I have a pair of caps that were designed to cover the birfields. I was only planning to install them if I were doing a water crossing. For dry rock crawling I plan to leave them off.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/127.jpg

Here is a similar cap on the front of my FJ80 Land Cruiser. The cruiser flange looks plenty strong but due to the cupped design it's not as easy to add extra dowels to this style drive flange. FJ80 flanges should fit the pickup/4Runner solid axle.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/128.jpg

love the drive flange idea, hate the cap thing or the end of the birf stickin out. It looks so 2WD'ish :laughing:

It would be awsome if you could make a cap for the end like the D60 guys have, with some type of emblem on it or just plain for that matter, something that will keep water out and keep the end of the birf from getting chewed.

some of us guys cant wheel without getting into water, lots of it.

Just an idea. :D

Some tin like dis.


http://www.pirate4x4.com/tech/billavista/PR-35Spline/DCP_6570.JPG

Today Andy repositioned the shackle mount in the frame. This was done to both increase shackle angle and to decrease lift a little bit. It also help rotate the front pinion up higher.

Using a hole saw to cut the new tube holes
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/129.jpg

New and old tubes in frame
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/130.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/131.jpg

Old tubes torched out
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/132.jpg

Hole that gets plugged
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/133.jpg

Plate inside of frame for extra strength
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/134.jpg

Shackle angle will increase even more when the all the weight is on the springs. We fully expect that the shackle will hit the frame on compression. After ramp testing, the frame will be notched and clearanced allowing the shackle to swing up into the frame about 1".

After ramp testing, the frame will be notched and clearanced allowing the shackle to swing up into the frame about 1".

did you drill the hole that high to keep the COG lower? instead of just doing it an inch lower and not have to worry about notching the frame?

did you drill the hole that high to keep the COG lower? instead of just doing it an inch lower and not have to worry about notching the frame?

Well if we were looking for easy, we could have left the shackle mount in the stock location, but where is the fun in that? We could have used shorter shackles, but we will get more spring travel using the longer shackles.

Andy loves to move shackle tubes around and at the shop we like to indulge creativity. So Andy gets to show off his fab skills! When he's done it will look like the factory put it there.

The result is we get to use a longer shackle, yet it's higher up in the frame. This also helps rotate the pinion up.


ReTodd is getting kinda cocky about his ramp score riding on Deavers, we are going to see what we can do about that :)

ReTodd is getting kinda cocky about his ramp score riding on Deavers, we are going to see what we can do about that :)

:laughing: Sounds like there is gonna be a contest :D

The result is we get to use a longer shackle, yet it's higher up in the frame. This also helps rotate the pinion up

ah yes, i have ran into the same thing. i need to change my springs any ways since my shackle hole is in the wrong place. so i might copy what you did here. :D

todd is cocky about everything. he probably thinks his new trailer will out wheel my f-toy :flipoff2:

Today Andy built a fancy set of motor mounts for the relocated power plant. These burly mounts are so massive I think we can use them as tow hook points for recovery!

The motor was moved back 4.5" and down 1".

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/136.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/137.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/138.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/139.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/140.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/141.jpg

While Andy was working on the motor mounts, I spent a few minutes tucking in the alternator. We are running the steering box on the inside of the frame rail. This means that the steering shaft will be much closer to the engine. To make more room for the shaft, the alternator needs to be moved over. Using a grinder the bracket was modified to allow the alternator to rotate close to the block. A shorter belt was sourced and fitted. The power steering pump mount was removed. Tomorrow the Chevy power steering pump will be installed on the right side (passenger) of the motor where the air conditioning would normally be.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/142.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/143.jpg

Using section of 5/8" thick plate steel material, Andy cut out a heavy duty pitman arm for the Saginaw steering box. A stock Chevy pitman arm was cut out and used as a splined insert for the arm. On the other end a tapered insert is welded in place to provided the needed taper for the FJ80 rod ends.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/144.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/145.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/146.jpg

looking good!

Nice work!

Nice work. Your inspiring me to get mine moving a little faster. :D

nice approace angle!!!

Those Mounts Are The Chit!

moose, you were up surfing really late or really early one......jeez

On My Bike To Leave For Work By 4:30am

Isn't that new pitman arm rather long? I seem to recall that a normal saginaw needs about a 6.5" arm for full travel on a Toy axle with the common steering arms...?

-Wayne

todd is cocky about everything. he probably thinks his new trailer will out wheel my f-toy :flipoff2:Now that you mention it, how much wheeling has your FToy actually done :flipoff2: :flipoff2:

now now boys save it for calrocs

now now boys save it for calrocs

And the first smack down has been issued. Can't wait till April.

See you there Robert

d

And the first smack down has been issued. Can't wait till April.



That's OK. We're gonna kick everyone's asses :flipoff2:


That is, if we're ever done building it...

Isn't that new pitman arm rather long? I seem to recall that a normal saginaw needs about a 6.5" arm for full travel on a Toy axle with the common steering arms...?

-Wayne


The pitman arm is 6.5" center of hole to center of hole.

The pitman arm is 6.5" center of hole to center of hole.


OK.. It just looks a lot longer in the photo.

Keep up the great documentation. Your build threads are always great reading.

