Build Steel City Racing: King of the Hammers 2019 Toyota 4Runner IFS 4600 Build Thread

[matzell]

looks like longest races to date! I am not going out there in 2019 but as it gets closer the "calling" is getting stronger!

I hope the 4runner is back together and driving, it will take more than a few days to build the cage for that thing. Good luck guys.

 

[Charles4x4]

Update:
1) The Front Diff is Done. This included Nitro 4.56 Gears, Front ARB Air Locker, and other various Marlin Crawler Internal Upgrades:

2) Our Icon 2.5" Front Coilovers (with Remote Reservoir and Adjustments), Front 2.5" Air Bumps/Mounts, 2.5" Diameter 12" Travel Rear Shocks (with Remote Reservoir and Adjustments), and Rear 2.5" Air Bumps/Mounts are in hand:

3) I spoke with LeadNav again and Damian convinced me to spend a bit more and swap from the iPad Air 2 (3 Core A8X Processor) to an iPad Pro 10.5 (4 Core A10X Processor). Otherwise he feared that we would experience Lag or System Reboot issues during the race. So I returned the iPad Air 2 and LifeProof case and picked up a iPad Pro 10.5, LifeProof case, and Screen Protector. We definitely didn't have the budget for a new Pro 10.5, so a refurb will have to work (the one I got had really high reviews and a 90-day warranty).

4) We had another call with our Wrap company - SoCal Exotic Wraps - and finalized all of the details for the design, wrap, logos, etc. It'll take us 2-3 days to complete the wrap the week before KOH.

5) I can't remember if I've already covered this one, but I worked with Aeromotive to eliminate any potential fuel starvation issues by integrating their new Jet Siphon technology from their Apex Phantom kit into our Phantom 200. We'll now have fuel pick-up at the Front and Rear of the fuel cell. I'll be installing this and a ton of other small things when I am in CA in January giving the team a hand.

With 44-Days till KOH, we still feel good about our timeline. Given various delays, we'll likely now only have 1-week or so for testing and tuning before the race. But it will be done and will be ready to race! I've learned that every small delay definitely adds up. It's not ideal, but that's racing!

I'm really thankful that our core team is so close. Many of the key players are also great friends. We all communicate multiple times a day and work together really well to solve issues as a team.

The final handoff to RockSolidToys (Atlas II, Rear Suspension, Driveshafts, and Other Small Items) and Otwell Fabrication (Cage) is now set in stone for this weekend!

 

[Charles4x4]

Updated renderings with ALL of our sponsors finally included!

Side View:

Rear View:

Hood:

Roof (for Aerial shots):

Hope everyone likes it. It's pretty close to being 100% locked in at this point.

Thanks again to all of our amazing sponsors!

 

[cruisermatt]

This is Hardcore section. Let's see cutting and welding, not vinyl wraps

 

[Charles4x4]

Sorry for the hijack Charles,
Fronts are done.

View attachment 1854732

Looks awesome! My Front and Rear Air Bumps arrived a few days ago. Really glad they made this rule change for us! And it came just in time for our final order with Icon!

 

[Charles4x4]

It's going to be a tough day for dam sure. I am looking forward to it.
Charles and Hobie have 2 wicked days in front of them maybe 3 if we are thrashing in their car Thursday for prep, which we will be. I am looking forward to that too!
View attachment 1858135

Sweet! Are more details posted somewhere - I always miss the good stuff

When do they usually post the route so we can start working on navigation stuff? A week or so before the race right?

 

[Charles4x4]

This is Hardcore section. Let's see cutting and welding, not vinyl wraps

Patience, it’s coming! The wrap is of course a small part...but every part adds up to hopefully a great story in the end. The wrap is also a good way for me to stall you and everyone else with some content while we are waiting for the good stuff to be ready for the spotlight .

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Sweet! Are more details posted somewhere - I always miss the good stuff

When do they usually post the route so we can start working on navigation stuff? A week or so before the race right?

Man little teasers trickle in till about 10 days till the race then the actual course is released. Let me take a guess.......

 

[RustyNailJustin]

This is Hardcore section. Let's see cutting and welding, not vinyl wraps

Hahahaha,
At Charles expense I was thinking my goodness, the wrap would be the absolute least of my worries.

 

[Charles4x4]

Hahahaha,
At Charles expense I was thinking my goodness, the wrap would be the absolute least of my worries.

It’s sadly one of the only things I can actually do from way over here in AL while the real work is underway in CA!

 

[RustyNailJustin]

It’s sadly one of the only things I can actually do from way over here in AL while the real work is underway in CA!

I get it, it's just funny.
You are the man for making this happen!
Just stressing me out with so much to do and so little time.

 

[matzell]

I get it, it's just funny.
You are the man for making this happen!
Just stressing me out with so much to do and so little time.

