nukegoat
Should have bought a Jeep
Time to hit the hammers with your boy
Builds LX450 crawler build thread
- Thread starter GregS86
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Sub'd. We live close to each other. I don't see too many 80's around DFW.
- Thread starter
- #23
I would imagine undo the front side first and then the rear, with that said I've never removed the driveshaft from one of these. Leave the skid plate attached because yes it would drop the trans. At some point the front part of the skid plate will have to be modified to make room for the 3rd link.
Cool, I can't say I've done much research on what's been done or is possible. To clarify, by scratches on the paint I was more referring to the perimeter of the flares/cladding where it's been rubbing on the body for 21 yrs, not from branches, etc...
Cool, I only talked to my first 80 owner last week at Martin House brewery.
- Thread starter
- #25
I'm not so good at updating the old interwebs. I finished up the rock sliders, I went a little different and did my own thing, these bolt to the body and not the frame. The idea was to keep them high and close to the body, I might build some extensions to keep rocks away from the sides, but so far it hasn't been an issue. They took some pretty big hits last weekend and held up great.
I didn't take many pics, but I also got the ARB air lockers installed front and rear, replaced the front axles seals and re-packed the birfields, etc with moly grease.
The truck came with pretty dark tint on the back and I couldn't see anything backing up at night so I installed some Rigid Ignite(?) flush mount backup lights.
Also installed the Smittybuilt 9500lb winch, I kind of regret cheaping out here and wish i would've got a higher capacity Warn. I haven't used it yet other than spooling the rope in.
I didn't take many pics, but I also got the ARB air lockers installed front and rear, replaced the front axles seals and re-packed the birfields, etc with moly grease.
The truck came with pretty dark tint on the back and I couldn't see anything backing up at night so I installed some Rigid Ignite(?) flush mount backup lights.
Also installed the Smittybuilt 9500lb winch, I kind of regret cheaping out here and wish i would've got a higher capacity Warn. I haven't used it yet other than spooling the rope in.
- Thread starter
- #26
Went off roading at Bridgeport/Northwest OHV park, did some damage to the ARB front bumper.
Some tight squeezes...
Popped a bead at 15psi, jacked it up and used the on board air(which I completed with the airlockers previously) and it reseated the bead no problem. These 30.5" highway tires really haven't been bad, but they're going soon.
I was getting tired of dragging everything everywhere and it's going to take me a while to source the parts(and money!) to do the 3 link front/coilovers and 37-40's. I also just want to drive it, kind of tired of working on it, so I'll be doing a cheap-ish lift and 35" tires and leaving the diff gearing as is(although i'll probably do the 25% reduction transfer case gears)
315/70/17 General Grabber X3's(34.4") on 17"x9" 3.75" backspacing Pro Comp Vapor 2(I believe that they're name) bead locks.
Stock ride height:
Old man Emu 3" lift, J springs and L shocks:
Some tight squeezes...
Popped a bead at 15psi, jacked it up and used the on board air(which I completed with the airlockers previously) and it reseated the bead no problem. These 30.5" highway tires really haven't been bad, but they're going soon.
I was getting tired of dragging everything everywhere and it's going to take me a while to source the parts(and money!) to do the 3 link front/coilovers and 37-40's. I also just want to drive it, kind of tired of working on it, so I'll be doing a cheap-ish lift and 35" tires and leaving the diff gearing as is(although i'll probably do the 25% reduction transfer case gears)
315/70/17 General Grabber X3's(34.4") on 17"x9" 3.75" backspacing Pro Comp Vapor 2(I believe that they're name) bead locks.
Stock ride height:
Old man Emu 3" lift, J springs and L shocks:
Looks good.
made that arb look like cupcake wrapping
nukegoat
Should have bought a Jeep
Correct
- Thread starter
- #30
Installed the L shocks and J springs all around and wasn't happy with the rake, the rear was about 2.75" higher than the front.
Less noticeable with the 35's, but still there.
I flexed it out and wasn't happy to find it had less articulation than stock, I think it was 29" and stock was 30.5".
Also a pics of the rock sliders...
