**PRIVATE PROPERTY DISCLAIMER FOR ALL PHOTOS**


I've been dreaming up a truggy design since i bought this truck almost 6 years ago and finally had the funds, experience and tools to make a dream become reality this past year. So starting somewhere around January of 2010 I started hammering down on a truggy design... researching what i wanted, how to do it and creating dozens of extensive full featured designs until finally settling with one that satisified all my requirements.

I had some radical ideas for this build that I envisioned myself and later did research to see if someone else had done it (closest in suspension are F-toys)... and only found out no one else had actually done it (or at least published their results on the web) and only found about a million web wheelers with their genius un backed (no real experience) opinions negating my ideas... so I decided to avoid a build thread and just entirely avoid what I'd later find out to be alot of unfounded criticism.

I know we're a community of picture whores so I'll leave the drab never read text here and post some pictures and keep my commentary brief and just start the story from the beginning.

Stock pile of crap on a bent frame no exhaust crappy tires pile of dog crap



It had a bent frame so I decided to frame swap it. Find the whole thread on it here:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...arning-122175/



Before the swap I had already junked the rear drums for a disc conversion. Thread here:

https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116.../#post50586263

I had TONS of fun when it was still IFS... I mean tons, I beat the hell out of this truck and put it through everything it could possibly do.



some might recognize this picture from the YT forum banner







years later I SAS'd it.

Trail Gear 3" IFS eliminator Kit.

Heres the first rollout picture, 2" body lift, 3" TG kit, no rear mods done yet on brand new 33 KM2's



2" blocks in back and custom packs on 33's



skipping ahead... 5.29 gears... Aussie Rear locker.. Detroit Truetrac in the front axle (5.29 obviously as well) and 37x12.5R15 brand new Goodyear Wrangler MT/R's x5 (spare)





later I added a custom rear bumper... and TG sliders

thread here: https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...-heavy-193768/

....

 

Ok onto the Truggy

before picture





Ok so a little heads up on what the design consists of. First off I wanted to inboard the leaf springs. This means you mount the leaf springs closer together than what is stock. in a Formula Toyota Rock Crawler this means you mount the rear springs as close together as the front springs... i believe centered is 29"? ... dont quote me on that. Thats part of the F-toy rules... rear spring spacing. When you bring the springs together you gain articulation. It's fairly simple geometry in reality. The draw backs of bringing the spring packs closer is loss of stability ( in most peoples arguments )

The truth is.... This is a load of web heebish.... and this whole thread is about to be the first (of my knowledge) proof of this.

Under my circumstances.. inboarding the springs to almost the dimensions of a sas'd toyota front setup... is infact not detrimental to ON ROAD .. or OFF ROAD stability.

That aside I'll share some build photos:

new frame rail render

 

skipping 6 months of designs and plans... ill go right into the near final renders






I'll update with build pics tomorrow... this took longer than i expected to put together. The truck is done and i took it to elbe for its first run and it did great. I'll have pics of that tomorrow but im to tired to cut them down and upload more tonight.

stay tuned

 

Looks like an awesome project, can't wait to see the rest.

 

hooray for sketchup!

sub'd. this is gonna be sweet...

 

Ok, some more...

draft of the new chassis



beginning fabrication



The whole plan was to chop the frame directly behind the cab, build a whole new rear clip that is narrower (inbaorded leafs) and attach it to the front clip. It would slip inbetween the existing frame rails.

last wheeling trip before the overhaul smashed my door nicely doh!



little more progress





Putting the Tube bender to its first use



Tool box rails

 

good idea with the inboarding.
alotta people don't realise that when you make your frame narrower, your flex goes up. alot.
main issue is shock mounting though..
when i'm gonna do my heep shocks, its gonna be a pain.. at 29", the spring width is pretty narrow.

 

One thing I wanted to do differently with the rear was have removeable shackles ... finding these mounts was kind of a pain, i ordered them from rockstomper.com since finding something like this locally was apparently impossible. Already used em at elbe! haha





Used creeper joints for the rear shackle hangars



Also got a TK1 Racing offroad sway bar (identical to Currie bar) in anticipation of increased on-road body roll and off camber instability that might happen with inboarding the rears (come to find out i have a $300 sway bar and now no real intentions of installing because the truck handles amazing)



last picture of the rig before cutting 'er in half

 

almost ready to be installed



starting the tear down, bumper cut off



tore down ready to be cut



frame cut and first night mockup with the new rear clip (nothings attached yet and thats not me, buddy workn hard with that beer lol)



welding it on




attached



Darn im out of time gotta go to work, I'll try and get some more pics up tomorrow if i have time ... i havent had a break in over a month I need a vacation.

 

scribed. Love the wood on the bed.

 

Very nice project!!

 

dagnabit. i can't see the pics at school. i'll let you know how good they look later

 

subscribed. I like the subtle use of wood in the bed section.

Is it me or is he teasing us little by little? lol.

 

subscribe!!! looks sweet man keep up the good work!!

 

What wood are you guys talking about? I looked twice & I don't see any wood?

 

look at the pics referencing the tube bending.

 

hehe I told ya it was subtle.



Also has it in his cad drawing.

 

OK fine, I give myself a :picard:

 

it's to you. haha

 

Sweet build! Subscribed. Cant wait to see where this goes.