Build Rig of the Fortnight Cruisin'

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Cruisin' said:
You're absolutely right, but getting at the backs of the guages requires taking the dash apart, starting at the bottom. Kind of a pain in the backside. I'm waiting until I have another reason to do in there and fix the guage lighting at the same time...
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Man I know what you MEAN! The 80s dashs are complete PITAs to take apart. I once forgot to plug in my diff lock switch and realized when I wanted a locker it wouldn't go. I ended up ripping it apart in a safeway parking lot while the girlfriend got some supplies:doh:
I have to admit I got pretty quick at dismantling the dash after doing it a few times:)
 
Looking good but it does need a lift! ;)

I just installed an OME lift in my 80. It's really easy to do. I did mine in an evening.
My good friend has a JDM 80 (like yours) with a ARB bumper/winch and he also has a OME lift.
PM me if you want to look at either of ours to see if that lift will suit your needs.

Mike
 
Crimson Cruiser said:
Looking good but it does need a lift! ;)

I just installed an OME lift in my 80. It's really easy to do. I did mine in an evening.
My good friend has a JDM 80 (like yours) with a ARB bumper/winch and he also has a OME lift.
PM me if you want to look at either of ours to see if that lift will suit your needs.

Mike
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Thanks for the kind offer Mike, but I know exactly what lift will be going into the truck: OME 850/860 will handle the weight of my rig nicely, and I drove a truck with that setup and similar weight not long ago which made me even more sure of it. I'm actually waiting on the lift on purpose. My wife is only 5', and has asked me to hold off on the lift until our kids can climb in and out by themselves. I do have 1" spacers on it to help get it back where it was before I started adding armour. I installed them, so I know that part of it is no big deal.

All that said, not having a lift has not prevented me from getting anywhere I have wanted to wheel. I'm well armoured underneath (should be based on what I do for a living...), locked, and know my rig well. I've wheeled with groups of built trucks and have had quite a few comments on how impressive the rig is in nearly stock form.

All in good time, and of course the lift is on the list. Along with building a new roof rack, bike rack for off the back, finishing my M101 trailer build, doing a valve adjustment on the 1HD-T, wiring in my inverter and CB...
 
Great looking Cruiser! I will be contacting you about sliders and a skid plate in the spring.
 
Finally got the lift in last week. I went with the 850/860 (heavy frt, med rear) spring combo. Apparently the stock springs were pretty bagged because the ride quality improved dramatically. I gained about 2 1/4" in the front , and just over 3" in the back. There is just a bit of stinkbug, but not too bad. I extended the rear sway bar links by sleeving the stock ones, and made some steel blocks to lower the front mounts. I'll be doing the "washer mod" to take care of castor correction since it is cheap and easy (since I have the tools), and that way I retain the nice flexy rubber bushings in the front control arms. I also upgraded the rear lower control arms by re-tubing them with 1.75" OD .250" wall DOM tube. I don't think I'll be bending these things!!!

On a side note, I ran the rig over a scale the other day, and with just me, 5/8 tank of fuel and my 50lb tool box in the back I'm now at 6,010 lbs. I knew the rig has put on some weight with all the armour I've added, but I didn't think I was quite up to the 6k mark.

I'll get pics of the rig with lift installed up in the next day or so. LCA pics too.
 
Here's the pics as promised. First, the new LCAs. Then a couple shots of the truck's new stance.
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And a couple more.
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Beauty man. For some reason I love the jdm rims on your rig.

Howd you do the rear lca's? Did you cut the oe ones in half then sleeve w dom and weld back up? Im thinking that may be my next mod along with the lca frame mount slider.

D
 
darwink1 said:
Beauty man. For some reason I love the jdm rims on your rig.

Howd you do the rear lca's? Did you cut the oe ones in half then sleeve w dom and weld back up? Im thinking that may be my next mod along with the lca frame mount slider.

D
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I cut the cast ends out of the stock ones (careful not to cut too deep as the stock tube is only 1/8" wall) and they fit snugly into the DOM tube that I bought. Make sure to keep the overall length the same. I welded the ends half at a time with a wet rag over the bushing to keep it from overheating. After finishing the welding I held the end in a bucket of water to keep the bushing cool. I didn't plunge the welded portion into the water right away to avoid hardening the weld and making it brittle. Still trying to come up with an idea for a bolt on LCA frame mount slider...
 
Beauty rig! Do you ever ride mtn bikes in Whizzler? I am moving back there in 2 weeks after 2 years of travel. I would love to check out your lca and sliders...
 
Cool, thanks.

I was thinking of cutting the stocker lca's in half then inserting them into the new tube from either end. I would drill holes in the new tube and rosette weld the new tube to the old one then fully weld the ends. Thats the plan anyways.

D
 
darwink1 said:
Cool, thanks.

I was thinking of cutting the stocker lca's in half then inserting them into the new tube from either end. I would drill holes in the new tube and rosette weld the new tube to the old one then fully weld the ends. Thats the plan anyways.

D
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I considered going that route too. That would certainly work well.
 
joseywales said:
Beauty rig! Do you ever ride mtn bikes in Whizzler? I am moving back there in 2 weeks after 2 years of travel. I would love to check out your lca and sliders...
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Yeah, I ride in Whistler. Its like my Disneyland... The happiest place on earth!

If you're in the area feel free to drop me a line and swing by the shop. Or bring the bike and we can hit some of the local trails.

Jason
 
Bastards, I missed out going to whistler 2x now. Its my dream to end up out there eventually.

D
 
Its been a while since I updated my progress on the rig. I had a trip I wanted to run with the RTT on top of the truck (instead of on the M101 trailer) so I had to get a roof rack on her. While I was at it I added some limb risers, which are a really nice feature in the area I live with lots of dense brush.

Since I'm making some front bumpers now, I had to change mine up so it doesn't look like a Short Bus anymore. I was ready to move away from that look anyhow. I like bars above the lights for the protection they provide, and just for the look too. :cool:

Just got back from a 4 day trip with a bunch of guys. Did the Whipsaw trail in southern BC. Good wheeling, and beautiful places to see. I love my truck for the places it takes me to.
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Did the same trail as a family trip a month ago. Took the trailer on that one. In just a month it was a very different trail. Much drier the second time. First time through though there were enough mosquitoes to make you nuts, but the alpine meadows were in full bloom. The truck celebrated a birthday on that trip too, 200,000km. I guess she's broken in now ;p

Sharp eyed readers will notice the temp gauge needle in a rather concerning location. I had been fighting some overheating issues, and thought I had it sorted out until this trip. Pulling a long steep hill on the highway it started getting hot again. I ended pulling the rad when I got back home, and had it flushed. About the bottom 1/3 was plugged externally with mud from a run-in with a nasty mud hole about 2 years ago. It only caused problems when loaded and working it hard. Since having the flush done and a good flush of the rest of the system it seems to be working fine. One more trip loaded and with some good hills and no problems. Won't get a chance to test it much better until next summer now though, as the cool weather seems to have set in.
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gatier said:
I like the round km's and the coolant gauge almost touching red :p
Nice pictures though!
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I was feeling very mixed emotions looking at the dash at that moment. :frown:/:) Got the cooling issues sorted out now though, and no lasting ill effects from the excess heat :bounce:

So I guess at that many kms its broken in now...
 
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