Builds Manglers "Flying Egg" Resto-Build

[Boston Mangler]

Good gawd how is that engine so clean with that high a mileage?!?

Full Disclosure

The UPPER portion of my motor is spotless, as is the valley plate area. Zero drips

But…

When I was fussing with the hard line on the drivers side, right near the AC compressor. There’s a decent amount of crud build up in that area. Not wet persay, but something oily is seaping over there. Haven’t started to investigate what yet, and no leaks in driveway at all, but something is amiss there.

 

[wiseinvestor]

Great write up! Love the fact you are getting her fresh. Sleeping setup is giving me some flashbacks.

Well done.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Great write up! Love the fact you are getting her fresh. Sleeping setup is giving me some flashbacks. View attachment 3937043

Well done.

Thanks man…

There’s a method to my madness on all of this…

 

[Boston Mangler]

On today’s episode of “Replacing everythangggg on this old high mileage Relic”

Another neglected critical part I’ve never seen mentioned here, cause yall hyper fixated on what tires and offset your wives will like….

This was surprisingly a 1/2 job and didn’t need to release KDSS valves or anything else. Remove nut, 2 bolts, put in new piece, done.

Tie rod end portion was worn and loose but not totally horrible.

Both bushings were COMPLETELY shot, dried out and toast

 

[Boston Mangler]

So after quick test drive home from the shop

For those familiar with SoCal and are freeway on/off ramps they’re usually sectionalized concrete and they move over time so can get bumpy

I was getting a slight thud/jarring in the rear end on these ramps (when the KDSS and swaybars are working hard) that I couldn’t track down. Only noticed it in these situations

Well…. Now it’s fixed and totally gone. This arm was definitely the cause. Was it the worn tie rod or the bushings or a combo of the 2? Not sure honestly

But it’s 100% gone and smooth as butter!

Easy fixes are my fav!

 

[dudemancool1904]

So after quick test drive home from the shop

For those familiar with SoCal and are freeway on/off ramps they’re usually sectionalized concrete and they move over time so can get bumpy

I was getting a slight thud/jarring in the rear end on these ramps that I couldn’t track down. Only noticed it in these situations

Well…. Now it’s fixed and totally gone. This arm was definitely the cause. Was it the worn tie rod or the bushings or a combo of the 2? Not sure honestly

But it’s 100% gone and smooth as butter!

Easy fixes are my fav!

I know people think I’m crazy when I say this but for a 5500 lb suv the 200s drive amazingly well. And I say that coming from owning Miatas, countless BMWs, a c63s, mazdaspeed3, SN95 mustang, Volvos, 911, etc.

 

[Boston Mangler]

I know people think I’m crazy when I say this but for a 5500 lb suv the 200s drive amazingly well. And I say that coming from owning Miatas, countless BMWs, a c63s, mazdaspeed3, SN95 mustang, Volvos, 911, etc.

They REALLY do. I’ve owned and driven the whole spectrum (which some people say I’m on) and dozens of various motos.

The 200 is “different” in a very good way

 

[Boston Mangler]

This truck continues to surprise/confuse me.

Just replaced the PCV valve and can 100% tell from the sound deadening intake foam being perfectly intact that it’s the original one with 220k on it and it was in great shape and still rattled.

Stumped that stuff that should definitely be worn and old is in perfectly good condition and then, some stuff that should be fine is completely wasted and needs replacing .

Climate change

 

[TeCKis300]

On today’s episode of “Replacing everythangggg on this old high mileage Relic”

Another neglected critical part I’ve never seen mentioned here, cause yall hyper fixated on what tires and offset your wives will like….

This was surprisingly a 1/2 job and didn’t need to release KDSS valves or anything else. Remove nut, 2 bolts, put in new piece, done.

Tie rod end portion was worn and loose but not totally horrible.

Both bushings were COMPLETELY shot, dried out and toast

View attachment 3937877

View attachment 3937879

View attachment 3937880

View attachment 3937881

Gnar! For safety.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Gnar! For safety.

It’s all for “safety”

 

[amitbh234]

Prouductive Weekend!

Tasks Completed:
-Bilstein 6112/5160 Installed (front set to 3rd clip)
-Bilstein Rear Springs (Standard)
-New OEM UCAs, LCAs, All 4 Rear Links, and Track Bar
-New OEM front sway bar links
-Dr KDSS "Shorty" bracket
-DBA Rotors
-Hawk LTS Pads
-Full Brake System Flush (Man i LOVE speed bleeders)
-275-70-18 Cooper AT3 LTX on Powdercoated TRD BBS Wheels (loving how dang quiet they are)
-Removed Wheel Spacers (likely install NEW 1" bora set later)

Thought i ordered all 4 of the sway bar bushings front and rear, but they were no where to be found, so those will be done at a later date.

