crash

With a rosebud tip, yes, a standard torch will work, don't use a cutting tip, the heat will be too centered. And yes, let it coool naturally..

upndair

Thanks for the tip Crash. I woud've chosen a cutting torch and just not have turned the extra air on to cut.

I have a rosebud that came with my torch. I think I'll give that option at shot. If I can leave the front end where it's at and not have the tie rod hit the pitman arm, I'll be VERY happy!

upndair

The rear is now in - but not yet on. It's getting pretty tonight with a fresh coat of paint. I got the new flanges in today from High Angle driveline that will hook my Toyota drive line flanges right up.

I have to weld on shock mounts and brake calipers mounts before it can go under the rig however. I hope to have the caliper mounts in hand by the end of the week.

upndair

The new flanges from High Angle were perfect. I was suprised however that they didn't have a dust cover like the stock ones did.

Anyway, I'm still waiting on the rear brake caliper mounts. I need to get these welded in place before the axle get's under the truck, cause I can't get to the welder otherwise!

I got the left front assembled tonight, but on the right side, the studs/bolts that go in the perch don't match up with my Toyota flip kit parts. I'm pretty sure that I could weld an extension on to my top mount to accomodate this. I figure that if I created a good wedged joint and weld it well, it'll hold. I need to add about 2" to the width of the plate to make it work, then drill the holes for the bolts to go through.

Anyone know the size and pitch of of the bolts that I need to put in there? I don't have anything large enough to compare

With the front solidly mounted I can take the wheels back off and finish the painting and such - a little wax here and there for old times - just kidding!!! I have to weld on the shock mounts and figure out how to get my Toyota brake lines to connect to the GM calipers. There's already a set of braided lines on the calipers. I wish there was just an adaptor to got between the two sizes.

The last challenge on the front will be hooking up the drag link. With the current axle placement the pitman arm will hit the tie rod. And, I didn't realize that I had to modifiy the pitman arm to recieve the drag link. Sooooo. I'm shipping the pitman arm up to Jason at S&N. He's going to use the splines from the current pitman arm and then make a new one that's straight and perhaps about 1/2" shorter. I need to get it up and out of the way and also adapt the fitting for the new drag link end. Once I get the brake adaptors and steering connection figured out I'll be happy. I wish I had a stock pitman arm to use since the only one I have is my Allpro one set up to handle the FJ80 ends....

lcopelan22

I had all kinds of problems with my pitman arm bouncing on the tie rod. I solved mine with different springs though. In your case it seems that getting that guy to make an almost straight and shortened pitman would work. I thought I was gonna have to do that but eventually got it dialed. Check into getting a fabbed up heim joint style pitman and maybe save yourself from having to make a trip to the yard or yota dealer. I wish I had 60's !

upndair

I think we're talking about 2 different problems. This pic shows the issue of the tie rod lining up under the pitman arm. This is from moving the axle 3.5" forward from it's stock position and yes, I've already jammed the steering box as far foward as it can reasonably go without some major construction work.

upndair

My Rockstomper parts came in today. I have the Chevy 1-ton master cylinder with the adaptor to fit on the Toy and the Ram assist steering. I still have to adapt my steering box.

The drag link and pitman arm are still holding me up. I'm in need of a stock pitman arm to make a custom one and then I need to sell my Allpro arm. Anyone got a stock IFS pitman arm that I can have cheap?

upndair

The rear end is almost ready to go on. The brake caliper brackets came in today. A fair bit of cutting and welding to get everything in place, but I think I have it all correct. I may stick on the shock mounts before I roll it underneath. I should be able to get the rest of the touch up stuff done tomorrow.

The left side is complete, painted, caliper mounted, etc. Now that I know what I'm doing, the left side should take about 20 minutes, compared to the 2 hours for the right side.

My new pitman arm is being manufactured now. I had to send S&N a stock pitman arm to remove the splines, then they're going to make a custom one that's flat and probably just a little shorter. We'll decide on that tomorrow.

upndair

OK, the project is not yet completed, but I have the wheels underneath.

