Builds Zed, the Ultimate Cruiser - A Build Thread

[Behemoth60]

So does that mean you're not in a rush for the upholstery work?

Does this mean Chickworx ia available to do some custom upholstery work?

 

[Ratpuke]

Does this mean Chickworx ia available to do some custom upholstery work?

It could be a post Jan project. I want to start working on fixing up the pile of jump seats I have collected after Xmas. I've got a bunch of projects to finish between now and Christmas (including winch covers) so I'm pretty busy in the immediate future.

 

[crushers]

Charla is a seamstress? i never would have thunk it.

 

[Ratpuke]

Charla is a seamstress? i never would have thunk it.

No. A FABRICator. I know Wayne! Entirely too girly for me. Chickworx.com

 

[crushers]

cool Charla, real cool.
congrats.

 

[Hanna Quality]

Peter, you have some great ideas, I'm looking forward to seeing your 74 build. I hope to be building something similar and it just so happens I also need to finish building my shop first. So many projects so little time eh.

I was thinking of a spring-over or using stock 80 suspension links along with 80 axles however you got me rethinking links and coil-overs would be much better and worth the effort. I highly recommend sway bar or bars for the street and off-road stability.

I think those wimpy and short duty cycle Mile Marker winches utilizing the power steering pump gave hydraulic winches a bad name. I really like the idea of a hydraulic winch for its endless duty cycle and reliability if powered properly. I used hydraulic winches to recover out countless vehicles and objects over the five years I worked through school as a tow truck driver. The tow trucks mostly used the belt driven pumps however some used the gear driven models PTO the transmission. The belt driven were easier to use since they just switched on and off at idle with a toggle switch no need to change trans to neutral or stop rolling. The 9000 lb winch never stopped working however once it did slow down a bit followed by the cable breaking under load.

pump http://www.munciepower.com/products...ass:Product Type.eq.Fluid Power&back=Products

winch http://www.warnfactoryoutlet.com/Wi...1-kg-4-8-cu-in-Motor-Clockwise.axd?page_no=2#

Last time I saw your 74 on the Rubicon it left me with an impression of how the 74 could be build up to do some serious wheeling yet be driven from the Great White North and back!

 

[Behemoth60]

Last time I saw your 74 on the Rubicon it left me with an impression of how the 74 could be build up to do some serious wheeling yet be driven from the Great White North and back!

That was 2006 when I had Ziplock on the Rubicon. I went there with Lumpy70 as my co-pilot (seen co-piloting in the picture) along with Shaker and Thrillbilly in Shaker's BJ42. Two SWB trucks with 38-40" tires makes short work of the Rubicon! We actually both blew our lockers and had to do most of the trail with open diffs and still no problems! (I slightly twisted the splines on walker hill and couldn't engage the lockers, and he melted an air line on his manifold near buck lake)

After 8 years of the truck in this configuration, I am convinved that one can build a truck that can drive any trail, drive to and from any trial, and spend weeks doing so with a quantum of comfort. The BJ74 seems like a darn fine platform to do it on.

Although, I've been thinking more about a two-truck solution. I know, it kind of defeats the "Ultimate" Cruiser theme, but having one truck to smash into the rocks and another one to look pretty parked in camp does have some appeal. Especially now that I actually have the two trucks, and I kind of like them both.

 

[Tapage]

litte thread related but with 11GPM you will feel some engine " load " to say the least ..

 

[lowenbrau]

litte thread related but with 11GPM you will feel some engine " load " to say the least ..

Not much, really. If I let the rig idle against the PTO in third gear and then slam the valve open on a hard pull I'll stall the engine for sure but any amount of throttle in first or second will get me 11 GPM without noticing the engine load.

 

[lowenbrau]

I think those wimpy and short duty cycle Mile Marker winches utilizing the power steering pump gave hydraulic winches a bad name. I really like the idea of a hydraulic winch for its endless duty cycle and reliability if powered properly. I used hydraulic winches to recover out countless vehicles and objects over the five years I worked through school as a tow truck driver. The tow trucks mostly used the belt driven pumps however some used the gear driven models PTO the transmission. The belt driven were easier to use since they just switched on and off at idle with a toggle switch no need to change trans to neutral or stop rolling. The 9000 lb winch never stopped working however once it did slow down a bit followed by the cable breaking under load.

