- Thread starter
- #21
Yep, that description pretty much nails it on the head!
Rotw: Dbs311 (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter DBS311
- Start date
This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, Skimlinks, and others.
Yep, that description pretty much nails it on the head!
- Thread starter
- #22
Things were running smooth for a while and I was content to live with the issues I felt were keeping this from being a "complete" rig. I love the SOA but not the Heckethorn shocks. Front springs were lackluster and I didn't like being stink-bug again. What was really killing me was the 4.11 gears coupled to the 37's and auto tranny. I had the Cruiser loaded to the hilt and was making a run for Moab one early summer day. Anybody that has driven 15 north out of So Cal knows about the climb up to the high desert. Well, with my truck now at 130,000 miles, the auto decided it didn't like turning 37's and lots of weight, so it toasted the fluid. It didn't crap out on me, but I knew that it was now time to make some changes.
First thing was to add a giant tranny cooler with a fan. I wasn't planning on running a winch, so I mounted the cooler up front to get lots of fresh air. Then I had TLC rebuild the tranny with a modded valve body and some other tricks. At this time we also replaced the front springs with OME heavies. Heckethorns were yanked and OME Nitrochargers went in. I would have preferred Bilstein 7100's, but I can live with the OME's. So yeah, I'm taller, but the ride is so nice and I really like the stance. I'll have to get those pictures up tomorrow.
Also bought some Precision Gear 4.88's, and they are impatiently waiting to mate with ARB air lockers within the next 3 weeks.
New update! Bought a rear bumper today. Finally I can get rid of the factory chrome unit!!! I can't wait to throw the spare on the new bumper and start looking for long range fuel tanks!
First thing was to add a giant tranny cooler with a fan. I wasn't planning on running a winch, so I mounted the cooler up front to get lots of fresh air. Then I had TLC rebuild the tranny with a modded valve body and some other tricks. At this time we also replaced the front springs with OME heavies. Heckethorns were yanked and OME Nitrochargers went in. I would have preferred Bilstein 7100's, but I can live with the OME's. So yeah, I'm taller, but the ride is so nice and I really like the stance. I'll have to get those pictures up tomorrow.
Also bought some Precision Gear 4.88's, and they are impatiently waiting to mate with ARB air lockers within the next 3 weeks.
New update! Bought a rear bumper today. Finally I can get rid of the factory chrome unit!!! I can't wait to throw the spare on the new bumper and start looking for long range fuel tanks!
Last edited:
the 37's are perfect. when you get the 4.88's and arb's the truck will be totally transformed.
envy has set in...
clint
envy has set in...
clint
Looks excellent. So you have OME heavies in the front with stock springs in the back? Does the rear sag a lot when you are all loaded up? It'll be great to see pics.
- Thread starter
- #25
Surprisingly, the back doesn't sag that bad when I'm loaded up. Things will change, however, once the new rear bumper goes on, the fridge/freezer is in the back, and the long range tank is bolted up. I thought about getting a set of Deavers or Alcans made for the back, and even looked into copying Dylan's Chev spring swap, but in the end I'm going to follow Dieselcruiserhead's modded stock pack solution. I would prefer Dylan's setup, but I want to focus time, attention and money on other aspects of the build. Throwing in a combination of long AAL's is the cheap and easy way for me to go. I plan on tackling this next week as I'm not into the baja look I currently have with OME in front and stock packs in back. When Ford Rangers that are Baja'd out give you the thumbs up, you know something is wrong with your truck!
- Thread starter
- #26
Whenever you want to hit up Big Bear, let me know. I'm always down for a trip up there.
Some people just can't seem to be excited for other's hobbies unless it's their own. That's too bad because they're missing out on seeing some great country and going places that the freeways can't take them. And when there is some violent weather attack where lesser vehicles can't go through guess who will make it through, you will. I think the ability to traverse difficult terrain and the skills you are polishing by going wheeling far outweights building some something just for speed. The practice of overcoming obstacles on the trail could turn into knowing how to navigate through a natural disaster where you've got to climb over cars and wheel over sofas. Good for you to enjoy your hobby and keep up the great work.
