboard of the frame like the stock front hangers ? You could make it any width you want.
- Thread starter
- #79
cause i dont like outboarded springs?
i dunno...it just happend like that..lol
i dunno...it just happend like that..lol
Halo, I am currently installing new body mounts on my 40 and noticed yours. Is this a kit or a self made "Hockey puck mount?" Is there any body lift in yours? Do you have more rubber above the body surface (like inside the 'square tubing') or just a nut and washer? Do you have any experience with how this set up rides? I am currently puttin in a stock height poly kit, which is turning into a real PITA given the expense. Enjoying your build up; wish I had some Fab Skilz.