Please for everyones sake, finish this in a shop somewhere then bring it to the lake bed. Every year I have seen so many people bring a half built truck and try to finish it on the lakebed. Something that could take a day in a shop with all the right tools and parts stores nearby takes multiple days and end up half assed on the lake bed. Better to show up a day late, miss qualifying then to try to show up with an incomplete car. Save the lakebed for testing and tuning, not building.

If this car does not get finished and is not ready to race, then do not race. No sense making it to the start line only to go 5 miles before it craps out. OR take the start and then pull off the course. No shame, the sponsors will see the car on the start, maybe just not at the finish, which most do not finish. Finish the car and then race a series race.

These are just my thoughts, I know you are putting a great deal of time and $$ into this and want it to happen, I would love to see it out there and doing well. Just do not end up like that guy who built the motorcycle 4x4 thing that was the laughing stock at KOH years ago. Time is ticking...

 

[Charles4x4]

I get it, it's just funny.
You are the man for making this happen!
Just stressing me out with so much to do and so little time.

Please for everyones sake, finish this in a shop somewhere then bring it to the lake bed. Every year I have seen so many people bring a half built truck and try to finish it on the lakebed. Something that could take a day in a shop with all the right tools and parts stores nearby takes multiple days and end up half assed on the lake bed. Better to show up a day late, miss qualifying then to try to show up with an incomplete car. Save the lakebed for testing and tuning, not building.

If this car does not get finished and is not ready to race, then do not race. No sense making it to the start line only to go 5 miles before it craps out. OR take the start and then pull off the course. No shame, the sponsors will see the car on the start, maybe just not at the finish, which most do not finish. Finish the car and then race a series race.

These are just my thoughts, I know you are putting a great deal of time and $$ into this and want it to happen, I would love to see it out there and doing well. Just do not end up like that guy who built the motorcycle 4x4 thing that was the laughing stock at KOH years ago. Time is ticking...

Hey everyone, thanks for all the support. To clarify, we'll definitely be finishing the truck 100% before the race, and in a professional shop . I know it feels like we are way behind, but that is partially due to my inability to actually show you the current condition of the truck (stay tuned - a ton has been accomplished). And remember, we finished most of the small stuff in Stage 0 (in AL) so all that is left if the big stuff that our amazing sponsors are tackling with 100% focus.

As mentioned, the car moves to the final shop #3 this Sunday! Best case is that we'll have 1.5-weeks (1/24-2/3) for testing and tuning after the car is 100% done. Worst case is that slips to less than a week or even the weekend of 2/2-2/3 for testing and tuning.

Believe me, I feel the stress too. But there isn't much I can do about it from here except trust my team and their abilities to get it done. And they are confident that it will be done with a little time to spare.

Yes, this middle stage of the build has taken longer than any of us had expected, but as you all know better than I, I'm learning that's what happens in racing and and especially with prototype level innovation. We tried to anticipate it but it's never fun when things outside of our team's control get delayed.

As mentioned, our team is very close. We communicate daily and have a solid plan in place to make up some of our time lost in the final stage (starting this Sun). But we do admit that our Excess Contingency time has now unfortunately been reduced quite a bit - certainly much more than we would have liked or had originally anticipated.

Much more to come!

 

[Charles4x4]

Someone asked So, What's Left. Well, here you go. After the handoff this weekend, we still need to:
RockSolidToys:
1) Mount the Atlas II including a "flexible" crossmember
2) Install the Rear RockSolidToys 4-Link Suspension, Currie RockJoc 60, Rear Icon Suspension, and Currie AntiRock Sway Bar:
A) All rear suspension brackets, links, joints, shocks, air bumps, and sway bar are all in hand.
B) Cycle suspension and take measurements for Icon Rear Coils. Install Icon Rear Coils and Brake Lines.
C) Cut rear fenders as needed. Install U-Joint Shields, ARB Air Compressor for Lockers (F/R), and PowerTank. Reinstall the 4x4Labs Skid Plates. Run final exhaust routing out both sides of the 4x4Labs Rear Bumper.
3) Take final Front & Rear Suspension Measurements for High Angle Driveline Driveshafts. Install driveshafts later upon receipt.

RockSolidToys and Otwell Welding & Fabrication:
4) Remove the sunroof and replace with sheet metal. Remove all glass (windshield, doors, lift gate).
5) Build the cage! This is A Top Priority given it may be really time consuming and it ties together so many parts of the build. Otwell has a 3-page overview that Wyatt and I put together to make sure we don't miss something.
6) Once the cage is done, we'll re-mount the PRP Seats, PRP Harnesses, Navigation (iPad Pro 10.5 w/ Leadnav), Jaz Fuel Cell, Rugged Radios Air Pumper, mount the 35" STT Pro Spare in the Cargo Area, install Fire Extinguishers (3 in car), and possibly re-mount the Odyssey Extreme Battery in the Cargo Rear.
7) Add Fuel Cell Firewall behind the passenger seat, re-route Fuel Supply and Return lines, add Fuel Filler Hose and Locking Cap (filled from outside lift-gate - in hand today), and Fuel Splash Guard.