Here's a few pics to start with.




The front is still missing the drag link and my pitman arm has to be modified. I had it made by S&N fab be we had a measurement error so I have to make it 1" long and bend it down about 20 degrees.

upndair

The rear end is bolted on now. I checked the driveline length. The difference in length between the axle shafts and the driveshaft flange meant that both driveshafts had to be shortened. They were off to the driveline shop today.

upndair

Things are coming together. I have the driveshafts up in place. The alignment, angles and lengths look great!

S&N is making a pitman arm for me out of 1" billet steel. I hope to have that and the drag link on Saturday. Currently, I can go forward and back but can't stop or turn.

Tomorrow I'm finishing hooking up all the brake lines. I had Williams oil filter in Tacoma make a custom braided steel link to go from the proportioning valve down to the T with a Toy fitting up top and GM fitting on the bottom. I also picked up some adaptors from them so that my Toy lines will fit right into the Chevy 1 ton master cylinder.

upndair

Well, we got some more work done today. The rear fenders got trimmed to handle the larger tires. I need to borrow a light welder to finish this up. I was able to get mudflaps on to reasonable cover and look OK.

The rear end is complete except for shock mounts. I had the drivelines shortened to fit. The rear tube was replaced with 3/4" wall tube - no more dented driveshafts. The brakes all all installed and hooked up.

I tore out all the old air and ARB stuff. I got the Extreme Air installed behind the 3rd seat but ran out of light. I got the Premier Power Welder installed but the alternator was not quite riight and will have to be replaced. I hope the finish the ARB and onboard air stuff tomorrow afternoon.

Shane

I'm gonna have to see this thing when it's done Gibby, sounds like it's gonna be sweet!

upndair

It's so close to being finished now that I can taste it.

crash

can't wait to see it "get it"

upndair

It's so close I can taste it!
I have the chevy 1 ton brake master cylinder installed and all brake line connections made now. The Premier power welder and alternator are installed but I still have to do the hand throttle connections.

Tomorrow I bleed the brakes, do a little touch up paint work on the front axle, weld on the shock mounts, tie up the brake lines, finish the final connections for ARBs and airlines (I ran short of barbed fittings last weekend), adjust the steering, weld the inner and outer fenders together in the rear where I had to cut out the wheel wells, do a little better work on mounting the read mudflaps and viola, I'm done!

Wheeling Sunday at my private course in Bonney Lake. Anyone want to join us after church. It'll twist ya up a little, LOTSA mud and logs, and a pretty challenging hill climb.

upndair

Things are coming together! The Premier Power Welder is installed and working. I have everything done except for the following: RAM assist steering, one muffler hanger, a few more air system connections, and power back to the ARB solenoids and away I go! I won't have the steering done for a while. I still have the brake line lock to put on, the speedo cable extension and send my rear t-case back for repairs.. so much for being done...

Here's some pics.

This is the custom pitman arm - nice'n beefy!

This is how I routed the brake lines on the front.

This is the front shock mounts welded on with the new welder. Not very pretty but it's going to take some work to get used that different welder.

This is the overall setup on the driver's side, just waiting for the tire to be put on.

upndair

Today's the day to go out and play!
It's time to test things out!

A little trip out to my property in Bonney Lake for some hill climbs and mud. I haven't had a chance to do the rocks and other obstacle yet. I hope to get those built this summer.

upndair

Additional pics of the almost finished project.

The straight on front view.

A little to the right.

Close up of the front.

Right side full view.

Rear view.

Rear shock mount.

ARB air line mount.

Air connections.

Extreme Air

Finished air system.

Serith

Very nicely done. i got a couple questions.

1. Are you going to change your shock mounts? i'd be afraid of them ripping off being below the axle.
2. do you drive your truck daily? do you get a lot of wheel vibrations? unbalanced?
3. With 39's, is you truck pretty gutless? esspecally if you drive it on the road.
4. wanna trade? J/K

very nice though, im jealous. I wanted to get a 4runner, but this was cheaper and easier.