A few complaints/observations/questions for you guys.
1. The SWB (~99") hates ledges. I really wish I stretched this thing about 7" when I had the chance. It would have been much better, ability-wise, driveline-wise, and space-wise. A lot of the minitruck guys were walking ledges that this thing had trouble on.
2. The 383 is both amazing and sucks at the same time. It is absolutely amazing for crawling. The torque curve and power band are as good as you will ever get, especially with the gearing I have. It is so diesel-like and I can idle up just about anything if I have the traction. The big problem is that it requires bumps to get over bigger ledges. The major downside is that I am getting about 8 - 10 MPG crawling. I think that I may have a malfunctioning PCV valve which may not be helping, or my Odometer may be a bit off, but it sucks fuel like crazy. I'll be lucky to get 400 miles out of the 28 gallons I have.
3. Question for you engineering guys (
@cruisermatt,
@Godfather90): My fuel pump begins to make a ton of noise as the fuel heats up, it seems. It begins to hum like crazy after it's been running for a while. It quiets down as soon as I fill the tank, or if it is a cold start. The noise level doesn't jump, but it does get progressively louder as stuff gets heat soaked. Any ideas why, or possible fixes? I'm running a Holley Sniper retrofit in-tank pump.
4. I'm really glad that I went with the doubler, even though my driveline suffered from it. It is really great for more technical sections, and since I don't like to spin tires much, it makes me feel much better when playing around on hard stuff.
5. The 80 axles were the way to go on this build. The added width feels so much more stable than any other 40 I have ever driven. It's been really amazing to see how much off-camber stuff this thing can do and still be comfortable with. I've probably gotten it past 35 degrees and it feels great.
6. I still think that linking the front was the way to go. The rear rides really nicely, even with the stiff shocks. However, I think that the adjustable front coil overs and links have improved the ride much more than in the rear, at least for the people sitting in the front seats. The links suck up a ton of bumps, and the light rear doesn't care too much. I also like that I have more flex, and therefore better traction on sections that the front flexes out a lot while the rear tries to climb.