Us here on the board will always enjoy seeing new pics and talking about wrenching.
Some people just can't seem to be excited for other's hobbies unless it's their own. That's too bad because they're missing out on seeing some great country and going places that the freeways can't take them. And when there is some violent weather attack where lesser vehicles can't go through guess who will make it through, you will. I think the ability to traverse difficult terrain and the skills you are polishing by going wheeling far outweights building some something just for speed. The practice of overcoming obstacles on the trail could turn into knowing how to navigate through a natural disaster where you've got to climb over cars and wheel over sofas. Good for you to enjoy your hobby and keep up the great work.
this is a great statement! i espically like the part i highlited in red and found that hilarious!
i guess im lucky as my fiancee first found my truck to be a waste of money but when i explained i could be building a built camaro instead goin 160+, getting tickets, ect. she kinda acepted it. then once i took her out wheeling a few times she grew to love it and doesnt mind me spending money so long as bills are getting paid. and get this now she even wants a FJ40! or maybe an old 79-85 minitruck to learn in first. no wonder i love her!
Some people just can't seem to be excited for other's hobbies unless it's their own. That's too bad because they're missing out on seeing some great country and going places that the freeways can't take them. And when there is some violent weather attack where lesser vehicles can't go through guess who will make it through, you will. I think the ability to traverse difficult terrain and the skills you are polishing by going wheeling far outweights building some something just for speed. The practice of overcoming obstacles on the trail could turn into knowing how to navigate through a natural disaster where you've got to climb over cars and wheel over sofas. Good for you to enjoy your hobby and keep up the great work.
Amen!
(I have a sofa in the garage I'm going to wheel over right now. Just to keep up the practice.)
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
Dude .. great cruiser .. !
Seconded. Really enjoyed it! I'm looking forward to pics of your new add-ons.
- Thread starter
- #32
Tapage, your Tencha has always been a motivation to build mine, so thank you.
On a trip to Moab, I was attempting to make a fairly hard climb when I started to spin the tires and slid back down to the bottom, burying the bumper in the dirt. Couldn't get any traction to pull forward (where are my lockers when I need them?) so I thought I'd reverse it. I was mostly on the trailer hitch, so I didn't have to worry about scraping the rear bumper. Well, it turns out that my stock, low hanging exhaust also caught into the ground, so when I went backwards, it crumpled the exhaust and pinched the tube almost to the point that exhaust gas couldn't get out. It was cut off before the pinch and I went to an exhaust shop to build a new, higher clearance one.
Rather than hanging below the frame rail, we discovered that a 2.5" pipe could fit above the frame rail with no rubbing issues. Now it is virtually impossible to get my exhaust (in the back) hung up on any obstacles.
The bend to go up and over the frame rail. You can also see my extended bumpstops.
The view through the wheel well of where the exhaust runs.
Where it exits out.
Here you can see how protected it is from damage and how it drops almost straight down.
Another shot showing the exhaust clearance. Just picture where it normally runs!
This is been one of the most useful mods I have had done to the Cruiser.
On a trip to Moab, I was attempting to make a fairly hard climb when I started to spin the tires and slid back down to the bottom, burying the bumper in the dirt. Couldn't get any traction to pull forward (where are my lockers when I need them?) so I thought I'd reverse it. I was mostly on the trailer hitch, so I didn't have to worry about scraping the rear bumper. Well, it turns out that my stock, low hanging exhaust also caught into the ground, so when I went backwards, it crumpled the exhaust and pinched the tube almost to the point that exhaust gas couldn't get out. It was cut off before the pinch and I went to an exhaust shop to build a new, higher clearance one.
Rather than hanging below the frame rail, we discovered that a 2.5" pipe could fit above the frame rail with no rubbing issues. Now it is virtually impossible to get my exhaust (in the back) hung up on any obstacles.
The bend to go up and over the frame rail. You can also see my extended bumpstops.
The view through the wheel well of where the exhaust runs.
Where it exits out.
Here you can see how protected it is from damage and how it drops almost straight down.