-Wayne

It's looking real good Chris. Are you planning on bringing it to TDS for a shake down trial ??? :flipoff2:

Now that you mention it, how much wheeling has your FToy actually done :flipoff2: :flipoff2:
:laughing:

It's looking real good Chris. Are you planning on bringing it to TDS for a shake down trial ??? :flipoff2:

We will be at TDS but I don't think we will be bringing the FT. It's coming along well but we have lots more to do. I think we are about 1/2 way in terms of time. We will have lots of detail work like floor, peddles, seats, steering, ect yet to go.

We have the 15X8's for $257 and the 15X10's for $267 per wheel. Price includes wide polished rings and hardware (as shown in photo).



do these come in a 17'' variety?

do these come in a 17'' variety?

Yes they do, $340 per wheel in the 17" size.

Hey Chris. Do you know if the elocking pinion is a larger dia than the non elocking pinion. From an earlier post you say the elock is 30 spline wher the non lock is 27 does this mean the elocking pinion is larger diameter?
Thanks.

On this project we have and will do some different and creative things but I think this one is the most controversial of them all. The rules state that the radiator must be in front of the motor. The rules do not say how large the radiator needs to be. We don't want the top of the radiator above the front cage tube going around the engine. We also don't want it go below the frame or we will have interference with the pitman arm. Mounting our steering box inside the frame rail further reduces the space we have available for the radiator. We had originally planned to have a custom radiator made to fit the tight space but looking through a Modine catalog we found a good fit. This is a 3 row upgrade from a factory 2 core radiator for a Suzuki Samurai. Sitting next to the stock Toyota radiator on the right, it looks more like a heater core! Dean placed a call to a good friend that works at a radiator shop and he explained what we were planning to do. He gave us an interesting formula. He said that a typical 3 row radiator will cool an engine equivalent to the surface area of the core. This radiator has a surface area of 13" X 13" or 169 square inches. Using this formula, this radiator will provide cooling for up a maximum engine size of 169 cubic inches (normally aspirated). Our stock 22re is 147 cubic inches. If we were planning to hook a trailer up to this truck and drive it full throttle up the grapevine on a hot day, I think we would see some serious overheating. However in this application we have a well ventilated engine bay and won't be using full throttle for more than a few minutes at a time so I believe with the help of a 12+" electric fan we will have sufficient cooling. This new 3 row unit cost just $109. We also like that it has an auto tranny cooler on the bottom that we can use to cool our power steering system with.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/modine.gif

Samurai radiator on the left and the Toyota radiator on the right.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/147.jpg

Test fitting in the chassis..
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/148.jpg

Hey Chris. Do you know if the elocking pinion is a larger dia than the non elocking pinion. From an earlier post you say the elock is 30 spline wher the non lock is 27 does this mean the elocking pinion is larger diameter?
Thanks.

Yes the electric locker pinion is larger and uses a larger pinion flange too.

Today we also ordered up our drive shafts from the leader in competition shafts: High Angle Drive Line! We wanted the best shafts we could get and nobody builds better shafts than Jess! We went for the BEEF and ordered the super heavy duty, .188 wall tubing. These heavy duty monsters simply won't dent or bend.

http://www.highangledriveline.com/HighAngle1.jpg

http://www.highangledriveline.com/

It'll be interesting to see how that rad works. That could be a good alternitive for buggy builders if it cools enough.

I gotta say it. That front end looks fugly. With all the great fab work I've seen come outta that shop and good lookin design, I would think you could do something that looks a little better. I mean, you did say Andy wants to show off a little, right?

I think it looks tight & clean plus he said test fit.To each his own.

Im A firm believer in the way it works over the way it looks.... who fawking cares how it looks anyway.....

I gotta say it. That front end looks fugly. With all the great fab work I've seen come outta that shop and good lookin design, I would think you could do something that looks a little better. I mean, you did say Andy wants to show off a little, right? :flipoff2:

Yeah i think it would look better if the uprights were angled out some, and also if the rad was centered. I realise the rad can't be perfectly centered because of the steering box tho. But as already said fuction over looks, and the rest looks sweet.

I gotta say it. That front end looks fugly. With all the great fab work I've seen come outta that shop and good lookin design, I would think you could do something that looks a little better. I mean, you did say Andy wants to show off a little, right?

I'd say at this point the front end lacks character. Right now the bars are just for function. The two front tubes are tacked in place on the bottom. The notched upper ends are not welded. This allows us to remove the chassis off the frame. It is much easier to build the engine mounts with the chassis off the truck. I think we have moved the chassis on and off the frame about 10 times now. We are also still thinking about how high off the frame we will mount it. Now that the engine in fixed and the crossmember is just about done so we can start mounting the seats soon. Later we will also be adding a winch up front and we may do a small prerunner bar with lights.

I think it looks tight & clean plus he said test fit.To each his own.

Look close at the front and you can see the wires holding the rad in place :)

Just trying to fit parts and make sure there is room for all the important stuff.

you guys are thinking outside the box i like that . i'd bet if we lined up all the ftoys & oners we could all find things we like & don't like about each rig . look great chirs

With the rotated MC08 dual adapter the rear case is turned 10 degrees to the left to lift up the 4wd section of the transfer case. This rotates the rear case crossmember mount and requires a different approach to crossmember design. We wanted a flat bottom with a large, flat skid plate. Andy choose to build a small crossmember and then make a separate skid plate that attaches to both the crossmember and to the frame. Using sleeves, the skid plate will bolt to the frame at 6 points (3 on each side). Another option for those wanting to build their own crossmember is the Front Range off-road rear crossmember plate. They rotated plate that is specially designed for the rotated dual adapter.

