lookin good mark !

 

Thanks bud. I am about ready to start getting it out there. Can't wait!

Haha, yeah, it's been quite the journey! Lots of fun, and I guess I can say I put my own rig together. Lol

Thanks, Will!

 

Roof rack came out great. That was an amazing write-up also. This is something that I have always contemplated doing but was a little skeptical of going through the fiberglass roof. You have changed my mind after reading/watching your write-up.

I love the look of the killertoytop!

 

Hey Mark I don't remember reading if you where able to save your old hard top. Was it damaged in the roll over?


Where you able to salvage a fair bit of spare parts?

 

Just catching up on what you have been doing. You have been busy and getting things back to where they were. That is a lot of work you have done, great job.

 

rig is looking awesome...

where did you get the antenna, and how much?

 

Ahhh, Silverback fix! Nice rack, Suzy.

 

It's really no big deal. ... BUT, what is a big deal is;

1. Using proper pilot bits and really taking your time to make sure the line going through is exactly what you want. You get one shot at it, so...

2. You properly seal every hole up, including AROUND the OD of the nylon spacers.

Thanks a lot for saying that man! It wasn't the greatest right up, but hopefully I can do a little better one if I help someone do theirs. That way I can film as they are going and pause the filming and start again when appropriate.

Thanks on the killertoytops.com -top.

The top was mildly damaged in the rollover but I can't believe it wasn't worse. Just a testament to how well the roof rack mounting work. One of the sliding glass windows broke because of something flying around back there... And it needs a little fiberglass repair from a rock that poke through. But structurally it was fine. I sold it to a buddy that helped with the body swap. I did salvage much, including all of my interior, sold the hood, but the fenders and doors we're toast. I may use the doors for half doors, but I think I would rather find straight donors for that...

That means so much coming from you buddy! You're truly what I consider a master at "Frugal Restorations"! Your way of thinking is partly why I chose to just get a fairly clean body and do the swap. It will end up being sounds in dollars less than trying to fix mine. In fact I will definitely make money on this.

Thank you very much more! The antenna was I believe 60 bucks. I wanted to ask you as well, do you have clean under the hood stickers for a 22 re: first gen like mine? Isn't yours an 87? I need your sticker designing skills! Lol. I guess you could say I need both... I still would love to get a new sticker for the top of my fusible link box.

Haha. ... That just cracked me up so hard. The funny thing, is I didn't get it till I was commenting in the multi-quote. Hahaha

 

DISCUSSION: ARB AIR LOCKERS.... Yay or Nay?

I have an opportunity to get an ARB locker for fairly cheap. It might be a trade, I'm not sure yet. The bottom line is, the minute I posted this up on Instagram, a bunch of avid crawlers that I respect quite a bit pretty much unanimously warned me of them and said to steer clear. They basically said they have all kinds of problems, & I am waiting to hear back as to what types of problems. Another guy commented that he loves his, and its never given him a single problem. The former mentioned people mostly drive really nasty articulating buggies and truggies..... The guy who liked it, he drives and essayist 2nd Gen 4runner that's pretty beefy, but obviously not the level of a truggy or buggy.

I hate these back and forth type things. I know they have a good reputation and people all over Australia and South Africa and South America swear by them. But I do read of quite a few problems as well. What I have currently is working, but its starting to make me feel that the thing is going to just come apart any day. This is not the normal once in awhile it pops type of thing. This is at least 10 to 20 times in a few miles and almost every time I stop and then take off from a light, whether I'm turning or not. In fact, it's more so when I come out of a turn. It does the same thing on the trail. The weird thing is that my front Spartan locker, the same model number, which was set up with the new gear set for Yotamasters, it's perfectly fine and doesn't seem to ever do that when I'm on the trail. Obviously the rear locker takes a lot more abuse, especially on the street. This is why I was considering at least a selectable.

I'm also waiting to hear back from Eric/Yotamasters, so that I can figure out what to look for if I pull it myself. I have around 6 differentials that I can run while I drop that one off to him, and basically let a pro set it up over again using a new pin kit or something like that.... Or I may attack it myself, depending on if I have time.

I know Jonny and a few others have the very coveted e-lockers, and they love them. I just find the way they twist the front end up a little unnerving, considering I rock crawl at some pretty extreme angles and so forth. I suppose any selectable could do that. Where the problem is and the e-locker diff is a bit more work and cost and that diff is then an e-locker diff for life at that point. However, I do appreciate the fact that if it becomes frozen engaged, the e-locker pin is very simply depressed, and then your back to limited for the ride home. This is why I love the Spartans, they're very simple and super durable.

Is it possible that my rear axles are worn to the point that they are not staying engaged and that is why I am getting quite a bit of more than normal popping and even wrap when it pops while I'm rolling down the road in first or 2nd and sometimes even third gear?

 

Anything will break with enough abuse. Our rigs are not truggies, buggies or running 40's. ARB lockers will be going in my next build with confidence.

My Spartan is noisy, chews tires and can put me into bad spots on off camber traversing and snow conditions.

 

Never owned an ARB, but I understand that most the issue with ARB is installation(the air line), but again I have no first hand experience. I have read if the air line is messed up it will blow oil out the axle seals...
Also, elockers don't need a compressor to run and stay locked.

