JonnyBoy

Well, since Moze is talking all kinds of crap(ok, so it was 1 line in his build thread, whatever), about how he's the only one of his wheeling cronies to do anything major to their rig, I figured I better put up a build thread.

So I'll briefly catch y'all up to where I'm at now, and then probably won't update this thing until next year or so, when I remember this thread as I do an oil change and think, "Huh, all I've done since I started that thread was change the oil..."

Bought the rig in 2007, promptly had to refer to this wonderful community to learn the tricks and tips to head gasket replacement, since during a tune-up one of the spark plugs broke off flush with the head.

Then was brakes, wheel bearings, some OME shocks, a new radiator, a new O2 sensor, got some 31" Pro Comp AT's on black steelies, removed some of the rear bumper, put on Aisin hubs, hit a deer, removed some of the front bumper, removed the rest of the rear bumper, a scratch or 2 and a dent...all in 2 years. Really moved fast on this one, huh?

No real specific dates on any of that stuff, probably not even in the right order, but here's about the earliest pic I have of it


Then on my first trip to Brown's camp with it


During my first trip to where I work now, in Ca



When I got back to Oregon to spend the winter laid off, blew a head gasket, so this naturally came next


And while it was down for repairs, I put in the OME900's I'd bought earlier. Before and after



3.0 out


3.4 in


Swap done, back in Ca for work, flex testing with the OME's, no bj spacers installed yet.



A trip back to OR for a family death, went to Brown's camp for therapy or something.


Pretty sure this is Tofer running...



I decided I didn't like how much the engine was able to move around with the stock motor mounts, so Trail-Gear bomb proofs it was


Luckily they didn't fit without me grinding on the block brackets, and it was a nice cool day in Ridgecrest when I decided to do it


Then I got my hands on this


But then I picked this up, so didn't need the axle, really


Got impatient with working on the '83, so I put it's shoes(33x10.5's) on the Runner


And my good luck hula girl that fell off a few months later cause the heat was too much for the glue


Up to Brown's again for a black friday trail run




Sometime I did some flex testing with the KM2's. The bj spacers are installed by this pic, too. I put them on before I put the 33's on.


Got a Marlin front bumper and ran around with it unpainted for awhile like an idiot. Lucky it's really dry out here


Got ahold of an E locker awhile ago, installed it after a transfer case swap didn't cure my vibration/wobble(which I found out is a couple of out of round 33x10.5 BFG AT's)


Promptly thought I was the stuff now that I had a locker, and got stuck because I didn't have my front driveline reinstalled since the t-case swap


So that's about where it sits now, the bumper's painted, the E locker not unlocking is sorted out, and now it won't lock cause the switch burnt up or something. I dunno, I basically just keep this one road worthy as my daily driver now that I've got the '83 for a trail rig. Hope y'all like it, post whatever comments, criticism, or ideas you got for me!

JonnyBoy

Guess I lied about not updating this thing for a year...

my starter was just clicking this morning when I tried to start it to go to the store, so I pulled the starter and rebuilt it. Man was it cold with the wind blowing, wish I coulda gotten it started and to the store, then rebuilt the starter.

badcompany

nice build

john4wd

Very awesome, great build, I like everything especially the 3.4 swap and the engine mounts upgrade :} You get the e-locker all figured out and working right?


.

creswellhick

sweet 83 always nice to see someone from oregon

JonnyBoy

badcompany, thanks man.

John, those motor mounts were a serious pain to install, but yeah, they do what they're s'posed to. Very little engine movement now. They've probably refined them to fit better now, got a set for the '83 and they went in perfectly. Haven't done anything with the e-locker yet, I'm fairly certain the switch is bad cause I've confirmed power to it with a test light, but get no power on the opposite terminal when it's switched around either way. It's a "DPDT" switch, what came with the kit from 12voltguy.com, and I have no idea what exact one to get to replace it, and I just haven't called him up to get a replacement yet. It's been so long since I've even put this thing in 4wd, the e-locker is kind of wasted in this thing, anyway. Probably should have put it in the front of the '83, really.

Hick, it is nice to see other people from Oregon on here. I've been through your neck of the woods a few times, pretty nice for the Valley and all. More of a mountain/high desert person myself, though.

I see someone added a bunch of tags to the thread, however that works, and it reminded me I don't have the OME 900's on the Runner anymore. Went back to stock with the Daystar 1 1/4" poly spacers cause the front end seemed to sag so I had to have about 800 pounds of stuff in the back for it to sit level. I like this setup alot now, actually, but I'm keeping the OME's to put back in if I ever get a long travel setup in the front like I want.

