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[EvkoOffroad]

As I said earlier in this thread, I never ran into a situation that I needed extra clearance from custom bumpers. Well, I was headed down to Moab for the first time, and judging from all the information that I could gather, I needed something to protect the body. Mainly approach and departure angles. So off came the bumper covers, and being my frugal self, went about figuring out how to make rear corner protection. The center section in the rear would work for my needs for the time being, and I left the front as it was. Eventually I flipped the front upside down to gain more approach. I wanted to continue the tube style from the sliders to the rear, as well as the front. So, the rear corners were built out of tube. We build a little platform off the ends to eventually tie some swing outs into, but money was limited (as it always is), so we only did the corner protection. We built recovery points straight off the side of the frame, and welded those in place.

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Driving Moab for the first time was an amazing adventure. The added protection in the rear definitely came in handy, and I managed to even hit the front still. So it was a good thing I removed the covers. I couldn't have asked for a better first trip. Poison spider, hells revenge (including hells gate!), fins and things, canyonlands, and elephant hill. Can't wait to have another trip down there!

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Explored and camped some more with that setup for awhile longer. I was really liking the look of the back, and had plans on how the front could tie it all together.

 

[EvkoOffroad]

I had been working a few side jobs to help fund some fun items, and I finally hit my goal. So in preparation for that, I hammered in the pinch weld, cut a tiny bit off the bottom (where the screwdriver is pointing), and took a heat gun to the plastic liners to get them to mold to the new shape. Then came the delivery, and the install. And of course, a few winter drives to test them out.

Before 285/75r16:

After 315/75r16:

 

[EvkoOffroad]

I finally had finished enough side work to finish off the bar work on the cruiser. So the front bumper design came to life.

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Now, with the increased tire size, the spare tire wouldn't fit underneath anymore. I went out on a snow trip, where I tested having it on the roof...that just didn't work for me. Made a lot of noise, and I was constantly worried it was going to fall off. So, I had another trip where I just didn't bring a spare, but I really like having a spare just in case. I have seen a few tires get cut by the rocks and branches around here that having a spare is a must for me. I also found the limits of the 315's. Turns out a heavy rig doesn't float on top of the snow. Even with bigger tires. I guess I need arctic truck sized tires. Maybe next year.

 

[EvkoOffroad]

There was really only one solution to carrying the spare. Swingouts. So, I went about trying to figure out how to make this as simple as possible. I should mention that my welding skills are...sub par...so all the bar work you have seen has been done by a very talented local fabricator. He does amazing work, and is a super nice guy. I purchased some hd hinges from Trail Tailor (his extended links worked great on my rig). We took those and started to see how we could make a tire swing, and a jerry can swing. I also wanted to keep the center section as it was, but add in some metal to stiffen it up. We put in a hitch receiver right in the middle of the stock section, capped around the center, and the top to give it a finished look. The result is below:

Here it is with boards and jerry's on it. The straps were temporary, just to see how it looked.

And another picture with it out in the wild:

 

[EvkoOffroad]

I went out on a camp/wheeling trip in the early spring and ran through quite a bit of some snowy sandy mud. I didn't think much about it until I went with my friend to go pick up a used transfer case for his Lexus. I thought I should look underneath mine just in case mine was leaking. And after having zero leaks since my ownership...the transfer case was leaking. Turns out with that sandy mud, it got into the seal and started to leak out. Luckily I caught it very early. Well, in order to do the seals, the whole transfer case come out. And while I was in there...I thought I should do the front seal as well...and maybe some gears. So, a few calls to cruiser outfitters my low range transfer case gears were on their way. HUGE thank you to Mr Cruiser Kurt himself for talking to me for almost 20 minutes going over the high range and low range options for the 100. While the truck was stationary, I changed out the diff, and transmission oils. Inspecting the plugs...looked pretty good actually. I extended the breather lines on both diffs, transfer, and transmission. This was all in preparation for a trip down to St George. I got to test out the low gearing down there, and wow, what a huge difference. At one point I had to accelerate down hill. This is without any gearing in the diffs. I would love to do that at some point...but funds. I keep telling everyone if the front diff goes, then a locker and gears will go in. But it is holding strong. Which, I'm not mad at. I like a working cruiser.

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Some pictures from the St George trip. First we went off to go see the Grand Canyon. The trail was pretty tight for the wide 100. Got a few extra scratches. Unfortunately the canyon was pretty socked in with clouds and rain. The next day, the dirt turned into serious mud. Found out quickly what Matt's off road recovery deals with around there. The weather broke the next few days, and we went exploring around the are. I'm still rocking the single arb compressor with the 35's. While I would love a powertank or a dual compressor, the single gets the job done...albeit a bit slower.

 

[EvkoOffroad]

After getting back from that trip, I wanted to replace the valve cover gaskets. Every job takes longer than expected, so I gave myself the whole day to finish it up. Well...all the bolts came out perfect...except for the one closest to the firewall. So, I thought I would use an extractor. Broke the extractor right off. Well then, I might as well take the other side off. Same exact thing. I was going to give up at that point, when my brother in law came in to save the day with his tools/knowledge. He somehow got both of them out with an angled drill, and a tap. I then cleaned everything up, and have been actively avoiding any other bolts.

One of these bolts is not like the others.

 

[FJFOOL]

Great write-up, and evolution of your truck ! I grew up in Bridger Canyon, would love to get back sometime. Love that part of the country, what lake is that with the Christmas tree on your 100 ?

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Great write-up, and evolution of your truck ! I grew up in Bridger Canyon, would love to get back sometime. Love that part of the country, what lake is that with the Christmas tree on your 100 ?

Oh that's awesome! I am around Bridger Canyon quite a bit. The Christmas tree picture is looking down Hyalite lake.

 

[FJFOOL]

Hyalite, many fun memories there, one involved a motorcycle going swimming ! My first trip to Moab was amazing, I highly recommend the Golden Spike Trail !

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Hyalite, many fun memories there, one involved a motorcycle going swimming ! My first trip to Moab was amazing, I highly recommend the Golden Spike Trail !

I can’t wait to get back to the Moab area. So much to explore over there.

 

[v8Billy]

I have been trying to figure out what OME springs I have in the rear, but I haven't been able to track down this part number. Anyone on here know what springs I have?
View attachment 2819302

Perhaps these-https://www.summitracing.com/parts/emu-2901

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Perhaps these-https://www.summitracing.com/parts/emu-2901

Woah! Those might be them! I always thought the cruiser was only lifted around 1-1.5" -- When I would park next to other cruisers with a 2" lift, you could easily tell they were taller. Thanks for the help!

 

[clrussell]

Love the build. Great ideas and execution on the bumpers. I like that a lot.

Also the 35s look right at home. Makes me want to go back to stock wheels and 35s

 

[EvkoOffroad]

Love the build. Great ideas and execution on the bumpers. I like that a lot.

Also the 35s look right at home. Makes me want to go back to stock wheels and 35s

Thank you! I appreciate that. The 35's definitely look correct on the cruiser...however, I haven't gone anywhere else the 285/75r16 couldn't take me. I haven't had the 35's for too long, so I haven't gotten to explore as much quite yet.