Andy used our metal worker to form a plate that fits around the front crawl box like a diaper on a babies butt. Legs go from plate back down to the frame.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/149.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/151.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/150.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/152.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/153.jpg

Last week we picked up a used forklift to help us move inventory in and out of the shop. Before it's put to work, I just had to give the suspension a little twist. We still have a few hundred pounds of weight to add to the buggy but I was able to get 28" under the right rear tire. We should be able to get over 30" when done.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/154.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/155.jpg

Chris, is it the lack of weight that makes those springs not move much? Just wondering because I can get my tire about 40" off the ground with junkyard springs. Or is it that they havent been broken in yet?

Actually I am happy with the flex we have so far. The front shackles do hit the frame (as expected) and this limited the front flex. The frame in front will be notched so the shackles can swing up into the frame.

In the rear the shackle angle is too steep. We will be moving the hangers to the rear of the frame so the shackles to go completely flat.

At this point the buggy is still very light, we will still have lots of parts that need to be installed yet. Yes these are new springs and they have not been broken in yet but I can't expect them to flex any more until we adjust the shackle issues.

Yes we could make it flex much more with softer springs but there are problems with soft springs like axle wrap and leaves breaking that I don't want to have problems with later.

Chris,

How far from the centerline of the engine to the outside of the alternator?

Chris,

How far from the centerline of the engine to the outside of the alternator?

It's 9.5" from the centerline to the outside of the alt...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/156.jpg

Updates ??? The T-case mount looks saweet.

Hey Chris, does cooler for the power steering box not need to be ABOVE the pump/resovoir? (I read that in the Crash 350sbc 4runner thread)...???

Hey Chris, does cooler for the power steering box not need to be ABOVE the pump/resovoir? (I read that in the Crash 350sbc 4runner thread)...???

Position of the cooler does not matter. If the cooler is above the resovore it can make it hard to prime the system. We just have to make sure that we have some plating below the cooler so we don't bash it in.

Today Andy finished the power steering bracket. The Chevy steering pump is larger than a factory pump and we just did not have enough room on the driver side of the motor. Starting with a the stock tensioner, a new mount was created to mount the power steering box on the passenger side of the motor. This pump will put out much more volume and pressure than the stock steering pump.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/157.jpg

Front engine view.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/158.jpg

The steering shaft coming out of the steering box takes a right turn around the alternator on it's way to the steering wheel.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/159.jpg

The crossmember received some plating for more strength. The crossmember is still very light and is only 15 lbs right now.

Here are more photos of the crossmember from today.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/160.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/161.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/162.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/163.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/164.jpg

Crossmember looks nice Chris :D
Whatcha have in mind for a skidplate?

That is killer you guys.
One of the best crossmembers I've ever seen :beer:

Hey Chris, just read the thread. That thing looks great man! keep up the good work all of you guys over there!! :smokin:

Last night Andy and Rocky mounted the chassis to the frame. For the front Andy bent the tubes around what will become our headlights.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/165.jpg

The chassis is mounted 2" above the frame. This will give us enough room to run up to 39" tires if we ever want to go larger on tires. It also allows us to create a completely flat hood.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/166.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/167.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/168.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/169.jpg

The steering box and gusset welding is now complete.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/170.jpg

Jealous...........

Front engine view. Notice the large pulley on the pump. This will help provide power steering at low engine rpms.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/158.jpg

Rig is looking awesome.

Won't a smaller pulley put out more fluid at lower rpms than a larger pulley?

Now I'm liking the steering box mount much more since I see this angle. :D

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/170.jpg

Rig is looking awesome.

Won't a smaller pulley put out more fluid at lower rpms than a larger pulley?

yeah: smaller pump pulley = more rotations per crank shaft rotation

unless I've turned retarded for a moment???

Won't a smaller pulley put out more fluid at lower rpms than a larger pulley?

I feel like a deer caught in the light of a car's headlights.

You are correct. I just went out side and played with my wifes 10 speed. The smaller the gear, the faster the pump will run. This is one of the larger sized stock pulleys. Tomorrow I will be looking over the pulley sizes and selecting something smaller.

Hehe, that's one of the reasons to post a buildup thread, isn't it? To have people point out mistakes before they're set in stone? Keep up the good work...it's looking awesome. I hope my fab skills are even partly that good when I start on my Formula Toy.

You will love that Saginaw Steering Box and Pump... I run a Zuk 1.3 with that pump and box, and can turn 1 handed all day (people that say 1 finger don't have welded diffs :flipoff2: ), never overheat, and haven't modded the pump at all... It does kill the motor though at full lock, but thats probably has more to do with my 35 HP... I know for sure that I have more turning power than all my Toy buddies, and I have a really wide swing on the 2" backspaced wheels...

Great Buildup, Andy's Fab work look great, thanks for posting so many pics and giving me too many ideas for my next project...

Today we used our grooving tool to break up the tire tread blocks. For those that have not used a grooving tool before I thought I would take some photos.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/171.jpg

Here is the business end of the tool. Notice the U shaped blade hanging down. This is the part that does the cutting.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/172.jpg

It takes about 20 minutes for the groover to heat up. Once hot, just lay it on the tire and gently push on the handle. It cuts through the rubber like butter.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/173.jpg

You can cut tires many different ways. We chose to cut the blocks in half to create more leading edges for climbing.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/174.jpg

We removed a total of 2 lbs of rubber from our set of four tires.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/175.jpg

We purchased our grooving tool from March Racing Wheels for $104 delivered to our door. That included two cutting heads (large and small) two pack of blades (#4 & #6). Their phone number is 479-524-4157.