Measurements Before (no 3rd row, half tank of gas)
DF: 19"
PF: 19 3/4"
DR: 21 1/4"
PR: 21 1/4"
RAKE: 1 3/4"

Measurements After (no 3rd row, half tank of gas)
DF: 22"
PF: 22"
DR: 23 1/8"
PR: 23 1/4"
LIFT FRONT: 2.5"
LIFT REAR: 2"
RAKE: 1 1/4"

Im not concerned about the 2.5" in the front because the stock ones on there were worn and sagging and almost an inch lower thant newer 200s ive measured, guessing its closer to the claimed 1 3/4" lift as advertised, so shouldnt be an issue with stock UCAs. That, and there will be some settling.

Will shoot for alignment tomorrow and report back.

First impressions are all positive for sure! The loose and wallowing feeling is completly gone, as is the annoying brake dive.

Not "Stiffer" but definitely feels more planted and confident. Hit a little dirt, and ALL of the loose rattling is gone. Guessing most of that was from the completely shot control arm bushings and front sway bar links!

Put the same DBA rotors and Hawk Pads on that i've ran on my last 4 trucks and did a full system bleed. The fluid in there was NASTY and probably original!

Braking feels night and day better, but the rotors and pads i took off were shot, so anything would of been an improvement.

Overall, fairly easy straight forward install for most of it. 2 hardest parts are the upper rear arms, and the front UCAs. Even with truck on a lift, there is very little room to work with and id say those took as majority of the time. I'd rate this 3 Maybe less if youre an itty bitty fella

Marked all the caster adjusters before taking it apart and put them all in the same spot. Drives great, but still getting a real alignment tomorrow.

I have and planned to replace the CVs and hub assemblies as well, but after inspecting them, they appear to be in great shape, so that will be a later task.

Next on list (in order):
-Alignment
-All sway bar rubber bushings
-Tranny and Power Steering Flush
-Tcase and Diff Flush
-Slee Formed Sliders
-2013+ OEM headlight conversion
-Retint windows

Absolutely estatic how this came out, the stance, and the ride! More to come!

Per Internet Rules, heres some pics:

View attachment 3748917
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What was your rationale behind getting this tire size? I am contemplating between 285/65/R18 and 275/70/R18 like yours to get the large diameter tire I can without any rubbing. I vaguely remember you saying you get a little bit of rubbing at full lock but not sure.

How do you like the coopers? Or did you move to the nitro ridge grapplers already?

 

[Boston Mangler]

What was your rationale behind getting this tire size? I am contemplating between 285/65/R18 and 275/70/R18 like yours to get the large diameter tire I can without any rubbing. I vaguely remember you saying you get a little bit of rubbing at full lock but not sure.

How do you like the coopers? Or did you move to the nitro ridge grapplers already?

As for the size…. I can’t give a real answer…. Basically paralysis by analysis reading 4,000,000 different opinions and getting a migraine. I basically said “F it, I’ll try these”

Tires are like pizza, ask 10 people their fav, you’ll get 10 answers. Same same

To get the proper offset with these wheels I added 1” spacers.

So I get minor front rubbing when backing and minor rear rubbing when Offroad flexed out.

@dudemancool1904 has identical wheels and tires withOUT spacers and claims zero rubbing

As for the Coopers. They’re good. The best? No… But that’s because I went with E rated and not C or LT. They are QUIET so that’s great!

I like them enough, ill keep them until worn out, but I’ll definitely be replacing them with C rated Nittos once they’re worn out.

 

[amitbh234]

As for the size…. I can’t give a real answer…. Basically paralysis by analysis reading 4,000,000 different opinions and getting a migraine. I basically said “F it, I’ll try these”

Tires are like pizza, ask 10 people their fav, you’ll get 10 answers. Same same

To get the proper offset with these wheels I added 1” spacers.

So I get minor front rubbing when backing and minor rear rubbing when Offroad flexed out.

@dudemancool1904 has identical wheels and tires withOUT spacers and claims zero rubbing

As for the Coopers. They’re good. The best? No… But that’s because I went with E rated and not C or LT. They are QUIET so that’s great!

I like them enough, ill keep them until worn out, but I’ll definitely be replacing them with C rated Nittos once they’re worn out.

Thank you good sir!

Btw I know you replaced the front upper and lower arms when you did the suspension refresh. Was it difficult to get the wheel alignment done. I’m contemplating whether to purchase OEM or aftermarket UCAs for my build. The Ironman 4x4 UCAs seem to be a good alternative with rubber bushings and OE BJs but have mixed feedback.

Thanks on the tip about the tire rating too. I’m gonna go with SL rated Nittos or Falken Wildpeak AT4s once mine are worn out.

 

[Boston Mangler]

Thank you good sir!

Btw I know you replaced the front upper and lower arms when you did the suspension refresh. Was it difficult to get the wheel alignment done. I’m contemplating whether to purchase OEM or aftermarket UCAs for my build. The Ironman 4x4 UCAs seem to be a good alternative with rubber bushings and OE BJs but have mixed feedback.

Thanks on the tip about the tire rating too. I’m gonna go with SL rated Nittos or Falken Wildpeak AT4s once mine are worn out.

One of my non-negotiables was using OEM arms.

Ample horror stories of aftermarket failures and issues. I had SPCs on my Tundra and they ate through bushings every 20k. I ain’t got time for that.

