Builds Marvin - '76 FJ40 (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Fast Eddy
- Start date
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Nice! You reminded me a poster "beanz2" custom built his rear FF axle to run the cable locker.
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I know its a bit late now, but.....
IMO....that short tube on the wrap bar should be LONGER and extend out to ABOUT the end. RustyTLCs original wrap bar was designed like that, and it broke at the over hang. That, consequently, resulted in a pinion shaft break on the VERY NEXT climb.
A) you have a LOT of force where those tubes meet eachother
B) The welding process makes the surrounding indigenous steel a little more brittle
C) You have some leverage on that extended end of the tube.
Just my .02
Chicago is right, that thing will fail.
- Thread starter
- #46
Even with a 2nd, never-welded, tube inside that completely spans that weld? I see what you're saying.
It is _so_ not too late. That's a cheap and easy fix in town compared to the nightmare it would be out on the trail.
Or compared to me thinking about tearing into my 2f for some exploratory surgery.
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Fast Eddy said:Even with a 2nd, never-welded, tube inside that completely spans that weld? I see what you're saying.
It is _so_ not too late. That's a cheap and easy fix in town compared to the nightmare it would be out on the trail.
Or compared to me thinking about tearing into my 2f for some exploratory surgery.
Donno man. If it were me, I'd err on the side of caution on that if it's not too late to make it a bit stronger w/ o that much effort. It was a loooooong day on the granite bowl in no shade and 90+ deg. Heat with 3 of us swapping the front diff to the rear. No joke, he heard something snap. He looked and couldn't see anything a miss, and proceeded on. Next ledge was maybe a foot, going up hill and it was there the pinion shaft snapped. It wasn't till we got under there and realized it was the wrap bar failed.
- Thread starter
- #48
Bumper
I've been thinking about doing this for a long time and finally got around to it.
I tapered the bottom of the ends up and capped the ends. By making an extra hole in the top plates, and moving all the other mounting holes forward the same distance, about 30mm, I pulled the whole thing in. This increased the approach angle from about 62 degrees to about 67 degrees.
Before, about 9" to the back bolt on the tow hook:
After, less than 8" to the back bolt:
I've been thinking about doing this for a long time and finally got around to it.
I tapered the bottom of the ends up and capped the ends. By making an extra hole in the top plates, and moving all the other mounting holes forward the same distance, about 30mm, I pulled the whole thing in. This increased the approach angle from about 62 degrees to about 67 degrees.
Before, about 9" to the back bolt on the tow hook:
After, less than 8" to the back bolt:
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- Thread starter
- #49
Before removing the taped part:
After welding:
About done, with some blingy SS bolts:
- Thread starter
- #50
My evil plan for shifting the Orion with the original shifter
Not rocket science, but it's going to work. It shifts great. It's makes H-N-L shifts about 30% easier for the shifter and linkage. The flat edge of the extra lever arm is pressed against the flat edge of the shifting stud by the force of the clamp. I did blow it apart and paint it after the picture.
I had to eliminate the lock nut to get the shaft short enough, but it doesn't really lock anything as far as I can tell.
I also took a jewler's file to the detents and cleaned off the rough machined edges a little.
Random picture of the front floor boards, 3-29-2013
Not rocket science, but it's going to work. It shifts great. It's makes H-N-L shifts about 30% easier for the shifter and linkage. The flat edge of the extra lever arm is pressed against the flat edge of the shifting stud by the force of the clamp. I did blow it apart and paint it after the picture.
I had to eliminate the lock nut to get the shaft short enough, but it doesn't really lock anything as far as I can tell.
I also took a jewler's file to the detents and cleaned off the rough machined edges a little.
Random picture of the front floor boards, 3-29-2013
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- Thread starter
- #52
and...
