Builds Putting the rust demon at bay (1 Viewer)

[archie73]

Sliders are on

This leaves me with a new thought though, do I want to move the Highlift jack to the slider. I currently have it mounted across the back of the cage, but this will prevents me from having anything more than a bikini top. I’m still debating on this move.

Since I think I finished that project, I moved on to cleaning my old tank in preparation for the LS fuel pump. the tank has sat empty for almost two years and should be safe to cut into now. I’m using muriatic acid to get anything left in the tank cleaned up. While I was at it, I tried cleaning up this USMC can I’ve been kicking around for twenty years in preparation for the cruiser. It has a nice thick layer of varnish on the bottom. Comes up like old paint.

 

[archie73]

Moving on to the dual battery set up. I’ve made a second tray for the drivers side of the engine bay. I’m controlling the batteries with a Blue Sea switch and solenoid.

How does this look for placement of the switch and solenoid?

My other thought was to put it between the apron and the battery. That would get it away from the radiator.

 

[archie73]

COVID has not stopped my random project theme, in fact I think it’s made it stronger. I skip from one improvement to another, but I’m having fun. Best part is I occasionally get something done. Point of fact I added a little insurance to my swingout.

The pull pin locks the two arms together in case of a latch failure.
It’s supposed rain and snow tomorrow and I have no real plan. Probably find something to work on...

 

[archie73]

Small victories. Added a small light bar to the winch to see if I like it. $24 on glamazon, good reviews and cheap enough to not be counted against the “budget” LS swap in the works. Haven’t field tested it yet, truth is we don’t do much night wheeling, but the couple of times I’ve come out in the dark, my led headlights have pailed in comparison to my buddy’s 6pod light.
Took the kids to the old dam sight to play by the river. We had visions of finding some rock piles to play on. Unfortunately we didn’t find much, but it was great to be quarantined in different area. Scenery was gorgeous and the trucks stretched their legs a bit. We’re trying for one day a week during the COVID to get out and break the monotony. Most of the trails are a bit of a drive, but we all have trailers now.

 

[archie73]

Haven’t done much of interest. Pounding asphalt every chance I get....

 

[macdaddy59]

Archie73

Please take many pics of the gas tank mods as i will be doing this soon and will follow your procedures.

 

[archie73]

Archie73

Please take many pics of the gas tank mods as i will be doing this soon and will follow your procedures.

When that moves back to a front burner I will. Cruiser season is treasured here, so I’m pushing off the swap til winter. Besides it’s tough to pull a running engine...

Currently, I’m looking for a mounting ring for the fuel pump. I bought one from eBay, but it’s the wrong diameter. The search continues.

 

[archie73]

Haven’t turned a wrench in while and the wife is driving it more than me- the other day she called it her daily!!! At least it’s getting driven.
We took it up a trail ride that seems to be becoming a annual ride. It tops out at 9600 feet looking at some great potential ski terrain. Not hung to technical. I did manage to overheat bough while creeping along. Need to look at my cooling set up again.

 

[archie73]

So no major updates- the LS is still sitting on the stand, the suspension is still SUA(suites my needs) and I still don’t have a plan to paint. But I finally installed the center console for real! No really, it’s not just squeezed between the seats. I made a sub frame to mount to the seat/cage frame out of some scrap metal I had laying around. Tapped some holes and now it’s securely mounted. I even painted the the sub frame black to hide better. Not bad considering I got the console for a Father’s Day gift last June.
I only have one switch wired so far, the aux front lights- not sure what the other three will be for. The usb ports are a welcome addition, but now I have two cigarette lighter ports. The stock one isn’t going anywhere(and might turn useful ), but not sure what to do with the new one. I added some vacuum Tubing to pad the cup holders to help with the rattling.

Of course I filled it with all my misc junk. The white handle thingy is a squeegee- very useful when driving in the rain with a bikini top. The ski straps are without limits and incredibly strong. Oh and a COVID buff...

Here’s the money shot though. Even though we’re still in huge fire danger, I’m loving this Indian summer. The colors are particularly good this year, nothing compared to my memories of growing up in the New England, but I’m loving this.

Two weeks and we‘re heading to St George and Sand Hollow to check out what my sweat, labor and money have accomplished on this rig...

 

[archie73]

That Indian summer seems to be drawing to an end and we’re getting into more seasonable weather. Which means we finally had some moisture the other day. We don’t get a chance to run muddy trails often, so we scrambled the trucks together

This led to a trip to the car wash, where I found out the number three spark wire was not hooked up. It did seem a little off. Found a spare wire in the stash.
I think the oil leak is getting worse- oil pressure was low for the trail ride. Took 1.5 quarts this time. The LS is getting closer, but I need to get to Sand Hollow and maybe Butte first- maybe start around turkey time.

 

[archie73]

I’m thinking about beadlocks more and more lately. Seems like for my rig(85% road) a second set would be the way to go. For our local (short) trails I don’t bother taking any air out. When I go on a trip that involves wheeling, it’d be beneficial to know the bead isn’t going to pop off. I’ve been looking for a used set of bead locks in the regional classifieds. They‘re usually 8 or 5 lug or really expensive ($1500 and up). I’m not planning a axle swap and will likely stay with 35" tires in the future.
Enter an extra set of wheels I happen to have- plain Jane 16" steel rims. They’ll need spacers up front, but they would be only on there a couple times a year. I’m confident I could weld the b/l on. One concern is availability of the 16" tires in the future, currently I could get a Patagonia 315/75R16 off glamazon for $142 Ea. Ideally I could find a set of take offs locally. Also, currently the rims have some chunked 34" TSLs mounted. The weld on kit would cost ~$300 all parts included. What am I not considering? I know there are lovers and haters of the spacers, but if they’re only used for short periods of time...

