O R I O N

[Fast Eddy]

After some tweaking it shifts good enough I could use it if I needed to. I think I've got a plan. Twin sticks are for jeeps.

 

[orangefj45]

What? Not so loud, he'll hear you. It is a carefully cast collection of land cruiser parts with a light dusting of American steel.

hmmm, let me see.

from what i can tell, here's a list of itmes that are not stock on your rig:

front bumper
steering ( all of it )
axle housings and brakes
differentials
drive shafts
brake lines
shocks along with most of the suspension
shock towers
engine
trans
transfer case
tires
rims
need i go on...........

and you're gonna draw the line at twin sticks?! imho they are a great mod and tons of bang for your buck?! maybe it's me buit i don't get that logic. call me too outspoken, opinionated, whatever.......at least i'm honest. not saying that you're not by any stretch of the imagination. i just plain don't get it. you want to run ruibcon and take the chance on an item that's easily taken care of? what if your linkage bends and/or fails on the trail?! not the kind of trail-plug i'd appreciate. preventable issues need to be dealt with before hitting the trail. enough.

In my limited experience, the twin stick set up totally rocks and I would never again use the stock linkage in an offroader. It is MUCH better, stronger, more direct, more flexible etc.

I'm running Orangefj45's twins in my FJ60 and it is one of my favorite mods. I do have one minor improvement suggestion that Georg and I can discuss later...

hit me andy! i'm always open to suggestions, comments, constructive criticism, complaints and ideas.

I concur on the well built twin stick. After installing the new shift rail from A/A my stock shifter was not going to do the job. I too likey the twin stick.

Georg, speaking as to the detents on the new shift rails from A/A. We found that the spacing of the detents was spot on, if you have a backcut high speed gear. If you do not have a backcut gear the collar hits before the ball seats in detent. Nothing huge just a note in case others have found the same issue.

yup, seen it before but thanks for bringing it up. the latest generation of shift rails and forks seem to be spot on. i just got 3 orions late last week and already built two of them, went together nicely.

I like my AA twin stick set-up, it has a lot more positive feel than the OEM ever did.

exactly, they work!

After some tweaking it shifts good enough I could use it if I needed to. I think I've got a plan. Twin sticks are for jeeps.

come awn eddie, you had to pull the "jeep card"?! you gotta be able to come up with something more clever than that!

respectfully,

georg

 

[Fast Eddy]

i don't get that logic. call me too outspoken, opinionated, whatever.......at least i'm honest. not saying that you're not by any stretch of the imagination. i just plain don't get it. you want to run ruibcon and take the chance on an item that's easily taken care of? what if your linkage bends and/or fails on the trail?! not the kind of trail-plug i'd appreciate. preventable issues need to be dealt with before hitting the trail.

I don't want to be a trail plug. Worst nightmare actually. It will be sorted by then. I've been over at AA peeking around even after the jeep card was played. I suppose I may live to eat those words. I have no argument that their twin-stick setup is nice; it is. Got one in stock?

Maybe what I'll come up with that's more clever than that is a solid single-stick mod. We'll see. I've been known to hack on something just for the adventure, then give up and go with what's been tried and tested.

 

[orangefj45]

Maybe what I'll come up with that's more clever than that is a solid single-stick mod. We'll see. I've been known to hack on something just for the adventure, then give up and go with what's been tried and tested.

haha, i think we're all in that boat!

i have the twin stick kits for the split cases in stock but not for the early cases; there are three different kits depending on the application. but they're only a phone call away. usually i have the parts the next day.
georg

 

[1911]

often times the mechanical linkage will meet it's limits when running an orion with the updated detent.

Exactly what happened with mine. The stock linkage bent and became progressively harder to shift. Twin sticks were the solution and a dramatic improvement in every way.

 

[orangefj45]

let's get this thread back on track!!!!

TWINS!!!!!!!!!

 

[Bodean]

Which one is mine???

 

[orangefj45]

Which one is mine???

Does it matter?!

Actually, it's the one on the right with the fine spline front output to match your existing setup.

Hth

Georg @ valley hybrids

 

[gwalt584]

twins

I like the twins! cool.

