Builds Reconstruction after rollover - building The Champ 2. (8 Viewers)

[baldilocks]

Wow! That is some serious commitment!

Congratulations on having it out and going!

I did something like that when I was in HS, but that was 35 years ago. No way in hell would I go to that level now.

Great Job!

Thanks. That puts us at about the same age. I went through the hassle of disassembling the rolled 94 because I figured there were a lot of parts there that were already paid for. I'm glad it's done. The buyer came and picked up the rolling chassis today. Now I just need to organize many of these parts that are cluttering up my garage.
The engine has been rebuilt but I'm leaning toward selling it instead of storing it because the 272k miler that's in the White Rhino is doing very well but I will keep the tranny for sure.
I have gained an even greater appreciation for the way these 80's were engineered and put together not to mention increased knowledge of what's there and where it's at.

 

[baldilocks]

Here is a photo of the wire harness that is routed over the top of the A442F and connects to the transfer case. Notice that most of it is missing the plastic wire loom material that was originally guarding the harness from chaffing. It gets cooked and turns into dust. Yours may be just like this one. FYI

 

[bloc]

My recently removed A442F was the same way. 300k on the clock.

Granted.. the vortec harness with only 122k is similar in a few spots.

The A442F puts off some serious heat.

 

[slow95z]

If you sell your boat anchor keep me in mind. I might be needing another soon.

 

[baldilocks]

Hello Mudders, it's been theee months and a lot of changes since my last entry in this my so called build thread; more like random ramblings.

Since my broken birf adventure at Hollister OHV with @GW Nugget roughly three months ago the 80 has been down for repairs, maintenance and a few upgrades. Forgive the lack of photos, I lost quite a few.

- complete knuckle service with new parts
- RCV 30/30/30 front shafts
- Nitro rear shafts
- ARP hub studs
- Aisin hubs
- Marks 4wd part time kit and 3.11 low range gear install by the awesome crew at Valley Hybrids in Stockton, CA. George and the crew were sharp, curtious, knowledgeable and provided rapid service.
- Derale Heat sink style PS cooler model 13261
- new steering gear, pump and hoses from the rolled 94.
- new Toyota knock sensors
- new fuel filter and flex line
- VC 120 vapor canister- requires bracket modification
- new motor and tranny mounts
- 37" Trxus
- minor fender trimming
-home made bump stop drops

 

[OGBeno]

Hello Mudders, it's been theee months and a lot of changes since my last entry in this my so called build thread; more like random ramblings.

Since my broken birf adventure at Hollister OHV with @GW Nugget roughly three months ago the 80 has been down for repairs, maintenance and a few upgrades. Forgive the lack of photos, I lost quite a few.

- complete knuckle service with new parts
- RCV 30/30/30 front shafts
- Nitro rear shafts
- ARP hub studs
- Aisin hubs
- Marks 4wd part time kit and 3.11 low range gear install by the awesome crew at Valley Hybrids in Stockton, CA. George and the crew were sharp, curious, knowledgeable and provided rapid service.
- Derale Heat sink style PS cooler
- new steering gear, pump and hoses from the rolled 94.
- new Toyota knock sensors
- new fuel filter and flex line
- VC 120 vapor canister- requires bracket modification
- new motor and tranny mounts
- 37" Trxus
- minor fender trimming
-home made bump stop drops

So you broke a 43405-60070 and you felt the above operations were the next logical steps?

Really?

You must be an aircraft mechanic.



You should come and do the Rubicon some time and not waste your time with stupid off road parks.

 

[baldilocks]

I ordered a set of front 4" "flexi" coils and the shocks that Dobinson pairs them with which are normally sold with their single rate 6" coils.

What I found was that the shocks were long enough to let the coils drop out by about an inch and this concerned me. After more communication with the Dobinson USA Rep, David Otero, I decided to go with a longer spring rather then a shorter shock even though he assured me no one had reported problems with the spring/shock combo
I had.

Apparently Dobinson has begun marketing a tapered wire coil spring similar to the famed "slinky" coils. These tapered coils are supposed to be a 3" lift spring but have a free height of more than an inch over the 4" flexi progressive spring I purchased first. In order to be at the 4" of lift that I wanted, I installed a 1" poly spacer on top of the 3" tapered coil and it ended up about .5" taller than the 4" progressive "flexi" coil.

Today I hauled the 80 on my trailer 50 miles to Prairie City OHV park for testing of both the 4" flexi coils and the 3" tapered coils along with all the other work I had done to properly fit the 37's and of course the long awaited low range T-case gears and part time kit. I arrived early and had the place to myself.

Both of these coils are definitely better in every situation on and off road than the single rate springs I have had in the past and worth the money imo. Even the inexpensive, basic Dobinson yellow shocks are responsive without being harsh.

As for the difference between the 4" flexi progressive coils and the 3" tapered wire coils, which are probably considered dual rate and somewhat progressive also, there isn't a lot as far as I'm concerned as I'm no suspension expert. I can say that the tapered coils did move around more and at higher speeds over holes, ruts and bumps of up to around 12". It's difficult to explain but I knew it was happening because of they made more noise while working than the 4" progressive "flexi" coils. I'm still not sure which ones I prefer and will definitely swap them out again to do some hours of trail comparison before I decide which ones to keep.

