RHD JDM mall crawler
- Thread starter Oregon trail
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- #23
Yup that’s me lol
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- #24
Here are the pictures man.all good. I really appreciate it!!
As you can see I notched the cross lever a bit then reinforced it. I’m tempted to just bend up some tube now that I have a tube bender and make a new one.
I also built the mounts to sorta hang off the side of the frame this way they were basically in the same plane everyone puts them but just longer.
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- #25
Along with the steering I did hydro assist drilling and tapping the 80 series box was easy and I found a write up I think on marlin crawlers forum or something like that. The main thing to note if you ever need to do hydro assist on a RHD cruisers steering box is the you’ll need to use to opposite ports on the box to turn left or right. I found this out the hard way and it was a very mess process swapping lines.
Pictures are from instagram stories hence the comments over the image.
When I did this project I replaced the sector with one I found on eBay which was OE and I didn’t replace a single seal and somehow got very very lucky.
Pictures are from instagram stories hence the comments over the image.
When I did this project I replaced the sector with one I found on eBay which was OE and I didn’t replace a single seal and somehow got very very lucky.
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- #26
After all that having only wheeled a little bit on the suspension and none on the steering myself and a buddy decided to go to cruise Moab. Cruise Moab runs from Wednesday or Thursday through the weekend and we got there at the beginning of the week to wheel.
Rig performed great but on the first official trail ride of cruise Moab I went and did “the pickle” trail. It was one of those give it one last good bump situations.
Well let’s say I learned a valuable lesson that day on why you want to get off the power the moment you don’t get up The ledge.
There was a big bang and not happy sounds. First thoughts was I had broke a ring and pinion but it ultimately was the center diff. I don’t trailer this rig so I had to figure out a fix to get me and my wife and 3 young kids the 1,000 miles back home to Oregon. 11 hours later in a auto parts store parking lot I had done a front wheel drive conversion and put a whole lot of trust in several cracked teeth on the only non broken gear in the center diff .
I later found out I had not only dented a drive shaft but actually bent it the day before on top of the world trail. It was muddy and I was hitting it hard. Bent a link aswell but I still have not changed that.
Rig performed great but on the first official trail ride of cruise Moab I went and did “the pickle” trail. It was one of those give it one last good bump situations.
Well let’s say I learned a valuable lesson that day on why you want to get off the power the moment you don’t get up The ledge.
There was a big bang and not happy sounds. First thoughts was I had broke a ring and pinion but it ultimately was the center diff. I don’t trailer this rig so I had to figure out a fix to get me and my wife and 3 young kids the 1,000 miles back home to Oregon. 11 hours later in a auto parts store parking lot I had done a front wheel drive conversion and put a whole lot of trust in several cracked teeth on the only non broken gear in the center diff .
I later found out I had not only dented a drive shaft but actually bent it the day before on top of the world trail. It was muddy and I was hitting it hard. Bent a link aswell but I still have not changed that.
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- #27
Here is the other damage I found once home. It’s all welded up and enforced with a big gusset and another support.
I doubt I’ll make another post on it but the Tcase fix was less than easy. Every gear was broke. The front output was in the best shape and only had one cracked tooth. Thankfully my buddy Aiden with long range America was doing a part time kit and had one rear output gear and spider gears available. I then found another one off eBay as well. When reinstalling I had gotten something wrong inside the Tcase and it broke the shaft off the Tcase oil pump. So it all came back apart for a 3rd time. Since then the Tcase has been fine thankfully.
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- #28
Moab is what made me realize the truck needed to go on a diet and needed better departure angle. I was dragging that old coastal off-road bumper and spare all over the place.
So I decided to chop out the crossmember and weld in a new bumper. Funny enough ended up redoing this all on fusion 360 and now sell these bumpers. But using a bit of 1/4 plate and a reclaimed 2x6 tube I found at the metal yard I made this bumper. It’s need a big improvement. I stopped carrying a spare and altogether lost 350lbs. I integrated it into the pads the rear uppers mount to. This did require chopping the body.
So I decided to chop out the crossmember and weld in a new bumper. Funny enough ended up redoing this all on fusion 360 and now sell these bumpers. But using a bit of 1/4 plate and a reclaimed 2x6 tube I found at the metal yard I made this bumper. It’s need a big improvement. I stopped carrying a spare and altogether lost 350lbs. I integrated it into the pads the rear uppers mount to. This did require chopping the body.
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- #29
Pictures of the body chop and final product.
As I mentioned above I got a ton of traction off instagram for these and ended up making a small side gig off them and just completed the first swingout version for a local dude.
As I mentioned above I got a ton of traction off instagram for these and ended up making a small side gig off them and just completed the first swingout version for a local dude.