Less noticeable with the 35's, but still there.
I flexed it out and wasn't happy to find it had less articulation than stock, I think it was 29" and stock was 30.5".
Also a pics of the rock sliders...
- Thread starter
- #31
35's on bead locks vs the stock spare tire/rim in a trash bag
I pulled the 863J's(3" heavy) rear springs and installed 863's(2" heavy), this lowered the rear about 1.25", but there was still 1.5" of rake, so I built some 1.375" spring spacers for the front, the rear now sits .125" higher then the front with a 35" spare wheel/tire in the back and a few tools. I also found one of the swaybar tabs on the front axle had broken off, so my front sway bar wasn't doing alot, I'm not sure if it's always been broken or what. I removed it for now, the front does have quite a bit of roll, but I also don't have any caster correction yet. I may or may not fix/install the front swaybar. I also lowered the rear swaybar bracket 1.5", no pics though.
I went and flexxed it again this morning and it was 30", so basically stock. The compressed corners were not getting into the bumpstops (shocks weren't bottomed out either), it seems like a lighter rate spring(but same lift amount) would help. This is also with the 30.5" tires though, the 3 remaining rims and 35" tires should be here Monday, I don't think I'll be rubbing much/at all at full articulation, but the inches of remaining compression might not matter if the tire is touching/close to the fender wells anyways. I'm probably over analyzing this, on the trail I'm not sure how important another 5-10" of articulation really is. Since this isn't the end goal suspension setup I'm not fretting over it too much.
I started fabbing up the caster correction plates, but i'm still waiting to get on an alignment rack to measure my caster, so I'm on hold at the moment. I just need to drill the 3rd hole and do the final trim. What should my target caster be? AllData is saying stock should be 3* +/-1*.
EDIT-Also just loosened all the control arm bolts and re-tightened to remove any pre-load. The rear raised about 1/16".
I pulled the 863J's(3" heavy) rear springs and installed 863's(2" heavy), this lowered the rear about 1.25", but there was still 1.5" of rake, so I built some 1.375" spring spacers for the front, the rear now sits .125" higher then the front with a 35" spare wheel/tire in the back and a few tools. I also found one of the swaybar tabs on the front axle had broken off, so my front sway bar wasn't doing alot, I'm not sure if it's always been broken or what. I removed it for now, the front does have quite a bit of roll, but I also don't have any caster correction yet. I may or may not fix/install the front swaybar. I also lowered the rear swaybar bracket 1.5", no pics though.
I went and flexxed it again this morning and it was 30", so basically stock. The compressed corners were not getting into the bumpstops (shocks weren't bottomed out either), it seems like a lighter rate spring(but same lift amount) would help. This is also with the 30.5" tires though, the 3 remaining rims and 35" tires should be here Monday, I don't think I'll be rubbing much/at all at full articulation, but the inches of remaining compression might not matter if the tire is touching/close to the fender wells anyways. I'm probably over analyzing this, on the trail I'm not sure how important another 5-10" of articulation really is. Since this isn't the end goal suspension setup I'm not fretting over it too much.
I started fabbing up the caster correction plates, but i'm still waiting to get on an alignment rack to measure my caster, so I'm on hold at the moment. I just need to drill the 3rd hole and do the final trim. What should my target caster be? AllData is saying stock should be 3* +/-1*.
EDIT-Also just loosened all the control arm bolts and re-tightened to remove any pre-load. The rear raised about 1/16".
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- Thread starter
- #32
Wheels and tires installed, heading out to Gilmer/Barnwell this weekend.
Ended up ditching my caster plates and just ordered the Slee ones, also their 7 line brake line kit. I've heard of disconnecting the rear brake proportioning valve lever and zip tying the lever in the up position, anyone familiar with this?
Ended up ditching my caster plates and just ordered the Slee ones, also their 7 line brake line kit. I've heard of disconnecting the rear brake proportioning valve lever and zip tying the lever in the up position, anyone familiar with this?
BlueCruiser84
SILVER Star
I friggin love those sliders. Are they just bolted to the pinch weld? Any bracing back to the body/rocker panel?