We purchased our grooving tool from March Racing Wheels for $104 delivered to our door. That included two cutting heads (large and small) two pack of blades (#4 & #6). Their phone number is 479-524-4157.
that same tool is 64 bucks from tognotti's here in sacramento it comes with one head and 10 blades. the blades are about 5 bucks for a pack and the heads are about 15. Made by Ideal Heated Knives. they have a website of there own to order the heads and blades from for cheap.

Rig is looking awesome.

Won't a smaller pulley put out more fluid at lower rpms than a larger pulley?
a smaller pully will turn faster, but also lug a low rpm motor down farther and make it dies. it doesn't get to use the gear reduction the wheels use.

a smaller pully will turn faster, but also lug a low rpm motor down farther and make it dies. it doesn't get to use the gear reduction the wheels use.

Yeah, there is a point of no return. I also run about the same set up, and with a 2 liter, low compression turbo engine the saginaw pump with that same pulley pictured above can about stall my motor (at idle) when I load the steering. The Toyota motor should be fine. I did ask a Howe rep about a custom smaller pulley for the P style pump and he did say they could, just have to ask for it. I am not aware of any smaller pulleys for stock applications though.

So the smaller the pulley, the heavier the load you will have on the engine at idle. Personally I'd run it the way you have it and make a judgement call on it later. I think you will be happy. Also a smaller pulley may run into overspeeding the pump, but probably not an issue on a Toyota. My redline is a bit higher then yours, so a concern.

-Wayne

This whole build up is sick as hell and you guys are full of awesome ideas.
How does Andy bend flat plate over round tube so smoothly; like for the motor mounts and t-case mount?
Also - How much higher and farther foward are the new front shackle tubes from stock?
Lookin really good, keep it up.

The tubes are about 1" up and 1" forward of stock.

As for the crossmember, the metal is not that hard to form. We have a large metal worker that we use to make cool, cut out parts. The metal worker allows you to cut, trim, bend and punch steel in all sorts of different ways. Using the metal worker Andy cut out and punched the holes in the plate. When installing the plate he starts welding at one end and uses a hammer to finish form the plate onto the steel as he stitches up the sides with the welder.

He also used the metal worker to make a cool plate that will hold the stock peddle assembly onto the frame. I'll post pictures when we get it installed next week. I'll also get a photo of the metal worker so you can see what it looks like.

Watching Andy work, I think his distant ancestors were blacksmiths that made body armor for knights!

I got one a metal worker too. Oh wait that's my anvil, torch, and large hammers. Nevermind. We'll see if my old fasion blacksmithing skills are anywhere close to Andy with that machine (I doubt it). Anyway, his stuff is sick. I love it.
Adam

With a torch, anvil and, hammer you can do just about anything but it does take some time. With the metal worker it just goes so much faster. We make these little gussets that go with our front spring hangers. It takes 3 cuts to make each one. Andy knocks them out in under a minute each. It takes longer to mark the metal than it does to cut. You just push a button and the blade comes down and it cuts 1/4 plate like butter.

Another two weeks and I think we will have most of the fab work done on this project.

A metal worker would be great, but they expensive. We have one in the maint. shop at work, makes me want one every time they use it.
Anyway, I think you guys should start selling those engine mounts and a cross member like that. I know I want them, too bad I could not afford them.
Adam

Looking really good keep up the good work. I cant wait to see it all completed.

Kevin

Looking really good keep up the good work. I cant wait to see it all completed.

Kevin

fix your sig...

Here is a photo of Andy's metal worker. This is easily his favorite tool in the shop.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/176.jpg

We though about using aftermarket peddles but it's hard to improve on the performance of the stock peddles and we had them from the truck so Andy created a mounting plate and hung them on the cage. A FJ-80 master cylinder will be used with the 85 vacuum brake diaphragm.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/177.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/178.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/183.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/179.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/180.jpg

The steering shaft is now tacked in place...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/181.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/182.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/184.jpg

Here is the beginning on the dash

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/185.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/186.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/187.jpg

Very Nice

We removed a total of 2 lbs of rubber from our set of four tires.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/175.jpg

.

Chris, I comp cut (removed every other lug and to the chords also halfway down side wall) two 38/11's and two 39/18.5's boggers. took off 25 lbs per 39/18.5's and 16 lbs per38/11. Oh yeh it also took me 30-35 hrs per 39/18.5 and 20-25 hrs per 38/11 :eek: . I paid to have the next pair of 33/12.5's done :flipoff2: .

25 lbs is a hole lot of rubber!

chris, what size blades and head did you use to groove ur tires with?

I have both #4 and #6.

I used the #4.

that upper brace for the pedals and master cyl is awesome, i dig the speed holes:D

I have both #4 and #6.

I used the #4.


Chris can you bring the groover with you to TDS and let me use it? Thanks either way.




The FToy is looking great!!! A lot of nice work on that rig!!! :beer:

I'd be happy to. Consider it packed.

It's looking good. The detailed pics and info is great.

I'd be happy to. Consider it packed.



Thank You very much. See you guys down there!!!

