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If it was towards me, my response is everybody is a critic. I have had comments all over the spectrum, opinions very!
If you guys have heckling type comments put your money where your mouth is and back it up. Try to be specific, detail where you saw the item in question, say something like "go to build thread such and such, look a post #xx, then look at the third picture down" that way we all know what you are referring to. It also gives someone a chance to explain or defend.
Its all relative, I take criticism from those with credentials. For example my neighbor was a welding inspector for the Navy, every so often he comes by when I am working to hang out. He always has positive comments about my welds. A pretty weld doesn't always mean a strong weld.
Like I mentioned before, if you go around and inspect the welds of your Toyota (late 80s early 90s) the welds from the factory are scary! There are examples all over the truck with porosity bubbles, slag, shallow penetration, even welds missing the joint completely. Some welds look more like torch cuts and less like welds. The early days of robotic welding!
As far as someone who buys one of my weld up kits, I encourage them to build more! The first set or set(s) is a learning curve to figure it out and understand the process. After that it becomes easier and faster. Use my fixture/jig kit to locate the cuts and pre-stress to compensate the warp to achieve the desired geometry. The fixture/jig kit has a deposit I will refund if you send it back. If you decide to keep great! As of yet no one has sent one back, so who knows what is going on? Perhaps shipping cost makes it a disposable product?
My hope is that if someone is building multiple kits, they are ordering a recharge pack of laser cut plates and such from me. This would represent a royalty to keep Blazeland alive. If someone is not using a recharge pack they should send me a donation per unit built as a courtesy. Keep me in the loop of what you are doing! Of course there are going to be Richard Cranium types who have no morals or respect who pirate my design and process. Bad Karma beget those individuals.
If I see bad welding I usually try helping if they can take help. That's why I was very careful in what in what I said to you Nate. Your welding is great, but I always do my own. Weird but I don't take anything personally just made me curious.
I take it personally! Especially if its a set of control arms for public consumption. If a minion at ELC did the welding and made a mistake someone should catch it. The supervisor is supposed to be inspecting for this. If he missed it, maybe I missed it too? I want to know about quality control issues if they come up.
I feel like I am perpetuating a highjack to this thread. Sorry guys, lets move on!
This is a set I built from a standard truck and 4Runner assembly. I cut and lengthened. For the sleeves I started with a section of 1-1/2" DOM with a 1/4" wall thickness. I turned the I.D. to pres fit the cut axles. I then plug and perimeter welded the sleeves to the axles.
Here are the donor parts from the truck and 4Runner loose. Below that is a pair of new center bar axle shafts I had machined. A stock unit is shown at the bottom for a reference for the length increase.
Here is a mock up built from thin wall I purposefully twisted up after they served their purpose.
Here is a set of Downey high angle slip yoke axles.
And here is a standard truck/4Runner 1986-1995, a T-100 CV, and a PVC sprinkler pipe mock up used to develop lengths for the CMdiff I built.
When I do my CMD do you think the sleeved ones would hold up to the 1UZ and the 35" tires I have? I am a careful driver and at most the front will see a truetrac!
IDK, mine have held up so far! I am running 35s and 22RE motor. All the axle builder guys say it wont last. I had a friend with a 1500 Chevy desert truck, 350cid and 35s who built "sleeved axles" and they held up for years. He beat on this truck too! Try it is all I can say. If it breaks its not going to make your truck explode or make the wheels fall off.
For the sake of clarity, which poster are you referring to?
Originally Posted by wyoming9
Yes I would also like to know who that comment was directed to
Originally Posted by 87-SR5
I wonder who he is talking to?
Originally Posted by BlazeN8
If it was towards me, my response is everybody is a critic. I have had comments all over the spectrum, opinions very!
If you guys have heckling type comments put your money where your mouth is and back it up. Try to be specific, detail where you saw the item in question, say something like "go to build thread such and such, look a post #xx, then look at the third picture down" that way we all know what you are referring to. It also gives someone a chance to explain or defend.
Its all relative, I take criticism from those with credentials. For example my neighbor was a welding inspector for the Navy, every so often he comes by when I am working to hang out. He always has positive comments about my welds. A pretty weld doesn't always mean a strong weld.
Like I mentioned before, if you go around and inspect the welds of your Toyota (late 80s early 90s) the welds from the factory are scary! There are examples all over the truck with porosity bubbles, slag, shallow penetration, even welds missing the joint completely. Some welds look more like torch cuts and less like welds. The early days of robotic welding!
As far as someone who buys one of my weld up kits, I encourage them to build more! The first set or set(s) is a learning curve to figure it out and understand the process. After that it becomes easier and faster. Use my fixture/jig kit to locate the cuts and pre-stress to compensate the warp to achieve the desired geometry. The fixture/jig kit has a deposit I will refund if you send it back. If you decide to keep great! As of yet no one has sent one back, so who knows what is going on? Perhaps shipping cost makes it a disposable product?
My hope is that if someone is building multiple kits, they are ordering a recharge pack of laser cut plates and such from me. This would represent a royalty to keep Blazeland alive. If someone is not using a recharge pack they should send me a donation per unit built as a courtesy. Keep me in the loop of what you are doing! Of course there are going to be Richard Cranium types who have no morals or respect who pirate my design and process. Bad Karma beget those individuals.
I was referring to the OP. I looked at his build thread and his welding scared the piss outta me (that others on the road would drive around endangering us).
Right on thanks! My sleeved CV Axle center bars are still holding up in the 4 Runner. In fact I felt confident enough in their strength that I sleeved another pair and installed them in my 1986 xtra cab truck. This truck has the 5.0 Ford V8 Motor and the sleeved axles are holding up here too! No rock crawling, just pre-running and dunes.
First post here. some food for thought.
I used a 930 cv for the inner joint will usually get 28-29 degrees of articulation over the lower 23-25 degrees of the stock T100 axles. I guess this isn't really all that necessary if you're keeping the upper control arm with a ball joint. It has lasted and extremely long time on my 92'.
pics for refrence:
just under ~14.75" I could cycle a little over 15.5" but I would rather not max out the uniball and CVs. this is what happens when you forget to add stretch into the limit straps and it cycles too far.
interested in your setup, plan to LT my truck when i can.
details on the 930 cv joint please, and the front kit your running.
those are better numbers than chaos or blazeland.
is it the cv joints and/or the front kit that gives the extra travel?
The 930 CV comes from the Porche world and has been used in desert racing for a long time. Pretty readily available to the average consumer you can even upgrade the cages inside to a polished and relieved style to add longevity. The travel kit I have is only spec'd out to be 13" of travel and without the axles it will cycle more than 15". The axles were definitely holdingthe front end back so, i went this route. Did I spend too mich money? Yeah, probably lol. About $100 each cv and I had adaptor plates machined as well. I can't remember the price on that though.
Yes I would also like to know who that comment was directed to
Jun 9, 2014 | 10:08 AM