I agree, Ken

I have a similar winch (Superwinch H8P) and a Prince PTO pump

It is everything I'd like in a which except the ability to match wheel speed with line speed.The problem only got worse when I added the Toybox. If I were to do it again I'd definitely use an engine driven pump. The Prince pump sure has been reliable though. It has been sitting in the mud and grime, just over my rear axle for ten years and still works just like it did when new.

 

[Hanna Quality]

the (engine) pump wont effect the idle much though mostly at idle I only used the pump quickly to lift or lower a car on the wheel lift at the rear of the truck so as to not drag a the car through a dip or rise. At 1000-1500 rpms the engine will not flinch at all with the winch load.

Notice the line speed on the specs for the warn hydro 9000 lb winch didnt slow down under an increased load. You would need a fluid tank however 3-5 gallons.

One could even run a log splitter say mounted to the long tongue of a off-road trailer, garbage compactor, operate rams to open a cover or lift the roof of a built on camper setup and and....bend tube for a roll cage on the trail ok now I getting a bit carried away.

 

[Hanna Quality]

Bruce, you have a hydraulic fluid reservoir tank? how big?

 

[lowenbrau]

Bruce, you have a hydraulic fluid reservoir tank? how big?

I had a custom built one that was about 2.5 gal that sat between the fender and firewall of my lhd bj70 but when I moved everything over to the rhd bj74 it wouldn't fit so I just stuck a plain old 2 gal reservoir under the floor just under the back seat and it has been fine. If you aren't running rams (even though an onboard woodsplitter would be cool) you don't need much capacity. I could probably use some cooling but haven't got a temp gauge and ignorance is bliss.

You can sorta make out the pump on the right side and the reservoir on the left in this pic...

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Peter,

I noticed in your first post you description about the rear suspension:

"Rear Suspension: 4 Link, double bellows air bags, King remote res. shocks. Currie Anti-rock."

Could you explain a little bit more about why you are going with the air bags? Is this because of the laden vehicle weight, or is there some other advantage to the air bag? Who makes the air bags you are planning to go with? Thanks!

 

[Behemoth60]

Could you explain a little bit more about why you are going with the air bags? Is this because of the laden vehicle weight, or is there some other advantage to the air bag? Who makes the air bags you are planning to go with? Thanks!

Hello,

Building a ‘quality’ suspension is a real art form, and sadly for most of those on ih8mud, that art is severely limited by leaf springs… you bolt them on, and you get what you get!

With a multi-link, you get the opportunity to play with important design factors like ride height, squat, roll axis, roll angle, and of course, suspension frequency.

Suspension frequency is the biggest factor in the ‘comfort’ of your ride. Some might describe a sports car as having a ‘harsh’ ride, but it is better described as a short frequency… it will cycle in about 0.7 seconds or less. While a Cadillac has a soft ride… it will cycle about 1.4 seconds or more. Suspension frequency is a major design decision, and choosing it will define the type of ride you end up with.

Suspension frequency derived by the relationship between the spring rate (how much weight your springs hold up) and the sprung weight of the vehicle.

In a vehicle with variable configurations, like I am planning on, the sprung weight could be different from weekend to weekend, or month to month, depending on where I am gong and how I have the truck loaded. I can vary the weight of the truck by almost 1.4 megagrams with all my gear, roof top tents, and removable tops and doors. Air Springs have adjustable spring rates, so that as my vehicle loading changes, I can adjust the spring rate (the amount of air in the bag), and return my ‘Suspension Frequency’ back to it’s designed level, so the ride is hopefully consistent, despite how the truck is loaded.

The other factor is that with a Roof Top Tent, Air bags provide the opportunity to level the truck a small amount to level the tent, if needed.

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Thanks for taking the time to write that - most informative.

My truck has leaf springs and of course it rides like an oxcart until I get 500kg in there, so the air bag suspension idea has a lot of appeal, as does putting my 40 series body onto an 80 series chassis.

Have you picked out a particular brand or air bag yet?

 

[Douglas S]

Are you at all concerned about the reliability issues inherent to an air ride suspension?

 

[Henry James the 47th]

Are you at all concerned about the reliability issues inherent to an air ride suspension?

I hadn't heard about that. I see air bag suspension on every dumptruck and semi-trailer out there so I presumed it had proven itself reliable. You have a different impression?

 

[Malahki]

A properly designed air suspension is very reliable. Consider 90% of tractor trailers (semi trucks) being produced in North America are air ride. Including off highway and heavy duty applications such as in the oilfield

 

[Douglas S]

One sharp stick is all it takes. I've seen it happen a couple of times on Land Rovers with factory EAS.