Yea if you zip tie the LSPV lever up it will be fine. In the future you can remove it altogether.
Seems to me the ARB is a less than ideal bumper for a "crawler". Check out 4x4 labs if you are looking for something prefabbed. Super high clearance and you can still get a winch in behind it. Or build your own.... which it looks like you could do.
Yea if you zip tie the LSPV lever up it will be fine. In the future you can remove it altogether.
Seems to me the ARB is a less than ideal bumper for a "crawler". Check out 4x4 labs if you are looking for something prefabbed. Super high clearance and you can still get a winch in behind it. Or build your own.... which it looks like you could do.
BlueCruiser84
SILVER Star
And with the radius arm suspension up front you don't need a front Swaybar.
If you are looking for more articulation on the trail you can search the "hitch pin" mod. Be warned, though, it put lots of extra stress on bushings and mounting brackets - some additional bracing is usually required.
If you are looking for more articulation on the trail you can search the "hitch pin" mod. Be warned, though, it put lots of extra stress on bushings and mounting brackets - some additional bracing is usually required.
- Thread starter
- #35
They bolt in with 8 bolts/nuts to where the factory steps mount to. The plate rests up against the pinch weld in some area. The outer tube is almost perfectly tight to the body and will disperse forces over a large area. I've come down on them pretty hard with no/minimal damage(Small dings to the tube, I used .095" wall because that's what I had around).
A week or so ago I tested out the flex with one of the front control arm bolts removed, I gained about 2" of articulation. I'm not a huge fan of the idea though, so I'll be wheeling with them bolted in.
One of my employees installed the Slee caster plates yesterday, I can feel the difference in the steering wheel, but I still think it needs more caster(haven't measured it). I'm gonna need to grind the front control arms as the tie rod hits when articulating.
For a link suspension on that jeep that's moderate travel. Especially for the wheelbase. I get 40" on my leafspring fj40. Of course, flex isn't everything. You can also have too much flex.Background: I work at a road race prep shop in Fort Worth, TX as a tech and fabricator. My brother has a JKU Rubicon with 40's/etc. and I wanted something to go four wheeling with him with. He lets me drive it four wheeling often, but I wanted something of my own that I could build/break, also the whole sibling rivalry aspect. I wanted something different than a Jeep, I feel they're way overpriced for what they are, everything's been done a million times, and a Rubicon was out of my price range. I suppose it was really someone I met at Bridgeport, TX four wheeling that turned me onto the idea of an FJ80, so the search began. I found several good deals(looking nationwide), but I kept on missing them by a day or the seller would change his mind.
Purchase: I ended up finding a silver/gold(?) 96 LX450 with 287k miles on the app 5miles for a good price(steal?). Note to sellers; not a good place to list a niche vehicle. Paint was in pretty good shape, seems the paint/clear on these doesn't hold up well. Front seats were re-covered at some point and are in great shape, rear seat bottom needs to be re-covered. CEL was on, CDL wouldn't engage in 4 low, driver's seat didn't move front/back, the driver's tilt switch tab was broken off, and I found out the rear door lock actuators didn't work after I bought it. Had a pioneer touch screen/buetooth head unit installed but it's glitchy. Vehicle was super stock, minus the head unit.
Flexing out HARD.
Plans: The plans are for this to be a daily driver(although I'm sure that'll get old quick) and a rock crawler. 37-40" tires, 3 link front suspension, coilover up front and possibly all around, ARB air lockers, chromoly axle shafts, 5.29(?) gears, high steer knuckles, bumpers, skid plates, rock sliders, etc...
Getting started: I bought the vehicle on Sept 4th, 2017, Labor Day. After some late night Googling I found a labor day sale for 10% off ARB that was about to expire, so I bought the front/rear air lockers and an ARB front bumper on spur of the moment decision. The ARB bumper probably isn't the best for rock crawling, but I've always liked the way they've looked. I Also ditched the spare tire and spare tire cross member, weight savings!
Just screwing around, 23.5" of articulation
My brother's Jeep goes a little higher... 34.5" of articulation
That's all for tonight...
