Truck ADD strikes again... '93 X-Cab SAS (1 Viewer)

[CreeperSleeper]

As some of you know, I got the opportunity to buy my old FJ40 back from my buddy 7 or 8 months ago. (Link to thread on FJ40) The idea was I would either keep it and finish the build I originally wanted to do, or flip it and keep my '85 Xtra-Cab truck. (Link to thread on '85 Truck) I was able to take them both out wheeling in February and decided that I liked my little pickup too much to sell it. I ended up putting the FJ40 back up for sale right when COVID hit... Needless to say, I didn't have much action selling it! I ended up pulling it off the market and decided to wait until summer to list it again.

The day I posted the 40 up for sale again, I was contacted by a guy on FB asking if I would be interested in a trade. I told him honestly that I really needed to get rid of vehicles, but I would entertain the offer. He sent me these pics:

Let's see.... Favorite generation, extended cab, bobbed bed, 3.4l V6, SAS, dual cases... Dammit! Now I'm interested...

We messaged back and forth talking about the trucks. He bought this rig built for his wife to follow him around in his buggy, but she just rode with him anyway. It has 300M RCVs, 4.88 gears and Detroit locker in the front end. 4.88s and spooled rear. The rear case has a 4.7 gear set. Everything works well and runs good. He said that it was built around 35's and when he put 37's on it, there are some clearance issues he hasn't fixed yet. He took it wheeling and bent up the passenger fender...

Darn! Oh well, I'm just going to beat it up anyway... I called another buddy of mine who has been bugging me to sell him my '85 and asked if he was still interested. He was more than interested, he was enthusiastic. I guess that takes care of me needing to get rid of something...

I loaded all of my spare parts into the 40, borrowed a trailer, and got everything loaded up.

My wife and son joined me in the 166 mile drive to meet this guy half way between us. We met, looked over the rigs, and struck a deal!

My buddy is coming over tonight for us to finalize the details in him buying the '85, so it looks like this will be my new toy!

My first order of business is to move the front axle forward about an inch, pull a leaf or two, and cut for clearance. After that, we will see where it goes...

 

[yotadude520]

Sure looks nice Chad!

You sure do like going through vehicles huh?

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I have a problem...

 

[gnob]

Nice rig. Maybe this one will make you hard enough to keep it around.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Let's hope so! LOL

 

[joseywales]

It’s not red though...

 

[CreeperSleeper]

It will have red beadlock rings.... LOL

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Well, the '85 drove off with it's new owner on Saturday... But I did get the beadlocks and Kanati's bolted up. That will give me a better plan on where things need to move so I can get it lower.

 

[Mr Chuck Norris]

Well, the '85 drove off with it's new owner on Saturday... But I did get the beadlocks and Kanati's bolted up. That will give me a better plan on where things need to move so I can get it lower.

How much sawzall action are we looking at?

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Hopefully not too much, but we will see!

 

[CreeperSleeper]

So I finally got to spend a few hours working on the truck. I am a year into owning my own business, so I have been working very long hours. And apparently my wife thinks that any time I'm not working needs to be devoted to her needs, not getting a truck ready to wheel....

Anyway, I was able to make a semi-solid plan for all the crap that I carry with me. I still need to install the tie down points, but at least I have a direction. I will get pics when there is something more to show on that front.

Also, I bought this truck with a broken winch. The wireless controller box shorted out and the winch ate itself. (Yet another reason I don't like wireless controllers, but that is a long rant...) The hook got pulled through the roller fairlead, hooked to the bumper, and the case of the winch broke. I pulled it out whole, but there is nothing holding the winch together:

It did bend the bumper a bit, so I got that straightened out enough to work. Luckily the damage is behind the fairlead, so it isn't really noticeable. Then I installed a new Smittybilt 9500. I have had such great luck with these winches that I am confident it won't cause me any issues.

 

[D21FJ60]

.....And apparently my wife thinks that any time I'm not working needs to be devoted to her needs, not getting a truck ready to wheel....

"You have the day off? Great I have so much for you to do!"

 

[MaK92 4RnR]

I posted on YT but I still liked the FJ40! That 40 would've gone for 20k+ in california lol

 

[CreeperSleeper]

The 40 was a really cool rig. It just wasn't what I ultimately wanted.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

So I am a little late posting this up, but I was able to sneak out to the garage on Saturday to start figuring out where everything was going to go and be mounted to the truck.