The shocks cost $125/pair. The 4" flexi progressive coils are $250/pair and the 3" tapered coils $350/pair. For what I spent, I'm quite impressed based on my limited experience. Future trail rides will be smoother and the improved suspension compliance adds to confidence levels by making the top heavy 80 feel more stable.

 

[baldilocks]

Here, are the 3" tapered coils. I had to disconnect the both shocks and the panhard bar and use a ratchet strap in order to get them in with the 1" spacer included.

 

[baldilocks]

I believe that you would get just as much down travel with the 1" shorter 4" "flexi" progressive spring as with the longer tapered coil because either spring can max out the 80 series radius arms and cause them to bind inside their brackets. The main difference is that the tapered coil imparts more of a feeling of floating. Their inputs are a little more subtle. Both styles I tested today are much more subtle than a single rate spring yet up to the job suspending a heavier rig.

 

[baldilocks]

A quick comment on the Trxus; I Love them so far. They balanced well using 10 ounces of dynabeads in each tire. They are much quieter and smoother on the road than expected, actually, based on my prior research, I did expect it. But, I also expect them to make more noise as they age and wear.

The rubber compound is a bit softer than a bfg or MTR's so I expect them to wear faster.

I aired them down to 12psi today and nearly forgot I had the ARB lockers because these tires really grip well on the rocks and dirt I was driving in.

They are well worth the time it took to do the work to make 37's fit so that they had room to move without needing to go into all out fender surgery. I did a small amount of trimming at the rear lower part of all four fender wells. I filled all gaps that were created with 3M Fast n Firm seam sealer and hit it with some white primer.

 

[baldilocks]

So you broke a 43405-60070 and you felt the above operations were the next logical steps?

Really?

You must be an aircraft mechanic.



You should come and do the Rubicon some time and not waste your time with stupid off road parks.

I don't speak in part number language but I think you are talking about the axle. Actually what broke was the cage, not the birf. The birfs were worn and needed replacement anyway. RCV's are American made and, well, what is stronger for the particular axle.

I live the Rubicon. It's 100 miles from home and I'm up there a lot. My trip to the park was for testing only Because I had made so many changes since we were last on the trail.

I have not signed up for rubithon because I had no idea if my rig would be ready. It looks like I could actually make it. We will see, I am deep into prepping this old, but fairly new to me, pig for a 3500 mile road trip in September. Time and money baby, time and money.......

 

[OGBeno]

Well come up man....Rubithon will be fun. A lot of fun. I flew in last year and hiked the whole thing.

I'll be there in my BJ70 next month.

Yeah, time and money. Know all about it. BTDT.

 

[baldilocks]

Today, I finished up the installation of the Wagongear tail gate storage lid that was in the green machine when I rolled it. It's handy for storing a few things in a secured manner.

It's a pretty straight forward install. If you happen to cut a hole in your tail gate for one of these, be mindful of the wire harness that enters the tail gate at the bottom and runs up to license plate lights. My jig saw blade was not long enough to reach it but your method may be different than mine.

I lined the inside of the tail gate with a peel and stick type sound deadener called "Rumble Mat". The tail gate now makes a solid "Thud" when I close it.

 

[RFB]

View attachment 1491193 View attachment 1491194 View attachment 1491195 View attachment 1491196 Today, I finished up the installation of the Wagongear tail gate storage lid that was in the green machine when I rolled it. It's handy for storing a few things in a secured manner.

It's a pretty straight forward install. If you happen to cut a hole in your tail gate for one of these, be mindful of the wire harness that enters the tail gate at the bottom and runs up to license plate lights. My jig saw blade was not long enough to reach it but your method may be different than mine.

I lined the inside of the tail gate with a peel and stick type sound deadener called "Rumble Mat". The tail gate now makes a solid "Thud" when I close it.

be careful with the gate down in the sun, the cover will expand a lot and wont close until it cools down.

 

[baldilocks]

be careful with the gate down in the sun, the cover will expand a lot and wont close until it cools down.

Info noted.

 

[LFD2037]

View attachment 1480282 View attachment 1480279 View attachment 1480280 View attachment 1480281Here, are the 3" tapered coils. I had to disconnect the both shocks and the panhard bar and use a ratchet strap in order to get them in with the 1" spacer included.

Do you have the part number for these springs and the part number for the longer shocks you used? Thanks.

 

[baldilocks]

Post #148 shows the tag still attached to the spring. Part number C97-144V.

Do you have the part number for these springs and the part number for the longer shocks you used? Thanks.

 

[GW Nugget]

I need more LC porn... please update your thread with last Rubicon trip.

 

[baldilocks]

Took these after the trip:

I need more LC porn... please update your thread with last Rubicon trip.

Sorry Gary, I took zero pics. Get a visual on 4 new dents, kind of small ones which the Monstaliner stood up to. One dent is at the rear of the LH rocker panel caused by the White Knuckle slider flexing up at least 2-3". That's a first with these sliders.

 

[baldilocks]

Transmission temp gauge that was already installed on the rig I rolled. The A442F runs nice and cool per my experience but forewarning prior to an idiot light is I'd to have in IMO.

It's an autometer "factory match" gauge. Rarely ever reads above 140F verified by my infrared thermometer at the pan where the sender is mounted.