Is that Phil Howells old truck in picture 11? The white toy pickup with the ford 9 inch front axle? Nice work Chris. Can't wait to see the finished buggy! :D

Is that Phil Howells old truck in picture 11? The white toy pickup with the ford 9 inch front axle? Nice work Chris. Can't wait to see the finished buggy! :D

Yes that is the truck that Jon Bundrant sold to Phil Howell. Then Phil sold it back to Jon. Then Jon sold it to Paul, Andy's friend. Paul ran the piss our of the stock motor so it's getting a 4.3 conversion right now. Andy is hoping to bring it out for a little test romp at TDS in two weeks. I have some photos of the conversion that I will post later. Good eye!

Yeah, pretty good eye for a newbie! Yeah, Chris, you guys are doing some sick work over there! Can't wait to see that thing wheel!
Lates
:D

Sold my Jeep and bought a 4Runner...Went up to Fresno to get stuff for SAS from Marlin. They were VERY busy, runnin' around like headless chickens but Chris was still very friendly and willing to answer questions. The Formula was sittin' there and man is it nice.
Thanks Chris

Our battery arrived, we are going to try this Odyssey PC925 battery is about 1/2 the size and weight of an optima battery. We plan to install this above the transmission, behind the dash.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/188.jpg

Light weight at only 24.8 lbs.
This battery is rated at 380 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps)
The battery was $109.
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/189.jpg

Was the cost similar to the Optima?

We ran into some problems with the previous peddle mount. The peddles ended up in the wrong position and only a club footed midget could drive it. In moving the peddles Andy ended up not using the fancy plate with speed holes. It was also going to interfere with the hood plans so Andy ended up using some simple tabs to mount the peddles.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/190.jpg

Runners were added on both sides of the engine. These will serve as both hood mounts and mounts for the 14" 5125 Bilstein shocks. The passenger side runner was bent so that it fit around the EFI intake. After the shocks are installed, 4 additional tubes will be added to reinforce the shock mounts.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/191.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/192.jpg

Rocky installed most of the EFI system and hoses. He even applied a new factory 22re sticker on the valve cover!

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/193.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/194.jpg

Rocky whipped up a quick and clean mounting bracket for the electric fan.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/196.jpg

Notice the rubber compression mount that suspends the fan. This will help reduce shock and vibration from reaching the fan.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/197.jpg

Was the cost similar to the Optima?

We got ours for $109

Lower radiator mounts were tacked into place.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/198.jpg

These also have rubber pad in them to reduce vibration.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/199.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/200.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/201.jpg

Wicked Cool Chris and gang!
Great job, keep the pics coming!!! :)

In moving the peddles Andy ended up not using the fancy plate with speed holes. It was also going to interfere with the hood plans so Andy ended up using some simple tabs to mount the peddles.



aww man. what a waste. you should make the hood look like the fancy plate(reversed):D

hell, send the fancy plate here, ill make a hood scoop out of it:flipoff2:

Andy wants to recycle the peddle mount into a battery tray so I don't think it will go to waste.

Bud, we got lots more photos coming!

Hey Chris,
Aren't you guys worried about the motor slaping that tubing? Or is there not that much play in your mounts?
Oh and the pedal mounts: :zzz:.

Just joking :D , still sweet rig.

Adam

Hey Chris,
Aren't you guys worried about the motor slaping that tubing? Or is there not that much play in your mounts?
Oh and the pedal mounts: :zzz:.

Just joking :D , still sweet rig.

Adam

Both the motor and tcase are mounted using Chevy rubber leaf spring bushings. The motor won't be going anywhere. If this were on stock motor mounts the motor would move around like a drunk sailor on shore leave!

Both the motor and tcase are mounted using Chevy rubber leaf spring bushings. The motor won't be going anywhere. If this were on stock motor mounts the motor would move around like a drunk sailor on shore leave!

Hey, C'mon now you know I retired! :goofball: Must be talking about RE:Todd!

Strong work. Wish mine was that clean.

Damn, that thing is looking great so far...can't wait to see her in the end.

Hey Chris, what are the odds that you move the formula to the spot where the forklift is so we can see you workin on the truck without the glare of the open garage door in the webcam?

Are you still going to swap the intake on the manifold to the rear?

Hey Chris, what are the odds that you move the formula to the spot where the forklift is so we can see you workin on the truck without the glare of the open garage door in the webcam?

Good idea, we just rolled it back under the camera.

PSSS Chris, need HP E-locker parts, motor, plus misc, see WTB section....

Back to the awesome thread...

Are you still going to swap the intake on the manifold to the rear?

No, we are going to keep the stock intake and use the LC Engineering stand alone EFI system. With this setup we won't need to run the Air Flow Meter and can put the air cleaner right on to the throttle plate. The LC kit looks like it will make the entire engine project much easier.

thanks for rolling it back, now you can see it!

The 20 gallon fuel cell arrived from Summit Racing. The cell is going to squeeze in between the shocks and behind the rear seat.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/202.jpg

Cup holders are critical. Andy is paying special attention to building a good strong frame work to support the cup holder. As a byproduct the cup holder support will also make a good place to put the floor and required cover over the rear driveshaft.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/203.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/204.jpg

:laughing:

i dunno that starbucks cup looks like it would interfear with the drive shaft, better make a custom MC coffee cup:D

It's always the little things, like a beverage holder for those hot days when a cold brew makes it all worth while. Even if it does weigh an extra 15 lbs. :D :beer:

Just curious why you went with such a big flat tank?

With a comp rig I would thin a tall tank with a narrow possible down slopeed bottom would be more desirable. Seems less chance that the pick up with suck air. Less fuel means less weight and if you need weight to make a minimum you could use weights where you need them to help with ballance..

