Where'd you go?

 

Been racing Mx. Haven't been really doing to many big changes on the runner lately.

 

I recently got a question in my messages about my build and I thought this info could help others with the same question... ( I deleted the users name just in case he didn't want to be public with it)

Hello !
OK so my breakage of CV's has since stopped. So with that said I have had other issues along the way associated with the Long travel but I'll explain that in a sec.

My main issue from the start was the front IFS axle mount bracket bolts on the driver side. (My Original issue was that the bolts had backed out or gotten loose which made the bracket sloppy and the axle was allowed to move WAY to much) but If you look at post #108 on my thread I am showing the where I had made a whole extra mount for the axle to help it from being able to flex so much. I also tack welded those smaller bolts on the bracket to hold them in place indefinitely. After I did this mod (which I imagine was a little overkill) I have not had any more CV Breakage.

***Now bear in mind I have absolutely beat the sh** out of this truck by Rally Racing it hard, Jumping it at the dunes and just downright getting silly when wheeling, etc etc***

So now just a heads up from some other things I have run into. Your steering components will wear pretty fast. I replaced my Idler arm 3 times now? Which is about 1 per 6-9 months? I will absolutely be upgrading all my steering here soon. The main thing is to get some decent Tie Rod Ends and then upgrade your Idler Arm with the Brace from Blazeland. *** http://blazeland.us/idler-arm-kit/ ** It's well worth the investment.

The 2nd thing you have to look out for is your ball joints Make sure you are running a good product like OEM or I run a 555 brand that I like (It's good Japanese quality = http://www.sankei-555.co.jp/ ). I had first started out with Napa's "premium" product ball joints ((Being a mechanic for 5-6 years now I found that that word premium means NOTHING but the price they sell it at. Everything premium from NAPA has been just crappy POS Chinese knock offs.)) So I found out what happens when you break a ball joint while driving and believe me its not pretty. My lower ball joint (NAPA) broke and it drove my lower control arm into the ground and shoved my wheel up into the body and destroyed my fender and messed up most of my steering components. So with that said be sure that you always have fresh ball joints and keep them well lubed always.

I hope I covered what you were initially asking here and then some. Over all I have had nothing but great success with Blazeland and I will continue to stick by it through an through. You would not believe how many people will doubt it's potential out on the trails and then in turn get blown away by how well it really does!!![/QUOTE]

 

Here's the damage from my ball joint breaking going down the road....



Here's how she sits today...



I changed up my exhaust Because I was tired of how loud it was with the Thrush muffler I had on it. So I bought a Dynomax muffler and it sounds WAAAAAAY better and quieter to boot.

 

Well now my passenger side valve cover is leaking going to have to replace them here soon. I've also noticed that my power steering gear box is leaking out of the steering input seal. I guess that means its time for it to be ripped out and fixed as well. I've heard from a buddy of mine that rebuilding the gear box can be a real pain. What do you guys think?

 

I have a post in my Mini- FAQ thread about rebuilding a steering box, forget where I stole the info from.
on my 81 i just replaced the steering box with a good freebie from a friend of mine. I tore apart the leaking one and it looked like a PITA


I am looking at rear lift options for my 94, how much lift do you think you got from the OME springs?

 

Thanks I'll go check out that link!

I would say at least 3 inches of lift. It definitely raised up a bit. In fact its so high that I can't get my damn headlights to adjust up enough to see good with them heheh,

 

I think I am going to try to locate a used one, Pull out the one I have and rebuild it in the meantime. I have confidence I can do it just fine.... or do I?

 

I love what you did with your rig, I read your whole post, found it when looking for people running the blazeland kit, which I plan on getting ASAP. But, I noticed you haven't updated in a while, anything new with your rig, also how has the shock hoop kit worked out in the long run? Subbed, for whenever you update!

 

Hey James, now that you have stopped snapping CV's, you need to get back up to TSF!

 

Sorry to revive an old thread, but what size tires are you running, and what are your wheel specs? I really like the stance on your rig and when I get my Blazeland set up, I don't want to run fiberglass fenders. Also, any problems with the wheel spacers in the rear? It seems like 3 inches on each side is alot.

 

I run 315/75 R16 , The wheels are a 16 x 8 inch steel rim I think they consider them a trailer wheel?. As for the wheel spacers in the rear, I have not ran into any issues using them whatsoever. I made sure to torque them down real good every time I rotate my tires.

 

I have not really been doing much with the truck in some time. Been working on other projects and working hard. The shock hoop kit worked out great! I love the 2.5 in coilovers they work very well. No issues with them.

 

 

Well we ran our annual Hangover run today and it was a blast! The sun was out, the mud was slick, and the trucks were plenty! Happy New year to you all!

 

Looks like it was a fun outing!

 

It was a fun trip. The weather was nice and the company was even better.


Well Moving on I started running into some steering issues here of late so I decided that it was time to take a look. I found the Pitman arm was clapped out so I replaced that. Then I found that my lower control arm had been loose and shifted out of alignment. Rock rash on the lower control arm mounts had started taking its toll and actually was pinching the arm and preventing it from articulating very well. I bent all that back into place so the arms were free again. (THIS IS WHY A GOOD SKID PATE OS NECESSARY) Then I had play in my front left wheel. Figured meh probably wheel bearing needs repacked, WRONG Wheel bearings had been running a while in some water.... They're shot, but after about 5-6 years of abuse I cannot complain. so I ordered the front end bearing kit from marlin crawler and will be disassembling this beast today.

 

So Started some disassembly and cleaning today.


Jacked up and ready


Rotor is still looking alright brakes are at 60% or so


So you can start to see here that the red grease is not very red in fact its a brown/black mixture....




Heres the inner bearing as you can see the pitting and what you cant see is how clapped out it is. It has quite a bit of movement and the bearings themselves are worn.


Outer Bearing


A few smacks with a punch and out comes the Bearing Race


Yep some wear signs on the race but nothing like a new set to cure all that.


Took some time with a wire brush, brake clean and compressed air and cleaned up the spindle and backing plate.

Well now for a couple day wait for the kit to come in.

 

Anyone have any experience with the JD Fab steering upgrade for long arm systems???
https://jdfabrication.com/products/t...4-steering-kit

 

No experience but have been considering upgrading my steering as everyone seems to think that is the weaker point w/ blazeland kits. I already have the TC idler arm though.