Mounted the pulaski with Quik-Fists in a spot that nobody will cut themselves:

And my shovel (also with Quik-Fists) to shield the blades of the pulaski even more:

I have ordered mounting brackets for my Hi-Lift to go here. This gives me enough room for my camping box. I can actually stack two of them here while still having enough room to open the cooler.

I ordered a front loading jerry can holder for my NATO can. This gives me just enough room to hold my camping box against the tailgate. That way I only need to throw a strap over the top to hold the box in place.

Trying to mount the cooler was proving to be a little more challenging. I could use a ratchet strap on the end towards the front, but it would be rubbing on the toolbox and would be super hard to get to. I also wanted to leave the space under my toolbox for firewood or my chainsaw. Quik Fists were the solution to this as well! I just mounted one to the toolbox to hold that handle.

As for securing the other end of the cooler, I needed to find a way to also wedge my water jug against the bedside. This would make it to where I didn't need to strap down the jug. I ended up using a quick disconnect tie down point, which worked out perfect.

The water jug cannot be lifted up because of the bed rail and the end of the cooler, but I can just disconnect the tie down point instead of needing to loosen the strap. I ended up putting another one of those tie downs in a spot that I can strap down my camping box(es) AND secure my PETT toilet and supplies.

With that, everything will be secured while wheeling, but still super easy to access. The toolbox will hold my tools, recovery gear, backup air compressor, parts, and fluids. I decided the CO2 tank will live in the cab, but I will post more on that later. Overall, I'm super happy with how it all turned out and it will be modular for whatever I am doing at the time (day trip, camping, etc.).

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I got a couple more things done this weekend. I found a stupid cheap Hi-Lift mount that is designed for the hood of a Jeep. I just mounted them to the bed and it worked well.

I also got my front loading jerry can mount. I'm happy I spent the money on this one! Super solid and fits perfectly.

I started to look at how I wanted to mount the CO2 tank and got discouraged. My original plan was to build a mount from where the stock seat bottom attached to the back of the cab, but it will end up being super flimsy. So now I need to decide how to mount it securely in the cab or sell the CO2 setup and run an onboard air compressor. I really, really like how fast my CO2 is, so I'm not super stoked on getting rid of it.... We will see how that ends up.

 

[gnob]

I definitely love my CO2. I've been toying with the idea of an under bed mount.
I think id be seriously disappointed in any oba compressor at this point.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

I definitely love my CO2. I've been toying with the idea of an under bed mount.
I think id be seriously disappointed in any oba compressor at this point.

I think I would be too, unfortunately.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

You guys will never believe it, but I actually got out in the garage to work on my truck!

But first I should bring you up to date: When I bought the truck, the nut that holds the rear output flange on the t-case backed off and was causing all sorts of vibrations. I didn't happen to have a new nut, so I just tightened it down so I could go wheeling. (Yes, I know that is not a reusable nut...) I also noticed at that time my u-joints were in need of replacing. Oh well, I have a spare and I was wheeling close to home.

The trip was great and the truck did really well, but there was a few things that definitely needed to be addressed. First of all, the output nut backed off again (big surprise there) so I needed to get a new nut. I also knew that I needed to replace the u-joints. It became even more apparent how badly I needed to move the front end forward and put bump stops on the truck. Due to that lack of bump stops, I now need new shocks. (Ooops.)

That was the last weekend of September. I drove the truck home and pulled it in the garage. It hasn't been touched since yesterday.

The first thing I did was empty out my cooler from the trip. Then I bolted on a new triple drilled output flange with a new output bolt. Then I replaced the u-joints in the rear driveshaft with new Matsuba joints. Then I took it for a drive for the first time since September... Good news is the vibration is gone! The bad news is the grinding noise that is gearbox RPM dependent is still there. I was really hoping it was the u-joints. And it sounds like my throw out bearing is making noise when I disengage the clutch... Woot.

 

[CreeperSleeper]

Choppy choppy!

Before:

After:

Before:

After:

Now I just need to do the driver's side... Then build a rear bumper... Then bumpstops... Then, well you get the idea.