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- #30
The rear drive shaft I bent in Moab a took to a local driveline shop and had him retube it and after he discovered the bend replaced the stub shaft. That lasted a whole 3 weeks but that’s not her post. It’s a great looking and thick wall driveshaft I think it was .187 wall or somewhere around there.
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- #31
First time out after the Tcase fix and the second tcase fix plus the driveshaft we had a fun day over Memorial Day of this year and kids played in the river. I never aired down and we were on mostly bumper forest roads but I managed to find some technical spots here and there. Well on the way home I’m cruising around 60 and I felt an odd feeling under my feet and I decided to take a look even though I nearly brushed it off. The moment I touched the brakes there was a grinding noise followed by a loud bang and metal shattering as I neared a stop.
The brake caliper had lost a bolt then got jammed between the wheel and sheered the other bolt breaking the rotor and my wheel.
I ended up taking a Piece of brake rotor shoving it between the pads in the calipers ajd taping it all to the lower link along with a ratchet strap. Got me the 30 miles home this way.
The brake caliper had lost a bolt then got jammed between the wheel and sheered the other bolt breaking the rotor and my wheel.
I ended up taking a Piece of brake rotor shoving it between the pads in the calipers ajd taping it all to the lower link along with a ratchet strap. Got me the 30 miles home this way.
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- #32
After that was fixed I prepped for a browns camp wheeling trip up near Portland. I had found this small hole in the frame when I cut out the old link mounts so I finally fixed it.
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- #33
At browns camp I broke the first day of wheeling. Took out the birfield and the inner shaft splines. Up until this point I was on stock axles. I suspect the axle was not in great shaft after Moab. And that $500 beefy drive shaft I had built… bent less than a month later. I’m not sure how this happened because I asked the spotter if I was on the shaft before it sent it and I wasn’t. I suspect when I winched forward is when it happened. Along with all this I found while fixing it that the axle seal mounting surface was very gouged and still is.
After this trip I decided to pack way more spares and new axles were needed. I ended up finding a driveshaft off FB marketplace and picked that up which let me drive home in RWD and haven’t bent it yet.
After this trip I decided to pack way more spares and new axles were needed. I ended up finding a driveshaft off FB marketplace and picked that up which let me drive home in RWD and haven’t bent it yet.
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- #34
I decided I wanted some more power so obviously a hood scoop will add that. Im not stoked with the epoxy I used or maybe it’s the fact I didn’t use fiberglass to bend the edges in a few inches but we will see if it ever needs redone.
I made this internal bracing where I cut it up and that really helped the hood be stiff.
Love the look and this was purely something I wanted cause I liked the look.
I made this internal bracing where I cut it up and that really helped the hood be stiff.
Love the look and this was purely something I wanted cause I liked the look.
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- #35
After the hood and somewhat durring Rubicon prep was in full swing. This included replacing the bad stock axle for a spare, Fixing the axle seal and buying all new RCV front shafts and their 300m rears. I also ordered random little things like valve stems and a second rear driveshaft and increasing my castor a bit.
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- #36
It probably will surprise everyone but the 3 months of constantly breaking things ended when I put RCV shafts in. Since then I’ve ran the rubicon twice. First time not so much as a scratch and second time I bent my front bumper and that messed up my fender. That with a couple other dents I picked up somewhere along the trail it was about time it didn’t have perfect panels.
Now this brings us current. I’ve done very little to the cruiser since last rubicon trip in October. Mostly I’ve been making bumpers for dudes but that’s about to change. Currently I’m finishing my second swingout bumper and and last bumper of this batch I ran. then I’ll be getting deep into an internal roll cage build. Likely making a way to carry a spare in the back as well. PRP seats front and rear are ordered and I have a swagoffroad bender ready to pump out new sliders, roll cage and a front tube bumper as time permits. I will also be deleting the headliner and doing a custom headliner and with that deleting the sunroof. I like some creature comforts otherwise I would leave it with no headliner.
Now this brings us current. I’ve done very little to the cruiser since last rubicon trip in October. Mostly I’ve been making bumpers for dudes but that’s about to change. Currently I’m finishing my second swingout bumper and and last bumper of this batch I ran. then I’ll be getting deep into an internal roll cage build. Likely making a way to carry a spare in the back as well. PRP seats front and rear are ordered and I have a swagoffroad bender ready to pump out new sliders, roll cage and a front tube bumper as time permits. I will also be deleting the headliner and doing a custom headliner and with that deleting the sunroof. I like some creature comforts otherwise I would leave it with no headliner.
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- #39
Thanks man. I love taking picture so that helps. Yeah that’s a fun one. About the only spot I’ve been full stuff and full droop on that trail I think.