Another shot showing the exhaust clearance. Just picture where it normally runs!
This is been one of the most useful mods I have had done to the Cruiser.
Last edited:
Tapage
Club 4X4 Panamá
Mate, that is the best writeup that I have read on ROTW. Fantastic how it started out standard and got built up gradually. Well done to you!
are these bump stops home brew or MAF?
They look great!
They look great!
- Joined
- Apr 4, 2006
- Threads
- 162
- Messages
- 4,044
- Location
- Hillsboro, OR
- Website
- www.cascadecruisers.com
lovin it man... sweet ride!
- Thread starter
- #37
Even with the exhaust high and close to the body, I don't notice any more heat coming through the sheet metal. I don't think the exhaust gasses get real hot on these wagons. I'm getting ready to replace the y-pipes up front with a setup that stays inside the frame rails, so I'll take a closer look when it's all pulled out.
Thanks for the kind words! It's funny how I tell myself "If I just had this one more thing, it would be perfect" and then 6 months later there happens to be something I need to make the rig perfect. I figure this is something I will always be building.
Sorry, can't take credit for them. They are MAF.
- Thread starter
- #38
Time to add some more info even though this is my last night as ROTW. Earlier on Dylan asked if I had picked a direction to go with my Cruiser. Reason he asks is because I've found myself getting away from the more "hardcore trail" wheeling and find myself instead using this rig for camping and exploring. I have to admit that expeditionportal.com really has me addicted to the entire expedition/overlanding hobby. My '75 Bronco has completely taken over for the extreme trails (it's more suited for it anyway) and left the Cruiser to pull more long distance off-road travel.
For a while I was contemplating swapping out my SOA setup with somebody else's SUA setup and dropping back down to 33's, but in the end I decided to stick with what I have. It isn't the most practical for long distance and mild to moderate trails, but it'll have to do. So now that I have decided to re-direct my build towards expedition travel, I've been making purchases over the last few weeks to suit my new "design". I'll have to continue to update this thread over the next few months as things start to take shape. Anyway, on to how I'm currently sitting with the rig......
Some closer pics of the SOA setup. Front axle setup
Steering setup
Front OME heavies.
Front perches.
Plates.
Rear setup. You can see the stock height springs need a little help.
Front and rear Tom Woods CV shafts.
Front driveshaft angle.
Front mount Derale trans cooler with fan and 180 degree switch.
View of trans cooler from underneath the Cruiser, looking up.
For a while I was contemplating swapping out my SOA setup with somebody else's SUA setup and dropping back down to 33's, but in the end I decided to stick with what I have. It isn't the most practical for long distance and mild to moderate trails, but it'll have to do. So now that I have decided to re-direct my build towards expedition travel, I've been making purchases over the last few weeks to suit my new "design". I'll have to continue to update this thread over the next few months as things start to take shape. Anyway, on to how I'm currently sitting with the rig......
Some closer pics of the SOA setup. Front axle setup
Steering setup
Front OME heavies.
Front perches.
Plates.
Rear setup. You can see the stock height springs need a little help.
Front and rear Tom Woods CV shafts.
Front driveshaft angle.
Front mount Derale trans cooler with fan and 180 degree switch.
View of trans cooler from underneath the Cruiser, looking up.
- Thread starter
- #39
These last shots aren't tech related, just showing the stance. I pulled the 37" MT/R's for 35" BFG AT's. This is like the 4th set of tires in the past two years. I really need to stick with a set. The MT/R's have less than 2K miles on them and should be up for sale pretty soon.
Once again, this is OME heavy fronts and stock height rear.
Ok, pretty sure I got all the angles covered.
Once again, this is OME heavy fronts and stock height rear.
Ok, pretty sure I got all the angles covered.
Sounds like your are perfectly set up for the Alaska Cruiser Trek. Overlanding with 35s. I'm not going SOA but will have 35s and I'm setting up for overland travel. If you sag too much in the back with from the weight you could consider airbags. They actually aren't that expensive. You should probably have a limiting strap with the SOA so you don't rip the bags. Just passing along what I've read and heard. No personal experience with airbags yet.