Nice work, Tom:
You have really come a long ways on this project! Makes me want to buy a white 80 series.
You have really come a long ways on this project! Makes me want to buy a white 80 series.
Build The Great White Build Thread
- Thread starter tpizza01
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- #23
REAR BUMPER.
Purchased a rear bumper through @IPOR Iron Pig Off Road, my local Off Road resource lol. I will be doing swing outs sooner or later but right now money was a little tight so I just went with the bumper with the pegs. I also wanted a hitch, so Lance welded a mount on. Sucker was big but managed to get it in the back of the rig no prob. This bumper is solid and I highly recommend it. I will probably highly recommend it again in the following posts also lol
http://www.ironpigoffroad.com//index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_27&products_id=70
Purchased a rear bumper through @IPOR Iron Pig Off Road, my local Off Road resource lol. I will be doing swing outs sooner or later but right now money was a little tight so I just went with the bumper with the pegs. I also wanted a hitch, so Lance welded a mount on. Sucker was big but managed to get it in the back of the rig no prob. This bumper is solid and I highly recommend it. I will probably highly recommend it again in the following posts also lol
http://www.ironpigoffroad.com//index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=4_27&products_id=70
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- Thread starter
- #24
So we started out by removing the old hitch from the bottom - no big deal (see attached and below). The truck was from New Jersey and I was surprised that it did not have that much rust on the underside but many of the bolts that we removed from the various items were a little rusted up, but nothing that an impact can't get out.
Next up was cutting through the cross member to accommodate the hitch mount. SO we cut away. Keep in mind here also that there were already a couple of bolt holes from the old bumper shell, and that we need to make holes for the new bumper ...
Next up was cutting through the cross member to accommodate the hitch mount. SO we cut away. Keep in mind here also that there were already a couple of bolt holes from the old bumper shell, and that we need to make holes for the new bumper ...
- Thread starter
- #25
What's that you say? Bondo? What do you mean there' Bondo in the cross member??
When we cut the hole, we found a significant amount of Bondo in that area. Our suspicion is that one of the POs had made a failed attempt at trying to connect a trailer to the existing hitch and punched a hole through the cross member, and whoever fixed it, just plastered a grip of Bondo in there then covered it with a new bumper shell. As you can see where we grinded, there was a lot of it. This makes it difficult to install the four bolts for the new bumper, but I don't think it is a big issue right now considering the bumper is solid and if I really had to pull something it would probably be okay. Like I said, the problem now is getting those four bolts in the new bumper. My plan is to put a steel plate inside the bumper that is long enough to span the gap, using it as the supporting back for the bolts, if that makes any sense.
When we cut the hole, we found a significant amount of Bondo in that area. Our suspicion is that one of the POs had made a failed attempt at trying to connect a trailer to the existing hitch and punched a hole through the cross member, and whoever fixed it, just plastered a grip of Bondo in there then covered it with a new bumper shell. As you can see where we grinded, there was a lot of it. This makes it difficult to install the four bolts for the new bumper, but I don't think it is a big issue right now considering the bumper is solid and if I really had to pull something it would probably be okay. Like I said, the problem now is getting those four bolts in the new bumper. My plan is to put a steel plate inside the bumper that is long enough to span the gap, using it as the supporting back for the bolts, if that makes any sense.
- Thread starter
- #26
The only other issue we had with this was the actual install. It was difficult to get the bolts lined up underneath and took a ratchet strap on one side wrapped around the bumper and the forward chassis to get it to bend enough. At first I thought it was the cross member and that it might be bowed out but I was wrong. I went to Iron Pig and talked with the guys about it and upon inspection, looking at it from the side, you can see that the bumper is slightly bent, most likely from the heat caused from welding on the hitch mount. No big deal though, its on - I just don't plan on taking it off any time soon lol. And like I promised I would say, this is a solid bumper and I highly recommend it. You won't be able to see it in these pics and if I can remember in between writing papers and such, I will get a side shot to show the slight inward bow.
True garage dog right here, lol ...
True garage dog right here, lol ...
- Thread starter
- #27
4xinnovations sliders arrived in August. They sat for a while though because we didn't have time to get them together. Anyway, I wasn't there when Dave welded them up, but we followed @Stevesnj 's slider install HERE and it went well. I decided to skip the powder coating because of cost and well, they are gonna get scratched up anyway. So I hit them with some primer an then flat black - easy to maintain. I also added non-skid strips to the top of the rails because I use them quite a bit to climb on and I've already slipped in wet weather. Did the rear bumper as well. I got these rails because I liked the kick-out and the fact that they add a little bit of step. Not much step, but it is still better than nothing, and they will serve their purpose overall. They've been on for about a month or so now and are great.
Awesome! They are very well built. Looks great with the white Of the truck.
- Thread starter
- #29
It's been a while!
