Build My mini-truck buildup thread...'86, 38's, FJ80 front axle, etc...

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.

I still need to clean up the welds a little bit and something wasn't quite right w/ the welder or maybe it was the weldor(me). So I may grind them out and do them again since it is the steering after all.

I also spent a few mins teaching my gf to weld after she kept complaining she was bored. This is how she did after about 10 mins of messing around.
See Pic 1

And since I know you guys will ask, here's a pic of the gf w/ our pooches :flipoff2:
See Pic 2

That's all for now. Going up for a few days for T-giving, but have been working on my cruiser a lot lately and might be building a bumper for it instead. If not, then I'll be working on finishing up the steering system on the mini-truck.

I spent a LONG time figuring out how I wanted to mount everything and did get the TC steering pump mounted, but don't have any pics. Hopefully I'll be able to get everything mounted next time I'm up and then I can have hoses made.

I'm also struggling with a gas tank and may give in and fabricate my own over X-mas break since I can't seem to find one that is the right size for my needs.
Erica's Camera 038.webp
Erica's Camera 057.webp
 
subscribing .. but

Congrats Arya it's am awesome job to do by yourself and alone .. ( and at night ! )
 
Looking good man, ive been jonesing for a little mini truck to cut up recently, its too much work to keep my DD looking decent and still wheel it!

Have you given any thought to the sideloading on the ram? I dont have any experience with setting those up but the articles i have read seem to indicate you want the link arm paralell to the greatest extent possible. Yours seem to have a bit of inward tilt on both sides (may just be the pic). Ill look and see if i can find a link on the subject.....

-Matt
 
Here we go, from fourwheeler.

129_0611_12_z+hydraulic_steering_tech+ram_mounting_diagram.jpg

129_0611_13_z+hydraulic_steering_tech+best_ram_mounting_diagram.jpg


It looks like according to these you would see a lot of sideloading on the ram with your current setup. I wish i had problems like that to deal with, how to setup your fully hydro steering is a lot more fun that fixing an exhaust leak :flipoff2:.

-Matt
 
Matt, you are correct, my ram setup is not ideal and is do mainly to leaf spring-tie rod clearance issues. I'm hoping that Slee will release his hi steer arms for this axle in the near future and then with a little bit of rework I can get the ram up out of harms way and the angles fixed. In the meantime I think this will be fine as I'm building this truck way beyond my previous 'wheeling experience, so it will be a while before I get to the point of needing the full capacity of this steering system.

Thanks for keeping an eye on me though, I'm definately no expert.
 
Just read this thread

So a few coments.
1st off your truck is lookin mighty nice. props to building a rig like this to be able to go have fun with the friends. (this is me jelous) :grinpimp:
2nd off your g/f is hot. (no ofence just sayin nice goin)
3rd those welds she did are mighty good for a beginner. I think ide be speaking for more than myself if i said that makes her hotter! :flipoff2:

all foolin aside, good work man looks kickin. Ill be watchin for updates.
 
It's the angle of the pic. I played with placement for almost an entire day before coming up with what I've got. I fully expect to rip it all off the minute high steer arms become available. Hopefully sooner than later.

Ary
 
alkaline747trio said:
Is it the spring pack that gets in the way?
Click to expand...

Yes, when planning it all out, you have to take into account the fact that the spring packs will move down as the suspension compresses. That is the problem. If it really proves to be a horrible position for the ram, I may eventually link the front end, but that won't be any time soon thanks to the lack of $$ ;)

Ary
 
Due to some interesting developments I will be changing directions a bit with this project. I will be scaling it back a bit, both in terms of bling and size.

For that reason I am parting out the front axle and will be going back to a traditional '85 mini-truck axle with longs.

The full hydro system and some of the FJ80 front end parts are up for grabs here: https://forum.ih8mud.com/showthread.php?t=124688

I will be getting up to the shop next weekend and will set to work reconfiguring the truck for its new mission: reliable "farm/work" truck/moderate wheeler

Stay tuned.

Ary
 
Arya,

Sorry to hear about your change of plans. I hate to say it, but the 80 axle isn't the best option for swapping.... yet. The axle is really tailored to linked suspensions and there isn't a lot of aftermarket suport. I am looking forward to see how your truck progresses.

Ryan.
 
Ryan,

If it weren't for my change of plans I would stay with the 80 axle. Slee has high steer arms in the works and with the longfields I would never have to worry about shaft carnage.

The simple issue is that I have too much money tied up in this axle and with the money I'll get from selling it I can pretty much finish the truck.

Ary
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Back
Top Bottom