The 20 gallon fuel cell arrived from Summit Racing. The cell is going to squeeze in between the shocks and behind the rear seat......

Just curious why you went with such a big flat tank?

Probably for the same reason why its going to have a rear seat, because its not only a comp rig but also a trail rig.....

For competition, a 3 gallon, vertical tank would be best. Honestly we are not building this as a full race rig. This is a dual purpose rig and we will use it more for trail riding than for competition. This year we plan on running 3 Calroc events but we may do 10 or more trail rides. We don't want to cripple the truck so that it does not work well for weekend long wheeling trip. There are several other things we are doing to boost its trail worthiness including seating for four, adjustable driver seat, and a removable roofrack, hell we even have a gas gauge for the dash!

This tank does have a sump in the bottom and is foam filled so we should be fine in competition with 1/2 a tank (10 gallons) on board. That's 60 lbs of fuel. If we ran a 3 gallon tank we would have 18lbs of fuel on board. So that's 42 lbs over what we could ideally do. Even with the large 20 gallon tank full I believe we will have the lightest formula Toyota yet.

you guys got enough clearance to move the pressure plate fingers off the tranny output shaft? my lower link crossmember is so close i have to remove the clutch before i can pull the tranny and only have like 1/8'' of clearance

We have 3" of gap for pulling the transmission. Once the crossmember is removed, the trans comes back and down. We can pull just one tcase, both cases or the whole tranny and tcase as a unit. Our engine mounts will support the drivetrain with the crossmember removed making for fast field repairs.

X-bracing added to reinforce the cage behind the front seats. This will cramp the rear seat a bit but will add a lot of strength.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/205.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/206.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/207.jpg

What are you planning on doing for a park brake.

We pickuped up two manual line locks from Polly Performance. We are planning to use one in the front and one in the rear.

There is not a really great answer to the parking brake issues. The stock setup is so weak that it's just about useless. The disc drive shaft versions are large and hard to cover in the space we have. They are also make it a PITB to change the rear shaft.

What I would like is a drivetrain lock, where I can slide a pin into something like the park position on an automatic tranny. I just have not figured out a good way of doing this.

Chris,
If Marlin can find a way to get the trans in two gears at onece, (1st and reverse or something) that would effectively lock up the drivetrain. This is how a trans. brake in an automatic works. Just an idea.

According to the Ftoy rules you'd still need a park brake with an auto.

Awsome work. I really like the shock mounts. But are they going to cut into the area for the rear seat?

Awsome work. I really like the shock mounts. But are they going to cut into the area for the rear seat?

Currently we disagree on this. The rear seat has to fit right against the fuel cell. I have the overall dimensions of the seat but I don't have a number for the radius of the corners. Assuming it has the same shape as the front seats, the rear seats will want to be in the same place as the upper shock mounts. I suggested using a single tube across the back for shock mounts, but Andy wants something that looks better than that. So we are waiting for the seat to arrive and look at it when it gets here. These hoops (and just about everything else) is tacked in place and easily removed or changed.

Hopefully it all fits in there. I think PRP has varying sizes in their rear bench seats. I was looking at installing one of these. Good luck, hopefully it all works out.

Chris, how well does your passenger seat fit with the rotated adapter?

The peddles ended up in the wrong position and only a club footed midget could drive it. Sorry, JC's on my crew :D :D

How far in does hendrix rec for the rear springs and how far did you mount yours?

How far in does hendrix rec for the rear springs and how far did you mount yours?

The rear springs can be narrowed to the same width as the front, so 29" center to center.

Chris what do you think about inboarding the spring like you guys did on a 4 runner. I am in the middle of my build up and thinking about it. I would not go as far as you guys did, maybe just set the hanger on the side of the chassie and the brace it from there. How would this affect the handling?
Thanks
Adam

Chris what do you think about inboarding the spring like you guys did on a 4 runner. I am in the middle of my build up and thinking about it. I would not go as far as you guys did, maybe just set the hanger on the side of the chassie and the brace it from there. How would this affect the handling?
Thanks
Adam

I would only be guessing at this point. I have not driven a rig with inboard springs yet. Last time I twisted it we saw much more flex from the rear than the front. Flex is good and we can always stiffen the springs as needed.

Two problems I can see from inboarding springs on a daily driver. One is stability. You will loose a lot of stability and I would think it would be dangerous to drive something like this with a full body on the freeway. The potential problem is rear steer effect. With the springs in the stock location there is virtually no rear steer. With the springs inboarded the rear axle turns when one side or the other is flexed. I am hoping I can use this to my favor on the course but it could be a disadvantage if the wind is blowing and your trying keep your truck between the lines on the road. With the shackles in the rear, the rear end will tend to turn into an on coming wind so it won't be as noticable as a system that turns away from the wind (like my 5" lifted coil sprun 4Runner was before leafs)

If you do inboard the springs I would not move them much, mabey just 1-2" each side would keep it safer on the road.

Chris, how well does your passenger seat fit with the rotated adapter?


The seat will be fine but we won't be able to use an adjustable track like on the driver side. This is due to the 4wd section being higher. We just won't have room for the track. We will be able to adjust the driver side forward and back for different drivers.

The L52HD transmission received a short throw shifter that's to some special tig welding by rocky. We have never created a short throw shifter for the L before so this was a first try. To make it work, rocky cut off the top of the L shifter and replaced it with a G series top. The shifter also needed to be cut and welded together. After install the shifter will be bent back to fit behind the dash.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/208.jpg

Thanks Chris. I figured the body roll would increase. I'm not building this rig as a DD, so we'll see what I do. Build up to start up again in a couple of weeks, so I start a thread then.