I also had to get new torsion bolts when I was trying to level out the front to match the rear. Even in the super dry desert the torsion bolts can become stressed enough to simply shear if you turn them hard enough.

JonnyBoy

Let me start by saying that 12voltguy is awesome. I called him up to see about purchasing a new switch from him, or at least the specs so I could buy it myself from Radio Shack or someone of the like. He sent me a new one that week for free!

Changed out the switch, but no dice, still wouldn't do anything. Probably wasn;t the switch, but I guess now I have an extra. Started researching and came across this thread:
http://www.pirate4x4.com/forum/showthread.php?t=698966
So I pulled the plate with the spring off the motor and wiped the dried grease off the electrical contacts, dabbed a little new grease on the screw and gear mechanism thingies, put it back together.
It's never locked or unlocked better in the time I've had it installed.

As for the build's direction, it's still headed the same way but maybe a little faster. I'm moving across the country if I get the job I've just applied for, so I'm planning to reduce my fleet by 1 '83 shortbed. I even got permission to use the money from the sale to get stuff for the Runner! I'll reveal the next major step when I have the parts in hand.

Thanks for looking!

Red Wagon

Nice truck.

AssYriaNrocKer

Did you notice more engine vibration after installing the the motor mounts? I need new motor mounts and can't decide between stock or after market polyurethane. I just don't want the mounts to be so stiff that you feel the vibration in the cab.

Nice build .... I vote dechrome!

-RONI-

JonnyBoy

Rocker, you said you wanted to see more on my page, so I'll answer your question here. As vibrations go, the 3.4 is a VERY smooth running engine, so the increased vibrations I felt were more like heard. I have an open element filter sort of like a cold air intake, and it makes more noise than the stock setup. The motor mounts very slightly increased the sound/vibration in the cab. I definitely felt more of a difference in vibrations by installing poly body bushings. Again, 3.4 is very smooth running.
Same motor mounts on my '83 22r, with addition of TG's Bomb-Proof transfer case mount too, increased the vibrations in the cab ALOT. It's an entirely different beast, though, with a rougher idle, flimsier cab, firmer transfer mount, and, until recently, a bad u-joint or imbalance in the rear driveshaft.
All in all, if your RE runs as smoothly as it sounds, I'd suggest the TG or Bluey-Fab motor mounts.

As for the dechrome, I just may have found some of the parts. May be able to just paint the rest after sanding them a bit. Got some other stuff, too:
'83 front axle, 2 '83 rear axles, Downey lift springs for the '83, rear driveshaft for the '83, 2 front driveshafts for the '83, and an '83 radiator with a shroud on it...all for a $100 donation to a local volunteer fire department that's going to cut apart an '86 and an '89 pickups for extrication practice. So, think of any bits you might be able to use, and I'll try to get them next time I'm up there!

AssYriaNrocKer

Thanks johny. Ill prob. Go with the poly motor mounts....not sure about transfer though.(depends on how the motor mounts feel)....the Dechrome will look great!

-RONI-

Red Wagon

I cut the corners off my front bumper skirt to stop them rubbing my 35"s. How did you remove yours? I have not completely pulled mine off to look yet and am flying back to work and can't for a couple weeks.

Did you have to cut it off or are their nuts to undo?

JonnyBoy

It may be different for you since yours is a couple years newer, but mine had maybe 5 10mm head bolts holding it on. You've said yours is plastic though, right? Mine was metal, but I should think yours would be bolted on too.

Red Wagon

The upper is metal with a lower plastic skirt. I saw the black on yours in early photos.

JonnyBoy

Yeah, I rather liked the way it looked, but the deer I hit at 45 mph disagreed, so mine had to be removed. Bolted or clipped, it's a separate piece and should be easy for you to remove.

Red Wagon

˟˟˟˟ty deal. After trimming I'll leave it until I get a tube bumper. I might start cutting sheet metal next.

toastyjosh

iTrader: (1)

Hey Johnny,

Nice rigs!! Really like that 83, runner is super sweet also.
You work with timmy? If you do say hi from Josh from vernal HT.
Thanks!

JonnyBoy

HAHA, that's awesome, yes I do work with Timmy. Just told him.
Very random, I must say, first time someone on here has known who I work with and where I work.

toastyjosh

iTrader: (1)

Nice dude!! Yea I am down in R3 now I am the lead on Santa fe HT. Small world!!

JonnyBoy

Not much of a build update, but pretty cool I thought. Couldn't pull over at exactly 250,000, but with the 33's and stock gearing for the last couple years, 250k isn't really 250k anyhow...