My trac bar now has a fully-floating front link. It can not only twist, but slide in and out of the main bar. This is to allow the rear end to fully drop straight down without binding. The spring is there to prevent the shackle from dropping toward the front. I'm not 100% sure the spring is necessary. At some point I'm going to mount a camera under there and shoot a video of it flexing. I have not seen another trac bar exactly like this.
My trac bar now has a fully-floating front link. It can not only twist, but slide in and out of the main bar. This is to allow the rear end to fully drop straight down without binding. The spring is there to prevent the shackle from dropping toward the front. I'm not 100% sure the spring is necessary. At some point I'm going to mount a camera under there and shoot a video of it flexing. I have not seen another trac bar exactly like this.
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fast eddy can show me a few more pictures of this wrap bar setup please. what keeps it from compressing from torq or can it only lengthen for drop?
i know its a jeep, but here is a really nice slip and twist syle track bar.
Project "Get that Heep done before the wedding!" (Chevy D60/70 in a TJ) - Page 12 - Pirate4x4.Com
ive seen it on a couple trucks. works just as good as a shackle at the front from what ive seen.
*EDIT* i have an 80 series rear i am using for my FJ40, but im keeping it "full width". i like how you used the stock mount for the track bar mounting. thats one less bracket i have to remove. thanks for the idea!
Project "Get that Heep done before the wedding!" (Chevy D60/70 in a TJ) - Page 12 - Pirate4x4.Com
ive seen it on a couple trucks. works just as good as a shackle at the front from what ive seen.
*EDIT* i have an 80 series rear i am using for my FJ40, but im keeping it "full width". i like how you used the stock mount for the track bar mounting. thats one less bracket i have to remove. thanks for the idea!
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I know this is a little off topic, but do you like your retread tires? How do the handle and act on the road?
- Thread starter
- #56
The end link is 16" long inside the outer tube. When it torques upwards it can get to where the shackle is pointing straight up. When it drops back to neutral, the spring pulls it back in. Same thing in reverse, but it would go downwards. Ideally I would use a shorter shackle, but I was tired of faqing with it. We'll see how it goes. There are some more pictures of it on page 1 of this thread.
I didn't see a trac bar in the thread you linked.
That's the Panhard bar mount. It is originally on the passenger's side, facing sideways towards the driver's side. While you're cutting off a zillion other brackets you might as well pull it off, clean it up and put it where you want. The links are the lower suspension links with one end cut off of each. I got a third one from the classifieds. In one of the earlier pictures you can see the lower mount which was a lower link mount that I relocated. I'm kind of obsessed with using Toyota HW. The shock mounts attached to the rear of the axle used to be leaf spring plates.
Like new $300 tires, but half price. Perfect balance up to 70mph. Not a single regret; highly recommended.
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- Thread starter
- #57
Orion Report
BTW, the H-N-L shifting works great with the stock shifter. In the few miles of 4x4 I didn't have any issues with popping out of gear (didn't expect to). Super-granny-gear is awesome, almost too low for dirt wheeling. We found ourselves in 4-low, 4th gear sometimes. 1st was good for starting out on steeps, but too low for almost anything else except for the poseur rock shot.
I can't wait to get it out in the rocks.
BTW, the H-N-L shifting works great with the stock shifter. In the few miles of 4x4 I didn't have any issues with popping out of gear (didn't expect to). Super-granny-gear is awesome, almost too low for dirt wheeling. We found ourselves in 4-low, 4th gear sometimes. 1st was good for starting out on steeps, but too low for almost anything else except for the poseur rock shot.
I can't wait to get it out in the rocks.
Interesting link the jeep doesn't use a shackle just the two tubes inside each other. Been thinking of this myself but don't see it much. Can't wait for a report back after you test your setup
- Thread starter
- #59
That would not work. When the rear twists, the tube would just telescope apart unless the axle end is fixed in which case it would bind when the rear drooped. I'm still not finding it in the thread though. The chick's not bad though.
I believe that most people's traction bars that i have seen could not be removed when the rear was all twisted up, indicating that they are binding and hindering the travel.
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