Just found the build; nice work so far! Finding electrical bugs is always fun... you are by far not alone in that boat. I like how you kept the melted tailgate trim piece... I would have done the same thing.
Do you have any plans for a solid axle swap or are you going to run the IFS?

>>Dan

 

Dan, I'm wondering the same thing! I was leaning toward a blazeland IFS kit, but then, I don't plan on jumping the truck any, and straight axles are time-tested. I'll probably SAS eventually. If I can get it done on the cheap, it might even happen this winter. We shall see. That is a big question in my mind right now, as well.

Thanks to everyone else for the positive feedback and website referral(?).

 

BLAZELAND!

you dont have to jump your truck to enjoy the benefits! give it a try before you shun it... or at least check out BlazeN8's build thread on here... someone just posted some AWESOME flex videos...

 

Yeah, I did some research on those videos. They are amazing. However, that isn't just a stock Blazeland kit. The truck in question also has a bracket lift, and custom slip-joint axles, with a custom coil-over kit. He only has 3,000 miles on it, at this point.

Too much trouble and too many unknowns compared to a tried and true SAS. I'm still considering it, and I haven't put a dime on either, yet, so we shall see.

 

http://www.blazeland.us/Page_2.php

Rubicon Tried and Tested...

 

Yeah, I don't doubt that Blazeland is good stuff, and I certainly don't want this to turn into an "IFS vs SAS" thread.

There are Jeeps that are Rubicon-tested... but for other reasons I chose not to buy a Jeep. It just wasn't for me. Whatever I decide will be a reflection of the abilities of one system, and not necessarily the detriments of the other. I would love to see a Blazeland kit in action (in person), so perhaps Malteserunner needs to get moving on his conversion . Who knows, after that, I might be pushing for IFS again.

 

Yeah, yeah....

Hopefully I'll get the frame sorted out this coming week. I guess we shall see.

 

OMG! I lurked this thread months ago... never thought you would get it this far this fast.
When I first saw the pics I had that "if that happened to mine" feeling and I hope you dont mind but I saved a couple pics that you posted for my desktop kinda random I know but I loved the melted Toyota on the tailgate. But the rig looks amazing now and I love that flat tan color. Awesome to see a truck go from burnt to wheeling again.

 

lol... i was just stirring the pot...

ive driven both IFS and SA, but i feel they have their respective places... and i wasnt trying to start a "discussion" lol...

anyways, got any more pics of the dual case setup?

 

No worries. I was just trying to prevent the thread from going down that road.

I did a 4.7 gear in a single case, but with a twin-stick on top of it. I didn't take too many photos of the conversion, because I didn't want to get my phone greasy! I can shoot a pic of the twin sticks, if you want.

 

did someone say

pics???

 

Yeah, there are pics. I'm not posting them yet. I have to get up to go to work in 3 1/2 hours.

Dbcfr and I just finished installing my Aussie locker in the rear diff. If all installs went this smoothly, I would probably be riding a horse. It wasn't Aussie's fault at all. It was the 26 year old diff's fault. Everything was pretty loose and worn out, and the pinion crush tube thing had worn down to where there was a LOT of drag on it. We ended up spending an hour and a half on that before we even got to the Aussie. Luckily, we found enough parts to get everything back together and on the road.

The Aussie is in. I can feel it, but I've only driven about a half mile in it, on pavement. Hopefully, this run on Saturday will give it a bit of a workout.

My master cylinder is about gone. Brakes now work at about 50% the first press, then 100% the second, every time. It could be time for a 1" MC upgrade, coupled with a LSPV replacement or temporary static adjustment modification.

I had good intentions of actually documenting the Aussie install, but as it turns out, I just get too much grease on my hands to feel good touching a phone or a camera.








That was as far as I got. By the way, in case anyone was wondering, the differential housing is harder than my head. The second (of three) times that I hit it, I actually started leaking a little bit. Oh well. What is a project without blood, anyway?


By the way, thanks for the feedback 89 Frunner. You can snag whatever photos you like.

Bed. MC

 

sounds like your rig is coming along well. imo, i would upgrade to the 1" cylinder. my master is fine, but i would like to go with rear discs later down the road. so i'll probably be swapping it out sometime in the winter/spring

 

hey, what's up with the front bumper?
I'm waiting for ideas..........

 

The front bumper will have to wait until the rear swing out is done, at least. It is on the list, but isn't critical at this point. My concept is still very similar to the photos that I posted with the design.

There are a number of smaller projects that need to be addressed before I launch the front bumper. For instance, now that I have better mirrors, I need better backup lights. I also need to finish wiring the Taurus fan thermostat, run the temp gauge line through the firewall instead of through the door and under the windshield wipers, fix the bad connection in one headlight, make door-swing limiting straps, make four straps with snaps that I can use to retain the rolled up canvas canopy, acquire and mount Chevy rear leafs.... etc.

But yeah, someday I will build my front bumper.

 

 

I can empathize with that...I changed out my rear diff seal by myself one week (taking a few days after work to do it while my wife was gone on a business trip). That sucker is HEAVY!!

Laying on your back, using a floor jack, and trying to lift the third member back onto the axle all by yourself is a real PITA. I did a write up on it with lots of photos - it's in my sig.

Really digging the build, mountain cop!

 

And I'm eagerly awaiting the swing out bumper pics

 

x2 on that

 

Subscribed