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I did some work on the brakes. I had to machine the hubs a little to fit the fj60 rotors over them. I spent about 4 hours trying a bunch of different set ups until I finely got something to work. But now that its done other people can do it to. Fj60 rotors, gm calipers off a 96 s10 blazer.
Little update. I got the bump stop, droop strap, and bump steer dialed in. And I also got the mount made for the brake caliper. All I need now is the shocks.
so I got it together last weekend to make a little trip to Fordyce. we didn't make it very far on Fordyce because of some Week steering. it was my fault I tried to make part of the stock steering work but it ended up just bending. overall I did pretty awesome but it still needs a lot of work.
Interesting! I built a modified UCA Extension Bracket using a similar configuration using a Rod End. No longer is the upper ball joint a limiting factor in terms of travel. Be careful, the 3/4" shank will spin in the spindle upright, the jam nut cannot stop the rotation and your front wheels will soon end up pointing different directions and the rod end binding up on itself causing you to loose control. There are numerous other reasons its not a good idea to run rod ends in this configuration but that's another time. Suffice to say, if you build another set of LCAs (not using lengthened stock units) be sure they have steering stops, and make sure you adjust the limits or you will damage the Rod Ends and spin them in the spindle up rights.
I know you referred to ccrraviotto's thread on center mount diff and how it got you thinking but I'm the one who got him thinking. He bought a Blazeland Kit back in 2010. Have you read about my "Mega Travel" set up?
Crazy how you built your Tie Rod Adjusting Sleeves! I've seen a few other people build them with equally poor attention to detail. Screams danger to you and those on the road around you! Hopefully you trailered your rig to Fordyce. Check out this guy on Pirate4x4
How did you move the spindle forward an inch? The UCAs / LCAs just look lengthened not shifted. Neither does the cross shaft and LCA pivots? How did you get the inner tie rod end to clear the center link / idler arm / pitman arm?
Good to see you messing with the sfa hubs / snouts. "LCAs/UCAs are 4.5" wide per side, Sfa hubs bring my wms back in 1.25" so my overall track width change is 6.5" overall" Its still pretty wide, FYI- messing with your rim backspace is an easier and cheaper route. Looks like the tire is almost rubbing the outer tie rod end. Add a drop bracket sub-frame and your gonna rub.
Its great to see yotaholics like yourself trying new ideas.
I've been thinking about your design and you may be okay as far as securing the heim shank to the spindle upright. When I did it, I simply drilled out the spindle to 3/4" then secured the heim in place using a jam nut on top and another on the bottom.
It rotated easily on the mock up, so actually testing it on the vehicle seemed unwise. I had done some research and had no luck of finding examples of mounting a heim in this configuration. I asked around and the consensus seemed to be this was a bad idea. When I showed it to a local race truck fabricator he heckled me with laughter untill he was blue in the face. He said it was a horrible idea. He said a 3/4" heim uniball was way too small for a spindle upright application, the minimum should be a 1" heim or uniball. More was said but I degress by by continuing on about it.
Anyway, it appears you did it slightly different than me because the threads are secured to the spindle by welding a nut or threaded bung to the upright. This would be less susceptible to rotation or loosening. As far as the 3/4" heim size, the shank is as big as the stud in the ball joint. Its a big as the bolt in a 1" uniball in single sheer. The 1/2" bolt is a double sheer pinning the heim to the UCA. And as for experts telling you it cant be done, that's what they told me about sleeving CV axles and a bunch of other things I tried that have worked well.
I say give it a go and beat on it. Just be prepared with some sort of back up fix / recovery to limp it back to the trailer. You be the Guinea pig and keep us posted.
I met with my machinist friend today and ordered a new batch of Tie Rod Adjusting Sleeves. I can have him build you a set of sleeves with your spec and slip it into the order. The sleeves are turned from 1" OD, .625 ID (thick wall) The inner sleeve needs a 17mmx1.5 RH for the factory inner tie rod end and the outer needs a 3/4-16 LH for the heim.....right? What length would you need?
BlazeN8, thanks for all the comment, Ill try to answer as much as I can
The steering. Im actually really embarrassed by the steering, It was one of those really late night decisions to try and get on the trail, and it wasn't a good one. Thanks for the offer on the steering but im currently working on that, the outer hiems are 7/8 and ill be using 1.5" OD .25 wall DOM for the links.I also have access to a fuul machine shop and know my way around mills, lathes and cnc's so im able to make alot of different things I need.
I do agree that a different off set on the whels would be easier, but I very rarely do things easy. The most inset back spacing I could find for a 15×8.5 was 4.25, my current wheels are 3.75. So sticking with the stock setup and just getting new rims would have only got me in .5". Was it Worth the work? Probably not. But if I went to 17's thay would clear the steering and I could run up to a 5" back spacing.
One of the first things I did with the LCA was modify the spindle steering stops so that the hiem does not hit the missalinement at any time during the full travel. Also im running a 1.25" hiem. Here is a picture of it next to a 3/4 hiem.
I would personally have to agree with the shop you went to, 3/4 hiem seems small, I would think It also were out realy fast. But im aslo the one who built the stuped steering.
Don't be too embarrassed about the steering links, its obvious to most of the readers and myself it was just a temporary thing. Building and testing new ideas and prototypes welcomes failure.
Building the steering is one hurdle the DIY guy has issues with. I get phone calls fairly frequently about the 17x1.5mm hardware. Its a odd size and its difficult to find parts or tooling for. Finding the RH and LH taps is an issue. The steering is the most difficult part of this equation in my opinion. You can use uniballs and heims in various configurations to gobs of travel but the steering just fights back. CVs are also a bear.