Close to zero reports of broken or failed OEM arms. My OEM uppers had 219k on them when I yanked them out to replace them and they were actually still in pretty decent shape

Do you lose a little lift and/or flex? Sure…

Is losing a little lift and flex worth it to me for durability and reliability? For ME.. ABSO FREAKING LUTELY

People can jump up and down all day arguing over minutia, that’s fine. Everyone has their own purpose and needs of their rigs.

I completely prefer maximum reliability and durability over trying to get an extra inch of travel, but that’s me.

I’ve done all of Baja many times, Arctic Circle 2x, Rubicon 3x.

I’m past that point in my life where everything revolves around maximum travel and beating the bajesus out of my trucks.

I’m old and cranky now, I just wanna get in my luxury vehicle, enjoy my luxury cush drive to some fireroads.

Where I will laugh at the poor peasants in their cookie cutter 4Runners, cracking their bronze method wheels, while their 10k total chaos kit heim joints creak and moan at ungodly decibel levels, with all their silly aux lights set to sun mode (in broad daylight).

I just want to keep my ice coffee cold in my cool box as I drive past them in comfort.

#getoffmylawn

 

[Adam from PL]

As for the size…. I can’t give a real answer…. Basically paralysis by analysis reading 4,000,000 different opinions and getting a migraine. I basically said “F it, I’ll try these”

Tires are like pizza, ask 10 people their fav, you’ll get 10 answers. Same same

To get the proper offset with these wheels I added 1” spacers.

So I get minor front rubbing when backing and minor rear rubbing when Offroad flexed out.

@dudemancool1904 has identical wheels and tires withOUT spacers and claims zero rubbing

As for the Coopers. They’re good. The best? No… But that’s because I went with E rated and not C or LT. They are QUIET so that’s great!

I like them enough, ill keep them until worn out, but I’ll definitely be replacing them with C rated Nittos once they’re worn out.

Does your spare fit under the car with no problem? I have 285/65/18-s and it is a tight fit!

 

[Boston Mangler]

Does your spare fit under the car with no problem? I have 285/65/18-s and it is a tight fit!

Yes, fits perfectly fine

 

[Boston Mangler]

Minor Update…

Got the OME 2721s in today:

When I got it bone stock:
DR: 21 1/4"
PR: 21 1/4"

After Bilstein Regular Rear Springs (NO DRAWERS FRIDGE OR TOOLS):
DR: 23 1/8"
PR: 23 1/4"

Bilstein Regular Rear Springs WITH DRAWERS FRIDGE AND TOOLS:
DR: 21 3/4”
PR: 21 3/4”

OME Rear Springs WITH DRAWERS FRIDGE AND TOOLS:
DR: 22 1/2”
PR: 22 1/2”

No immediately noticeable difference in ride quality or handling.

Will drive for a bit and report back

OME (left) VS BILSTEIN:

 

[hblx570]

One of my non-negotiables was using OEM arms.

Ample horror stories of aftermarket failures and issues. I had SPCs on my Tundra and they ate through bushings every 20k. I ain’t got time for that.

Close to zero reports of broken or failed OEM arms. My OEM uppers had 219k on them when I yanked them out to replace them and they were actually still in pretty decent shape

Do you lose a little lift and/or flex? Sure…

Is losing a little lift and flex worth it to me for durability and reliability? For ME.. ABSO FREAKING LUTELY

People can jump up and down all day arguing over minutia, that’s fine. Everyone has their own purpose and needs of their rigs.

I completely prefer maximum reliability and durability over trying to get an extra inch of travel, but that’s me.

I’ve done all of Baja many times, Arctic Circle 2x, Rubicon 3x.

I’m past that point in my life where everything revolves around maximum travel and beating the bajesus out of my trucks.

I’m old and cranky now, I just wanna get in my luxury vehicle, enjoy my luxury cush drive to some fireroads.

Where I will laugh at the poor peasants in their cookie cutter 4Runners, cracking their bronze method wheels, while their 10k total chaos kit heim joints creak and moan at ungodly decibel levels, with all their silly aux lights set to sun mode (in broad daylight).

I just want to keep my ice coffee cold in my cool box as I drive past them in comfort.

#getoffmylawn

mi mideng...... #crankingwhiteman!

 

[amitbh234]

@Boston Mangler would you mind posting your alignment specs post lift?

Wanted to compare it to the specs post lift from Firestone. They were saying they were able to get the caster close to 3 but there is a little bit of positive camber. Wondering what’s normal with OEM arms post lift.

 

[Boston Mangler]

@Boston Mangler would you mind posting your alignment specs post lift?

Wanted to compare it to the specs post lift from Firestone. They were saying they were able to get the caster close to 3 but there is a little bit of positive camber. Wondering what’s normal with OEM arms post lift.

Honestly no… I didn’t even look at the numbers, just went by feel when I picked it up.

I went to Clarence Brown here in San Diego, and as some members here know, they don’t even use a machine and don’t do fancy color coded printouts, yet, they always get it better than anyone else around.

But I do remember he said it was JUST in spec but just barely. Drives amazing though

He said I should come back in 6 months or so once the new springs settle, etc…. I will eventually bring it back and have them check it