Builds MM40-The Adventure Continues (2 Viewers)

[65swb45]

Today the real fun started. I dropped the interior tank from under the bed (yes, I said INTERIOR) and found a second rats nest where the filler neck ran up inside the interior...along with a rat’s nest of quick and dirty wiring.

 

[65swb45]

Cut the puny 1/4x20 hardware that held the mounting straps to the floor and tidied up the wiring.

Just the two wires for the sender hanging down now, waiting to be attached to the replacement tank. The plan is to splice two stock senders together to get the range of motion to read the depth of the fuel cell, thereby retaining the stock guage, which was working, kind of sort of.

 

[65swb45]

Then I decided to not press my luck anymore and cut the nasty@ss step/hitch off the back of the thing.

 

[RodrigzCrzr]

I saw that when I went to pick up my part from you!
My daughter was like “Dad is that a Landcruiser”?
I was like yep.
Pretty interesting rig that was!

 

[65swb45]

Hitch gone. Much cleaner, but a little of the ‘rustic’ charm is gone

 

[drnekFJ40]

Gave the old girl a minor face lift Monday. I took the rattiest wall-art only bezel out of the pile and spent 10 minutes beating it out until it was straight enough to mount. Looks like it was always there!View attachment 1832595

you can fit a small kayak on that kayak rack....It just have been build there for that purpose...

 

[cruisermatt]

Can I ask what you were using the stapler for under the truck?

 

[65swb45]

Can I ask what you were using the stapler for under the truck?

Sure. The entire underbelly of the motorhome is plywood. The stapler is an old-fashioned telephone cord stapler. I used it to tack her aftermarket wires out of the way while I'm installing the auxiliary tank. Then we will discuss how and where the wires will be run for final install.

 

[cruisermatt]

Sure. The entire underbelly of the motorhome is plywood. The stapler is an old-fashioned telephone cord stapler. I used it to tack her aftermarket wires out of the way while I'm installing the auxiliary tank. Then we will discuss how and where the wires will be run for final install.

That makes sense. I have one of those staplers for the range. I’ve never heard of a stapler being used to work on a truck before!

 

[65swb45]

Well, while I was waiting for the final parts on the airbag system to come in from Canada, I started working on the aux tank install. The tank is now prepared for install with an OE sender (yeah it won’t read the whole range, but we weren’t prepared to tackle more wiring at this point with so many other things on the list.

Got started on the airbags Friday. Having never done one before, this required putting some thought into the procedure rather than just blindly following instructions. The upper mount for the airbags is designed to replace the factory bumpstops. Fair enough. But the factory bumpstops only have to lean on the frame for support OCCASIONALLY, whereas the airbags will be carrying a load ALL THE TIME that transfers directly into that part of the frame.

And that part of the frame is an open channel. See where I’m headed?

 

[mdsims]

Bust out the metal glue gun!

 

[65swb45]

2” wide 3/16” steel plate should help! The rear mounting point is up against the shock tube crossmember, which is boxed, so I’m hoping this will be sufficient. I would be curious to know if any long term airbag users have seen any frame fatigue? @Solace in Solitude ?

 

[Solace in Solitude]

I’ve been running BOSS in the rear of 44 for 3 years or so... no problem.

My Tubdra has had Firestone Ride-Rite fir about 9 years.

No problem with either.

Mine aren’t supporting the weight you are, on MM40, but I do tow a travel trailer with the Tundra.

@rkymtnflyfisher carries a heavy camper on his dually, with Firestone bags.

Whaddayasay Ryan?

@bikersmurf has been running Firestone on his 40 for years.

Whaddayasay John?

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

I recently broke all the bolts that hold the upper bracket to the frame on my Dodge, it definitely has a beefy bracket. If you’re looking to load that thing up the first thing I notice is the angles you’re at, my bags have the top and bottom flanges parallel with each other. The other thing is the bracket that the top ties into actually bolts into the frame on the bottom and has flanges that rest on the vertical section of the frame.

More to follow

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

@65swb45 Mark I haven’t seen any frame fatigue on my truck, but a Ram 3500 has a slightly different frame design than our old Toyotas.

The bolts that broke on my bracket were due to the rust monster, the old bolts had basically rusted away. The last time I had my camper on and 100 pounds of air in the bag it sheared the rest of the rusty bolts off. Sounded kind of like someone hitting my rear axle with a 16lb sledgehammer as I drove down the road at 65.

I love the bags on my truck, I wouldn’t haul a truck camper without them.



After all of that, I can’t say what they are like under a 40.

 

[4x4veteran]

As promised, here's a pic next to the schoolbus:

View attachment 1014805

Just when I thought a 40 couldn't get any less aerodynamic.
Love it though.

 

[65swb45]

I recently broke all the bolts that hold the upper bracket to the frame on my Dodge, it definitely has a beefy bracket. If you’re looking to load that thing up the first thing I notice is the angles you’re at, my bags have the top and bottom flanges parallel with each other. The other thing is the bracket that the top ties into actually bolts into the frame on the bottom and has flanges that rest on the vertical section of the frame.

More to follow

The angles of the mounting plates certainly don’t impress me Ryan. That’s one of the reasons I posted a side view instead of a rear view. The instructions that came with the bags specifically indicated to mount the brackets in the factory bumpstops location. I would imagine that is how Danny @Solace in Solitude has his, since they are from the same company.

 

[Solace in Solitude]

Yep. But, mine are oem height, not “lifted”... two bags instead of three.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

The angles of the mounting plates certainly don’t impress me Ryan. That’s one of the reasons I posted a side view instead of a rear view. The instructions that came with the bags specifically indicated to mount the brackets in the factory bumpstops location. I would imagine that is how Danny @Solace in Solitude has his, since they are from the same company.

Mine mounted where the bump stops were originally, either way I'd be sketching up some measurements to fab a better bracket for that upper mount. Being somewhat universal those directions are probably not to vehicle specific, especially for an old rig like yours.

 

[rkymtnflyfisher]

Wait, what kind of rig are these on?


Edit, that's a pretty awesome shagwagon.