Okay, now that I see the close up picture comparison, I see its a larger heim. It looks like a 1-1/4" shank, 7/8" uniball, 5/8" bolt? You probably got the idea for a heim in the spindle like I did; sitting there looking at the steering and thinking what if I plugged a heim into the spindle upright. The 3/4 heim was what I used to mock up as I had it handy and it fit in the spindle upright with out enlarging the hole in a way that weakened the structure.
I was also not wanting to modifying the spindle with welding or plating. I also found that solving the upper ball joint just opened a can of worms for everything else. The lower BJ and steering issues develop immediately for a fraction of an inch of extra travel. Not only that, I found that clearance work to the upper BJ was so simple I couldn't justify the spindle modifications. A modified upper BJ can comfortably achieve 14" of travel. With some other tweaks to pivot geometry and mounting plate angle I designed a prototype that is in the 17" range.
I contacted Howe Racing a few months back in efforts to have them make a custom heavy duty, high angle, rebuild /serviceable ball joint similar to their Chrysler and GM units. I gave them my specifications and a couple of modified BJs as samples. Believe it or not, I am not the first one to do so. Howe is working on it, but its frustrating as its taking months and there is no solid answer as to if it is going to happen or not. My guess is it all comes down to will it be profitable for them to produce. Seems to me anyone with a 1986-1995 4x4 Truck or 4 Runner or 1994-1998 4x4 T-100 would love to by a set of these and bolt it in as a simple upgrade. Then there are all the other folks like us who are looking for big travel numbers.
My observation is that building an IFS rig to take on more technical crawling or rocks is a need to bump up the tire size. A body lift, spindle spacer, lift spindle, drop bracket, etc. are things I played around with. A 35" tire is almost the minimum these days. You don't see a solid axle rig with no lift and a 32" tire on the trail. Building an IFS crawler needs to follow that formula as well. Building a PreRunner style rig with LT has similar issues. A big problem when pre-running is burying the front cross member into the crown of the course. A 4" lift spindle and 35s clears the crown and the tires don't rub on the fenders, firewall, etc. as much either.
Blazen8. Have you ever thought of talking to EMF rod ends?
I've talked to them before about the joint above it has 70° of full misalignment, and they can custom taler it. They are a cool company. I know that they shut down there Web site for the moment to catch up on orders but once there open again I would giving explain the a call.
Yeah, I've checked EMF out, but never contacted them. YT member ZPD426 (a.k.a. Zack, with the LT T-100 rig) has contacted them about BJ and Rod Ends a few times. It doesn't seem like he has made much progress though. If enough of us keep pestering Howe and EMF maybe they will get the message.
Got the steering done, as well as the air shocks I got from TK1 racing. I put it through its paces pretty hard the other day. Here is some video. Sorry for the crappie filming and I for got to clean the gopro when I let my budy drive.
Yes greenhorn, I live in Chicago park. So far im really happy with the shocks, plus Tony is a cool guy.
Shoot you must be just down the street. I am right off Shebley rd (between power line and greenhorn access). If you ever need a hand give me a shout. I would love to come take a look at the runner first hand too.
Nice video! I get up your way occasionally. My Brother lives in Nevada City. I was visiting him back in April, beautiful area. He has my old 1986 xtra cab pickup with Blazeland kit number 004 sitting on his property. This rig has a combo kit with a Superlift drop bracket. The truck has expired tags from 2009 and was not registered non-op. It is such a bummer he neglected to keep on top of things as now it has $700 in back fees. It still runs but has low compression and is showing its age. I was wanting to bring it home and build a pre-runner but the fees, smog, and 500 mile trip made me reconsider. It would be a nice test rig to strip down and green sticker for desert pre-running and testing my Pro 2WD design. I suggested he put the word out to the locals and sell it as is, but he seems to like it as a lawn ornament.
Nice video! I get up your way occasionally. My Brother lives in Nevada City. I was visiting him back in April, beautiful area. He has my old 1986 xtra cab pickup with Blazeland kit number 004 sitting on his property. This rig has a combo kit with a Superlift drop bracket. The truck has expired tags from 2009 and was not registered non-op. It is such a bummer he neglected to keep on top of things as now it has $700 in back fees. It still runs but has low compression and is showing its age. I was wanting to bring it home and build a pre-runner but the fees, smog, and 500 mile trip made me reconsider. It would be a nice test rig to strip down and green sticker for desert pre-running and testing my Pro 2WD design. I suggested he put the word out to the locals and sell it as is, but he seems to like it as a lawn ornament.
that is funny. small world.
I hate that california has back fees for vehicles that sit, it is such a scam just to drum up revenue. i have seen too many cheap toyotas sold for parts because the back fees outweigh the worth of the vehicle.
I hate that california has back fees for vehicles that sit, it is such a scam just to drum up revenue. i have seen too many cheap toyotas sold for parts because the back fees outweigh the worth of the vehicle.
sorry rant over.
if he ever decides to sell let us know!
How's this holding up?
Funny thing, I too live in Cedar Ridge. I'd love to see this thing in person, if at all possible.
sorry i have not updated in awhile. i start a new job in January.
its bean holding up well, have put more then about 1500 miles on it sense i finished the front. i've bean playing with the geometry more and added some sway a way torsion bars.
got to take it to fordyce a couple weeks ago and it did awesome until i broke the welded axle shafts, time to actually have some real ones made. I came out of comity crossing in 2wd and only had to get a tug twice. Its amazing much nicer the ifs float over rocks
i had to do the same thing with a friends truck a couple weeks before that,same route in 2wd only big difference was it had 40's and mine on 35's. They both did pretty good each having there + and -.
Sadly i'm going to be selling it though, i've had so little time to work on it and i don't see any time in the near future when ill get some. Plus my wife is not really in to the rock crawling side of things, but she love camping and overlanding so we got an 06 4runner for that.
03-06-2015, 09:40 PM
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