Love the exhaust layout and also the clever use of box tubing on the rear bumper.
Yes, do it. Greatly improved the braking in my rig, and with your lift and stinkbug issues, will probably make a big difference for you too. Since you're fabricating beautiful bits and pieces for your truck, you can probably come up with something a little classier than zip ties though.
Yes, do it. Greatly improved the braking in my rig, and with your lift and stinkbug issues, will probably make a big difference for you too. Since you're fabricating beautiful bits and pieces for your truck, you can probably come up with something a little classier than zip ties though.
- Thread starter
- #38
So it's been a couple of months since I've updated this, I've had several outings with the truck, and I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of details.
My brother and I headed out to Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area.
Ended up having to winch the rear up this. I was having issues with my front locker engaging, I later found out the air line, which was run inside the frame rail, had melted shut(not air leaks) from heat of the exhaust. I have since changed the angle of the exhaust turn down, at some point I need to finish running the exhaust to the rear and finalize it.
While approaching the above ledge I cut my RR tire on a nothing rock, the tire only had like 20 miles on it to boot. The rock wasn't sharp, I still struggle to understand how it cut the tire, I think there was a manufacturing defect as I've taken them over much more jagged rocks since and haven't cut a tire. We changed it on the trail without issue.
At some point I built an air up/down kit which allows inflating/deflating all four tires simultaneously, it's been really handy and a time/back saver.
Now the fun part, I didn't have a chance to work on the truck during the week prior, we installed the Slee caster correction plates and upon testing the flex right before we left we found the tie rod hit the radius arms while flexing, which I had read some about. So Friday night I found myself in the dark, laying on my back on a trailer, grinding the front control arms for clearance (which I had read others had done). Well lets just say I found out I ground down too much Saturday night
I love me some gorilla tape
A wrench, some steel tubing I had planned to use when I was building my own caster correction plates, some rocks, some twigs, some strap, and a lot of gorilla tape, and it was enough to make it back to camp. I did winch it up a hill climb since I didn't want to dog it up the hill. I rode in my brother's Jeep on Sunday...
My brother and I headed out to Barnwell Mountain Recreation Area.
Ended up having to winch the rear up this. I was having issues with my front locker engaging, I later found out the air line, which was run inside the frame rail, had melted shut(not air leaks) from heat of the exhaust. I have since changed the angle of the exhaust turn down, at some point I need to finish running the exhaust to the rear and finalize it.
While approaching the above ledge I cut my RR tire on a nothing rock, the tire only had like 20 miles on it to boot. The rock wasn't sharp, I still struggle to understand how it cut the tire, I think there was a manufacturing defect as I've taken them over much more jagged rocks since and haven't cut a tire. We changed it on the trail without issue.
At some point I built an air up/down kit which allows inflating/deflating all four tires simultaneously, it's been really handy and a time/back saver.
Now the fun part, I didn't have a chance to work on the truck during the week prior, we installed the Slee caster correction plates and upon testing the flex right before we left we found the tie rod hit the radius arms while flexing, which I had read some about. So Friday night I found myself in the dark, laying on my back on a trailer, grinding the front control arms for clearance (which I had read others had done). Well lets just say I found out I ground down too much Saturday night
I love me some gorilla tape
A wrench, some steel tubing I had planned to use when I was building my own caster correction plates, some rocks, some twigs, some strap, and a lot of gorilla tape, and it was enough to make it back to camp. I did winch it up a hill climb since I didn't want to dog it up the hill. I rode in my brother's Jeep on Sunday...
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- Thread starter
- #39
At some point I installed the some Terrain Tamer pads, some parking brake things that increase the holding power, installed the Slee 7 line brake kit, and performed a pressure flush/bleed. I cut the Rear brake proportioning valve rod and tied it in the up position. FWIW, I pressure bled the RBPV first, then the RR, LR, RF, LF, followed by a manual bleed. I can now lock the brakes up, the braking power was pathetic before.