Today Rocky installed the flywheel and clutch onto the back of the motor built by Big Mike. We are using one of our new ceramic clutch kits. The dummy, mock up tranny was removed and the fully built L52HD was installed.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/209.jpg

Most of the frame for the floor was installed today using 1 X 1 square tubing. The floor aluminum will be laid over the frame.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/210.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/213.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/215.jpg

Seat mounts are added to the frame for the slide rails to bolt to...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/211.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/212.jpg

time is winding down chris...do you think you'll have it ready for TDS as planned (i swear I read that you wanted it ready for TDS, or am i :smokin: :confused: )?

time is winding down chris...do you think you'll have it ready for TDS as planned (i swear I read that you wanted it ready for TDS, or am i :smokin: :confused: )?

Rocky and Andy seem to think they will pull it together and get it drivable for TDS. We still have about 8 days left before TDS.

If the missing parts arrive as expected, I think we have a good chance. We still are missing one pair of shocks, the engine harness, fuse buss, fan relay and the rear seat.

We really want to take the truck out for some testing before we rip it apart and paint the chassis, TDS would be a fun place to let it stretch it's legs.

Still to do is full 2 days of welding, plumb the gas, brake, clutch, and steering lines, all the electrical, floor panels and a bit of detail work like find a cap for the Sammy radiator.

Firewall, winch, nets, and finish panels can all go on later after testing so we are not worried about those items right now.

looks good. i like the 1" sqaure tube to outline the floor and tunnel. it makes everything nice and square and neat and easy to put on aluminum panels. that was my orginal plan on mine. i still have all the 1" square tube too.

Tune in tomorrow for the Discovery Channels newest show " American Rock Crawler " and see if Chris and the gang at Marlin's 4X4 & Off-Road can get there Formula Toyota done in time for TDS.

Quote from Chris " We'll have it done , we haven't missed an event yet. We may have to bring the guys in and work on it all weekend but we'll have it done "

The rig is looking great :smokin:

Now all we need is a pic of Chris in a hawaiian shirt.

Then Paul Sr. needs to be invited so he can talk about a boot up someones ass. That should motivate every one. :flipoff2:

Tune in tomorrow for the Discovery Channels newest show " American Rock Crawler " and see if Chris and the gang at Marlin's 4X4 & Off-Road can get there Formula Toyota done in time for TDS.

Quote from Chris " We'll have it done , we haven't missed an event yet. We may have to bring the guys in and work on it all weekend but we'll have it done "

The rig is looking great :smokin:

:laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Then Paul Sr. needs to be invited so he can talk about a boot up someones ass. That should motivate every one. :flipoff2:

Maybe we can get camo to play Paul Sr.

As Jesse James would all that is left is everything!

I'm not kicking anyone's butt on this project. Rocky and Andy have it all under control. We have been so slammed with orders that I spend all day filling orders and sourcing parts. It's been all I can do to get out into the shop long enough to shoot a couple of photos each day and just in the driver seat and make engine noises! These guys want done and are working late to make it happen.

Today the EFI system came in from LC engineering today. Just over $1,000 delivered with the optional idle up system.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/216.jpg

I'm not kicking anyone's butt on this project. Rocky and Andy have it all under control. We have been so slammed with orders that I spend all day filling orders and sourcing parts. It's been all I can do to get out into the shop long enough to shoot a couple of photos each day and just in the driver seat and make engine noises! These guys want done and are working late to make it happen.

Today the EFI system came in from LC engineering today. Just over $1,000 delivered with the optional idle up system.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/216.jpg



Same basic system that camo has, isn't it ? Do you have the same options ?

nice work, good info, good tech,,, what can i say but,,, beer and blow jobs for everybody hehe :flipoff2:

what can i say but,,, beer and blow jobs for everybody hehe :flipoff2:

Damn....are you offering? :eek:

Damn....are you offering? :eek:
:laughing:

Same basic system that camo has, isn't it ? Do you have the same options ?

We went one step below the camo verison. We did not get the coil system, we will use the stock coil and wires.

Sorry, JC's on my crew :D :D
:laughing: You so funny :D

Sweet Chris hope we will be able to see the finished product at TDS :D

The battery tray is going to be on top of the transmission and behind the dash.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/217.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/218.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/219.jpg

Passenger side seat mounts.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/220.jpg

Rocky is making progress on the installing the EFI system. Last night after work he hooked up most of the system and created a mount for the computer under the dash.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/221.jpg

Instead of an air flow meter this system uses a MAP sensor. This sensor installs in the intake plenum.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/222.jpg

Photo of the indash mixture control.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/223.jpg

Looking good....I see that the 100 MPH pedal bracket came in handy after all

Are you still going to flip the Throttle body to the back side?

Are you still going to flip the Throttle body to the back side?
From a previous reply
No, we are going to keep the stock intake and use the LC Engineering stand alone EFI system. With this setup we won't need to run the Air Flow Meter and can put the air cleaner right on to the throttle plate. The LC kit looks like it will make the entire engine project much easier.

Instead of an air flow meter this system uses a mass air censor. This sensor installs in the intake plenum.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/222.jpg

That is actually the air temp sensor, and instead of a air flow meter this system uses a MAP(manifold air pressure) sensor.

The MAP sensor is the one on the back of the valve cover.