Me and RockSolidToys:
8) Install PRP Safety Nets (2), Wire Warn Winches (2 for Front and Rear), Install new Aeromotive Jet Siphon and re-pack Alletch Baffles, Mount final STT Pro Spare Tires to KMC Beadlock Wheels (all in hand today).

ALL in Johnson Valley:
9) Testing & Shock Tuning, Revise as needed!

Me and the Race/Pit Team On Site and just Days Before KOH:
10) Get all the small stuff ready:
A) On-Vehicle Spare Parts & Tools (list posted a few weeks back)
B) Driver/Co-Driver Water/Food/First Aid/Trash Bags/Break-Down Triangles, Rugged Radios Intercom Stuff, Co-Driver Handheld, etc
C) Pits Spare Parts, Spare Tires, Fuel, Fire Extinguishers, Tools, Tarps
D) Safety Equipment (helmets, gloves, fire suits, head & neck restraints)
E) Install 4602 Number Plates (I haven't even thought through this one yet)
F) Pick up my Co-Driver, get our Pits setup with @rustynailsjustin and our Collective Pit Crew, get the RV and Rental Car setup, Attend Drivers Meetings, have fun, etc.

Pass Tech. Qualify (if we need to?). Race!

Then fix stuff from 4600 and get ready for 4400. Race Again (hopefully)!

Find a way to get back home...

I'm sure I missed a few small items, but this is pretty much it. Per Wyatt, the Cage is definitely the most time consuming item left. 42-Days Left!

 

[Charles4x4]

I'm also proud to announce that we'll be running an Odyssey Extreme Battery in our 4602 Steel City Racing car.
The guys on my team who truly know batteries have said all along that the Odyssey Extreme Series is the best battery out there. Here's what we'll be using from Odyssey:

Odyssey Extreme 34R-PC1500T Battery:

Odyssey Hold-Down Kit:

Odyssey 12amp Battery Charger:

We're proud that Odyssey has agreed to partner with our team on this King of the Hammers build. Thanks again to all our sponsors!

 

[RustyNailJustin]

IMO qualifying for 4600 in a race like this is a waste of time, money and abuse on the car. You are going to Start in the back of EMC anyway, being in a random draw for the back of 4600 is not an issue.
For reference in 2017 I started second to last and passed every single 4600 class car in the first lap.
In theory you are going to be the fastest car in the desert, no comparison.
Just my 02 with the way the rules are now and in an untested car

 

[Charles4x4]

IMO qualifying for 4600 in a race like this is a waste of time, money and abuse on the car. You are going to Start in the back of EMC anyway, being in a random draw for the back of 4600 is not an issue.
For reference in 2017 I started second to last and passed every single 4600 class car in the first lap.
In theory you are going to be the fastest car in the desert, no comparison.
Just my 02 with the way the rules are now and in an untested car

That's exactly what I was hoping you'd say! We'll definitely be skipping qualifying then and saving the car fully for Wed! That'll give us a little more time for the stuff on the list!

 

[matzell]

Make sure you get your number plates or stickers in the proper color for class

Get some race cathaters. Rugged sells them, just do not piss on your guys while they are under the car...

 

[RustyNailJustin]

Make sure you get your number plates or stickers in the proper color for class

Get some race cathaters. Rugged sells them, just do not piss on your guys while they are under the car...

Hahahaha true story!

 

[Charles4x4]

Small Update:
- We ran into a few more 1-2 day delays over the past 2-weeks, but pushed through all of them - not without a good dose of stress and a few team problem-solving calls.
- The team worked on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Years Eve, and plans to do some work tomorrow on New Years Day - they are Dedicated!
- Yes, we are now even tighter on the timeline, but our team is 100% confident we'll get everything done.
- The pressure is now on for both Robert Otwell and Wyatt Scott, who both fortunately seem to enjoy that position and are excited to be the "Closers" on this project!
- We also made a change on the rear axle that we'll discuss later on.

New Timeline:
- Right now we're targeting having all fab work completed by 1/25
- We'll then spend that next weekend (1/26-1/27) doing the final small stuff
- We'll plan to do some on-site testing the week of 1/28 (Otwell's shop is 30-mins from the lakebed). Note that our Icon Front Coilovers and Rear Shocks all have CDCV equipped for quick external tunability of the shocks.
- If testing all goes well, we'll get the wrap done later that week (takes 3-days).
- We aim to be on the lakebed by 2/2 or 2/3 if at all possible!

I hope to be able to post more pics soon!