Our next trip was to Hot Springs(Arkansas) Off Road Vehicle Park, this place was awesome, and is so far my favorite place by far. We left right after thanks giving dinner and pulled into a packed entry lot on Friday morning after we stopped in a WalMart parking lot for the night. I don't have much in the way of pics or anything that does this place justice. Some poser shots:
Saturday afternoon I started hearing an intermittent suspension noise, I stopped shortly after to inspect. Hmm, that might be it.
It's gonna take more than that to stop us. Gorilla tape for good measure.
An FZJ80 buddy of mine broke both front birfields on the trail, we pulled the front driveshaft and both front drive flanges and he drove all the way back to TX in 2WD.
Trying to get him(Left) turned around after coverting it to 2WD, lots of winching just to get down from here.
This was a truly epic trip with awesome people.
Our next trip was to Hot Springs(Arkansas) Off Road Vehicle Park, this place was awesome, and is so far my favorite place by far. We left right after thanks giving dinner and pulled into a packed entry lot on Friday morning after we stopped in a WalMart parking lot for the night. I don't have much in the way of pics or anything that does this place justice. Some poser shots:
Saturday afternoon I started hearing an intermittent suspension noise, I stopped shortly after to inspect. Hmm, that might be it.
It's gonna take more than that to stop us. Gorilla tape for good measure.
An FZJ80 buddy of mine broke both front birfields on the trail, we pulled the front driveshaft and both front drive flanges and he drove all the way back to TX in 2WD.
Trying to get him(Left) turned around after coverting it to 2WD, lots of winching just to get down from here.
This was a truly epic trip with awesome people.
- Thread starter
- #40
Next trip was to Hidden Falls Adventure Park, we drove down Friday night, December 8th. Our buddies had been wheeling most of Friday and we met up with them Saturday morning. The first obstacle of the day was a pretty good rock and dirt climb. The two landcruisers pictured above made it after a couple attempts. My brother was attempting it in his Jeep and bounced a little too hard/much and ending up snapping some teeth off his rear ring gear and also twisted both rear chro-moly axle shafts, that put him out for the weekend before it had even started. I went to activate my lockers to attempt the climb and the air compressor started running... and kept running, that's not right. Air was coming out of the rear diff breather, not good. I abort and we head back to camp. I'm trying to source either a seal housing or o-rings before I start pulling it apart, no luck(I now keep a spare one). I jack up the rear to try and diagnose if either the copper tubing got snagged/cut on the ring gear which would mean no locker, or if maybe it was a bad o-ring seal which I could possibly limp by with. Once I got the rear jacked up everything worked fine... it fixed itself, I'm still not sure what the issue was here. This truck has fixed itself on several occasions, such as the "power" light on the dash started working again... until it broke again. I don't have much in the way of pics for this trip, there are some videos on my Instagram ( Greg Smith (@gregs86) • Instagram photos and videos ).
I ended up building an articulation ramp because I'm a nerd
My buddies D60 Hemi powered Jeep(not my brother's)
Me and the Jeep above took a short trip out to Northwest OHV/Bridgeport, it was a cold, slick, drizzly day and we called it a day at lunch time, there are some videos on my Instagram of that. That place gets really slick in the wet, I don't think we'll be going back out there if it's wet again.
That just about catches me up to today. We need to start planning our next trip, I also need to decide what I'll be doing with axles. I'm contemplating doing something like D60's, I'm afraid to dump another $5k into these axles with gears, chromoly shafts, high steer, arp, etc. just to find out they're not strong enough for 40's.
I ended up building an articulation ramp because I'm a nerd
My buddies D60 Hemi powered Jeep(not my brother's)
Me and the Jeep above took a short trip out to Northwest OHV/Bridgeport, it was a cold, slick, drizzly day and we called it a day at lunch time, there are some videos on my Instagram of that. That place gets really slick in the wet, I don't think we'll be going back out there if it's wet again.
That just about catches me up to today. We need to start planning our next trip, I also need to decide what I'll be doing with axles. I'm contemplating doing something like D60's, I'm afraid to dump another $5k into these axles with gears, chromoly shafts, high steer, arp, etc. just to find out they're not strong enough for 40's.