 

[archie73]

Well it turns out I only have three of those 16” rims. I’ll keep looking.

 

[White Stripe]

I’m thinking about beadlocks more and more lately. Seems like for my rig(85% road) a second set would be the way to go. For our local (short) trails I don’t bother taking any air out. When I go on a trip that involves wheeling, it’d be beneficial to know the bead isn’t going to pop off. I’ve been looking for a used set of bead locks in the regional classifieds. They‘re usually 8 or 5 lug or really expensive ($1500 and up). I’m not planning a axle swap and will likely stay with 35" tires in the future.
Enter an extra set of wheels I happen to have- plain Jane 16" steel rims. They’ll need spacers up front, but they would be only on there a couple times a year. I’m confident I could weld the b/l on. One concern is availability of the 16" tires in the future, currently I could get a Patagonia 315/75R16 off glamazon for $142 Ea. Ideally I could find a set of take offs locally. Also, currently the rims have some chunked 34" TSLs mounted. The weld on kit would cost ~$300 all parts included. What am I not considering? I know there are lovers and haters of the spacers, but if they’re only used for short periods of time...

Check out inner air locks. Was an option I was considering.

 

[archie73]

Check out inner air locks. Was an option I was considering.

I’ve been looking at those And they’re an option. The second set of wheels was part of the appeal, but the inter webs make those sound like you can DD the inner locks. I’ll keep looking.

 

[archie73]

Doing some minor stuff and replaced the side marker light in the apron. Not bad for 47 year old bulb. I thought it was cool.

 

[archie73]

So we made it to St George, only took 11 hrs. Pulling the trailer(8.7mpg) and an 8 year old boy will add some time onto a drive. But we’re here and the weather is better than snow storms. While we haven’t wheeled as much as I hoped, Sand Hollow has not disappointed.

Cruiser is chugging right along. Had some wiring issues with the ARB solenoid, but that’s fixed. A little belt squeal, tire rub...

Tomorrow’s the last day, hoping get a bike ride and some wheeling done...

 

[archie73]

So a trip report(so I don’t forget what we trails we rode) cometh:
1)first couple days were limited, so we drove to the closest trail we could find and I don’t know the name of the trail. It’s the first trail on the the left on the way to the water tanks. Lots of things for us to get acquainted with the local type of trails. Always fun getting used to how steep you can go on the sandstone.

2) Next on the platter was the West Rim. This was the perfect trail for the family- enough fun, but not to scary for my wife and kid. We did however test our luck on Ridgeline(?),it starts out a steepish graded road- so why not try it. The family didn’t like it when I got the front wheels off the ground on the first obstacle. Instead of pressing my luck on what was to be the family ride along, we turned around and made our way around to the beginning of West Rim Lite. This was a great time, but we had to cut it short due to encroaching nap time for the little kids. Coming out Bobsled trail was an unexpected type of trail, kinda swoopy sand curves. Reminded me of skiing powder.

3) Last day of the trip was the highlight for me- biked Bearclaw Poppy in the morning with the family and then hightailed it to Johns Trail with just my buddy. While weren’t prepared for all of the challenges on that trail, we certainly enjoyed what we did get to conquer. Really makes me want to build a buggy, but I don’t have a whole lot of options for a buggy around here.

4) the drive home was going really well- there was no headwind this time. Cruised at 75-80mph and got a better mpg- we we’re making good time. Until Ogden, trailer tire decided to let go of the tread. Thankfull it’s dual axle, so it didn’t cause a crazy reaction to the truck behavior. After making it to the side, we decided to proceed to the Big O shop 2 miles away. Further inspection of the tires (that seemed fine at the onset of the trip) showed two of the others were starting to seepage as well. 4 new tires and a grocery trip to Costco and we’re on our way.

 

[archie73]

Ok, if my plan goes accordingly, I’m pulling the engine, trans and xcase this weekend. While I’m at it I’m gonna pull the body as well. Hoping to take it to the blaster the following weekend or the next. Then on to rust repair on the cowl and some other areas. This is not a restoration, rather let’s get it all one color and stop the rust. I’ve never polished a vehicle in my life and I don’t plan on starting with this one.
All That being said, I do like the look of a little patina and I had a thought. What if I didn’t blast and paint the bib and bezel, but treated the rust and let it show? The aluminum tub, rust repaired cowl and mismatched fenders need paint. It’ll be shiny at first, but given my history, that will fade to a dull dune beige(416) again. Anyone done this? How did it look?

 

[archie73]

I had tried this technique in the past, but not much success. This time it worked like a charm

The new engine had three broken exhaust bolts in the head. I put a couple quick mig weld beads on the broken bolt and tacked a bolt on. Lovely. Windshield screws are next.

 

[archie73]

Day one and two were good. Pulled front clip and windshield. I’ll strip them down and send them to a blaster. Engine came out without to much fuss. The oil leak(s) sure made for a messy pull though. Judging from the bellhousing, I had a small rear main seal leak. There was others as well...

A little degreaser and an electric power washer cleaned the new engine up well

Test fit was slow, but I think it’ll do well. I think I’m going to be able to use the stock oil pan. That’ll help the budget, but the exhaust manifolds turned out to be a no go.

Here’s the driveshaft clearance at full stuff on the passenger side. About an inch and half of clearance. The picture makes the sensor look closer than it is in reality.

was a good push through the weekend. After I pulled the engine back out, I pushed the chassis over to another shop and pulled the cage and 3/4 tub with the chain hoist. I wish I had a set up like this in my home shop, but I’m lucky enough to have access to this stuff at work.