Installed the AOE Front Bumper sometime in December. Went in with relatively no issues aside from getting the holes to line up, which was not a fault of the bumper. In the end, the driver side wing touches the fender flare but I am going to remove them anyway. Moved the AC dryer and relocated the hose clamps with no problem and it's tucked away nice. Had to cut the valence of course and the more I look at it I wonder what it would look like without the halves in there - do I really need them? Had previously changed the marker lights to marker/blinkers with a harness by Gary from innovativewiring.com - Easy install and they work great.
Installed the AOE Front Bumper sometime in December. Went in with relatively no issues aside from getting the holes to line up, which was not a fault of the bumper. In the end, the driver side wing touches the fender flare but I am going to remove them anyway. Moved the AC dryer and relocated the hose clamps with no problem and it's tucked away nice. Had to cut the valence of course and the more I look at it I wonder what it would look like without the halves in there - do I really need them? Had previously changed the marker lights to marker/blinkers with a harness by Gary from innovativewiring.com - Easy install and they work great.
Tom, I also have a '95, in white. Bought it with 157K miles (pictured at left). Glad you did this thread, because it gives me some inspiration for mine! Thanks for sharing! would you mind giving me the website for the sliders and the front bumper. I'd like to price those...Thanks
How tough was it to angle the ac dryer up so that it's protected by the new bumper?
- Thread starter
- #33
The AOE Bumper can be found on Facebook. Alex is his name - you can private message him. I would say patience is key with ordering that one. Just a word of caution there. Great bumper though. Do yourself a favor and try and set up a group buy. IT will save you some cash.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/American-Overland-Expedition/89641896537
The sliders are at 4x Innovations. Keep in mind that these will need welding. Couple of things though first off. I love these sliders becasue they provide a great step up, but if I were to go back and have another shoice I would probably go with IPOR. These are good for their purpose right now because I am not wheelign or doing anything that will touch the bottom of the rails, but I tell you there is a lot of flex in them so if I do decide to hit the rocks, I am scared that they will bend so much that the door might not open. Nothgin like that has happened and they are a solid slider, but I will warn you that if you are doing any wheeling, I would choose another set of rails. Again, my purpose with this vehicle right now is long trips and mild off roading, so I don't have to worry about anything. Just some food for thought. http://www.4xinnovations.com/95-97-FJ80-Bolt-On-Rock-Slider--DIY-Kit--Welding-Required_p_77.html
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- Thread starter
- #34
It wasn't tough at all, but the only problem I am having now, and I am not sure if this was pre-existing or not, is that I can't find the source of my AC leak. AC was not working well prior to, but pumping leak detector into it with a high angled drier will not be effective because the leak fluid may collect in the drier. So now I went and bought a new drier and am going to relocate it in the bumper, and redo the lines. This will at least help me find the leak ... hopefully lol
- Thread starter
- #35
Removed the roof rack a while ago. Removing the rain rails was the worst though because of the double sided sticky stuff. NAsty. Cleaned it all up, plugged the holes with caps and silicone, then hit it with the matching body paint and clear coat.
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- Thread starter
- #36
Removed the fender flares a while ago also. I can't seem to locate the removal pics but it was not a "just take em off" removal and I did have to drill out a couple of things. The flares are NOT reusable either. Like the roof, I used silicone but in this case, no body plugs. It's been a few months now and the silicone by itself is holding up well. Eventually I will weld them up, but I'm in no rush. Here is what the truck looks like now, IMO it looks way better without those dirt collecting flares ...
Thanks for the info and Your personal input. Will definitely take all that into consideration. My main purpose, like you, is more expedition style wheeling, rather than hard-core rock-crawling, so I imagine these will be fine for that. But I'm not in a hurry so will think this through thoroughly. Also spoke with a fellow mudder today, and we discussed cutting the cats out, since there are no emissions requirements in Idaho. Will research that. In which case, I wonder if these sliders offer a model without all the armor for cats? Need to look into that more...
FWIW, I have never organised a group-buy before. Any advice on how to maximize such an initiative?
Where's a good place to get the caps and matching body paint???
I will be removing my roof rack and flares sometime this season, probably before my Moab trip in October. Need a temporary fix for those holes till I get around to doing the Monstaliner -probably this winter. At that time I will weld all the holes and do it permanently. The caps look really clean IMO, as a temporary solution.
- Thread starter
- #39
Yes, I would say the body caps are a good temp solution, maybe even longer than temporary. I don't plan on welding the roof up at all to be honest because it's a hassle. Anyway, I used 5/16" caps (stem diameter). I bought mine on amazon for about $7: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0040CTZU0?tag=ihco-20
Look through the forum and see what others say about removing the cats. I don't know if 4xinnovations does the rails without, but anything can be modified if you know what you are doing. I would also consider looking at maybe fabbing your own rails if you are going catless, but you may also be able to find others on here in your area that can help with that.
As far as a group buy for the bumper, I believe you need to talk with Alex and see if he is willing to do so. If he does, then You would come back on the forum and advertise it letting everyone know the details and how it will work.
@tpizza01 thanks so much for all your input!