I fitted elockers front and rear of my truck. they are simple to operate and use, very little mechanical not to mention you can manual lock and unlock them after you remove 3 nuts. OR change the actuator out to cable or air.

If ARB was cheap or trade when i got my elockers, I'd probably take the ARB.

 

Thanks Andrew, RBX,... Very grateful as usual for your input.

This write up is one of the best I've ever read. It only took me about 10 minutes, and it didn't really throw me into a decision, but it definitely made me realize that what I have is working... Its annoying as hell, but I think it can be fine tuned to some degree. I'm going to find out, but until then I thought I should share this article....

http://www.stu-offroad.com/misc/locker-1.htm

 

Mark who did the Install of your rear locker? I know there is a inner bushing or something that is supposed to get taken out and if it doesnt you can damage stuff.

It sounds like something is wrong to me. Ive been driving with my Detroit locker for 10 years and I will sometimes get a big pop or clunk while going straight but not very often. And when it does it its one clunk. I think i mentioned that on IG.

While turning I get a nice click click click with some speed and sweeping turn. With 90 degree turns while im off the gas I get a nice Clunk clunk that i can feel. The locker is smoother while on the power.

Ive actually been driving through the canyon the past week to work, probably wearing down my tires a little... haha

Anyways, Here is a link to the Eaton Detroit locker which I have. I wonder if there is a Design difference with the Spartan? Ill post up the spartan when i find it.

http://www.eaton.com/ecm/groups/publ.../ct_128312.pdf

 

I know your just thinking Spartan vs ARB but I got interested in the inner workings....So after a little research... I like the design of the Detroit locker better than the spartan locker. I dunno it just makes more sense to me... Im sure arguments can be made for both.

http://www.ringpinion.com/b2c/SpartanLocker.aspx

Detroit here..
This is just kinda cool to look at. Detroit lockers....

Spartan install
ARB,
ARB, kinda cool how it works.
E locker
Can you tell I was bored? lol.... Help this helps..

 

The Spartan is noisy. I think its common.

 

Yeah I can tell you are bored, but I still appreciate it! Lol. Thanks for sharing all that brother. So, after talking with Eric/Yotamasters, turns out that most of what I found in my research pretty much lined up with what he said, which is the fact that Spartan, when recommending certain specs and measurements of free play, say that if it is beyond the allowed to play, they strongly encourage people to replace the carrier, because 99 percent of the time it is simply worn down to the point where it cannot be adjusted or anything of the sort to work without a lot of unwanted action and to much wrap and so forth... He, or at least Jay King, a.very respected dude in the industry, did my gears. I'm not sure if that would be something he would notice, but I figure they would have checked the freeplay. He also said that he has changed his tune on ARB lockers. The crawler has detroits all day long, but his other truck, which he also wheels on longer trips and so forth with the family, he got so tired of all the clunking and poppin and wearing out tires, he took a beat up diff with an ARB the customer left behind and clean it up and did a proper install and he hasn't had a single problem with it and three years.... And he drives the crap out of that thing! The only thing, which is obvious after even a little research, that Eric and most of the others out ...

"If something does go wrong, and you don't have every spare part you need, it is pretty screwed to be in certain situations with no locker.... Even with proper copper lines and steel braided out and everything tucked nicely, something can still go wrong and you would be without a locker. Secondly, if your compressor goes bad, you are again without a locker. Having an extra compressor on top of the extra solenoid and seals is not a bad idea... Still, I am pretty confident in mine, since I wheel the crap out of this thing and it's never failed me once. Then again, it was done very cleanly and to every spec to the T. And holy crap is it nice going around the turn with plenty of speed and not worrying about the locker on the street!"

Most of the guys that don't hate on the ARB pretty much unanimously say you can 99 percent of the time point at installer error when it comes to COMMON problems with these. And, they find it to be very rare that there are problems when the diff is ordered directly from ARB completely assembled.

I know, but it's 10 times more frequent than when I first started with it on 35's (it went in a 4.30 stock diff from Yotarob2005... Great dude, and I'm not sure, but I'm pretty positive I remember him saying it was very rare for him. I ran it in my ayyyyFS on 32's with those gears for a couple years of not very many miles. After the SAS, it was the same diff but with a whole new gear set an install kit. 488. They never had to touch the locker because it doesn't have to move in order to install a new ring and pinion.)

 

A friend of mine that knows far more about lockers then I do has convinced me that for a daily driver the Toyota E-locker is about the only way to go. Mine in stock form does great for what I need. My 3rd gen I could of used it twice. Both times was puling my 86 on a trailer and once when I got the 86 stuck on a trail ride.grrr I want one but will just wait for the factory one to come along myself.

 

Why were you 4.88s with the 35s? I thought typically it's common to do 5.29s with 35s.

 

Lunchbox locker like My Aussie or a Lock Right...mine is pretty noisy too.
Unloads at weird times..but it was cheap so i deal with it.

Mark if you can afford it I would go with selectable, ARB would be my first choice, the E Locker.
dunno of Eaton makes one for toyota
http://www.eaton.com/Eaton/ProductsS...als/PCT_339903

too bad Ox Locker doesn't offer one of their cable lockers for toyota

 

arb best one

i wish i could get a posi for the rear of mine as im not a hard core off roader but do run into situations where grip is important