 

[orangefj45]

Who doesn't like twins?!;p



Whoops, are we still talking about orions here?!

 

[peesalot]

Georg, just outa curiosity, why did you not switch the other unit to fine spline outputs ?

Did you happen to measure the output shaft where the high speed gear rides ?

I am looking for what that surface measures on a new or very good condition shaft ?

Those cases look nice, is that an epoxy paint or powder coat on the lighter colored parts ? or just a krylon/rustoleum finish ??

 

[trona]

As many of you know I have been struggling with the Orion popping out for many years.
With the incredible generosity and patience from Matt at AA and my third case the problem seems to be solved. From the diagnosis of my second case the problem seemed to stem from the thrust washer play in the intermediate gear. Not something I even checked since it came from AA installed.
Again I can’t say enough praise about Matt and AA with a very difficult customer.

 

[orangefj45]

Georg, just outa curiosity, why did you not switch the other unit to fine spline outputs ?

Did you happen to measure the output shaft where the high speed gear rides ?

I am looking for what that surface measures on a new or very good condition shaft ?

Those cases look nice, is that an epoxy paint or powder coat on the lighter colored parts ? or just a krylon/rustoleum finish ??

we had a donor case for one of them, the other i built from scratch using a new shaft and parts i had in stock. the donor case for the first case had a very good condition main shaft in it.
the measurement for the bushing surfaces should be the same for high and low.
i use rustoleum paint and i do re-paint the main saces since some of the paint does'nt make it thru the machining process or shipping.
thx!
georg @ valley hybrids

 

[orangefj45]

As many of you know I have been struggling with the Orion popping out for many years.
With the incredible generosity and patience from Matt at AA and my third case the problem seems to be solved. From the diagnosis of my second case the problem seemed to stem from the thrust washer play in the intermediate gear. Not something I even checked since it came from AA installed.
Again I can’t say enough praise about Matt and AA with a very difficult customer.

i talked top matthew about your case. painful birth, huh?

glad you guys got it all resolved.

georg

 

[71-CRUISER]

I finally changed the high speed gear in my case. The bushing in the first one they sent was to small and by the time i honed it enough (AAs suggestion) to fit it wasnt round and never fit correctly. I will get the new one tested at GSMTR so ill let you know how it goes.

I also finally got around to installing George's nose cone saver.

 

[Cdaniel]

Ready, set....

Getting ready to pull the trigger on an Orion.
Any inside owners group advice before ordering?

 

[1911]

Getting ready to pull the trigger on an Orion.
Any inside owners group advice before ordering?

If I was doing it over again, I would go with twin sticks on installation and not wait 'til later. YMMV. Be prepared for a whole new level of wheeling fun!

 

[aggiecruiser]

If I was doing it over again, I would go with twin sticks on installation and not wait 'til later. YMMV. Be prepared for a whole new level of wheeling fun!

x2 on 1911's comment. I installed twin sticks for my ORION before my recent trip to MOAB. BIG DIFFERENCE. Made switching from H range to Low range a breeze between obstacles, and the 4L has a much better feel when you engage into Low range.

ORION is good. Love it. I would not have been able to climb some of the stuff I did without the ORION.

-Chris

 

[Jerzfj40]

Finally tested the Orion

Hey Georg! It's been months since installing your Orion # 530 in my FJ40 and i finally had a chance to take it out for the first time last weekend . This thing is amazing! It feels like a totally different truck. I was able to effortlessly climb up deeply rutted trails so smoothly compared to the violent jerking and bouncing i experienced before and no more flooding the carb on the steep downhills from all the fuel sloshing around.
Unfortunately i did experience the T/C popping out of 4WL under deceleration on the steep downhill . I did install the Twin Stick set up and am wondering if this could cause this problem if the linkage was adjusted incorrectly? I had the wife riding along and found that if she held the lever in place with a little pressure, it would not pop out.
Any suggestions?

 

[orangefj45]

the first thing i would do is to remove the shifter boot and try it again. most of the issues with these cases popping out of gear are linkage and boot related. and by that i mean 90% or more. if it still pops out, then unbolt the linkage and try it again. that way you'll know for sure. if the linkage gets within 1/4" of the body at any point, then you need to enlongate the hole.

hth

georg