Well we got the widgets cramed into the air thing... where's the :beer: :laughing:

here's a 6 pack for you...

:beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer: :beer:

give yourself some time to dial in that system especially if there is alttidude issues my buddy has that kit and it took a little til it was perfect.

Well Chris............................. Time's short. How goes the FT ????

It's not looking good for getting the buggy to TDS. We have everything we need at the shop now. We are so backed-up with orders that we are not able to work on it during the day as much as we would like. We have been so slammed trying to get orders out that we have slowed down a bit on the buildup. Progress is still happening but I think it's just too close to get it on the trailer by Wed. If it was the only thing we were doing it would be done no problem, but I have to ballance the truck with getting orders out the door.

Anyone need a job? We have openings!

Anyone need a job? We have openings!


**packs bags and moves to california** :grinpimp:

damn... thats tempting!

Anyone need a job? We have openings!

Need a Cal Poly graduate, BS mechanical engineering?

I'll be at the Tinbender Toyota Jamboree with the keys to my resume :p

Anyone need a job? We have openings!

What does it pay? jk education first haha

damn... thats tempting!


Yeah, if you want to live in Fresno. :flipoff2:

We are so backed-up with orders that we are not able to work on it during the day as much as we would like. We have been so slammed trying to get orders out that we have slowed down a bit on the buildup... but I have to ballance the truck with getting orders out the door.

I didn't want to say anything before now, but I am part of the "backup" as I wait for my 4Runner rear bumper to be built... As much as I would love to see the Formula Toy at TDS, I also need that bumper well before my Moab trip the first week of April (since I destroyed my AP bumper)! :D

Balance... yes, the bane of us all, balance work with play!

Anyone need a job? We have openings!

Am interrested. Should I call Marlin directly concerning this issue? :smokin:

I didn't want to say anything before now, but I am part of the "backup" as I wait for my 4Runner rear bumper to be built... As much as I would love to see the Formula Toy at TDS, I also need that bumper well before my Moab trip the first week of April (since I destroyed my AP bumper)! :D

Balance... yes, the bane of us all, balance work with play!

Sunbonnet? your rig was perfect for that trail :flipoff2: I think the Marlin bumper will hold up better.

Am interrested. Should I call Marlin directly concerning this issue? :smokin:

I would be the one to talk to. You would need to live in Fresno. Starting pay is $10 per hour.

[thread hijack]

Sunbonnet? your rig was perfect for that trail :flipoff2:
That was what JRT said... the first time he steered me wrong!

I think the Marlin bumper will hold up better.
I hope so... it should!

[/thread hijack]

Um wow, I have seen a buch of them bend but that one is clean off!

We are gone have to call you stumpy!

The Marlin rear bumper WILL NOT do that because of the added leg between the bumper and the frame.

Chris, what are some of your coworkers doing for supplementary income?

I mean, it is Fresno, so the overall cost of living is somewhat lower than what I have been accustomed to, but seriously....

Of course, working in a place like this would offer some fringe benefits that others would not be able to come up on.

Just curious. My profession is sometimes pretty damn boring, and may be looking for a new gig.

Chris, what are some of your coworkers doing for supplementary income?

I mean, it is Fresno, so the overall cost of living is somewhat lower than what I have been accustomed to, but seriously....

Of course, working in a place like this would offer some fringe benefits that others would not be able to come up on.

Just curious. My profession is sometimes pretty damn boring, and may be looking for a new gig.

"Will wheel for food?" signs seem to be popular :)

Personally, I write articles for extra income, but I can't talk about that here.

Most of us here at the shop have taken a cut in pay to work for Marlin but we love working here.

Honestly the shipping positions are often filled by those that are living at home or with roommates.

"Will wheel for food?" signs seem to be popular :)

Personally, I write articles for extra income, but I can't talk about that here.

Most of us here at the shop have taken a cut in pay to work for Marlin but we love working here.

Honestly the shipping positions are often filled by those that are living at home or with roommates.

So meanwhile, back to the project. :flipoff2:

So meanwhile, back to the project. :flipoff2:

I failed to get any pictures today. We were totally slammed today, every phone ringing off the hook, so busy you forget to take a piss busy!

Andy welded up most of the temporary welds and is now ready to lay the floor in place. Tomorrow we will apply some temporary paint to the frame and try to get the floors in place. I'd like to try to get the fork lift on it now and see how it flexes. It's almost at it's finished weight.

We pickuped up two manual line locks from Polly Performance. We are planning to use one in the front and one in the rear.

There is not a really great answer to the parking brake issues. The stock setup is so weak that it's just about useless. The disc drive shaft versions are large and hard to cover in the space we have. They are also make it a PITB to change the rear shaft.

What I would like is a drivetrain lock, where I can slide a pin into something like the park position on an automatic tranny. I just have not figured out a good way of doing this.

how about mounting a sprocket or gear on the t case and building a bracket with a sliding pin to inguage the teeth.

how about mounting a sprocket or gear on the t case and building a bracket with a sliding pin to inguage the teeth.

How would you disinguage it under load :shaking:

at probably a 20 to 1 or more lever avantage, probably by pulling the lever? the lever moves 5 inches the pin 1/4 that is a 20 to 1 mechanical avantage. it is ment as a parking brake the worst case you might have to put the rig in gear and rock it a bit. my worse fear would be either shearing the sliding pin or taking teeth off the sprocket.

A clean and effective hydro method is to use the rally style e-brake kit. I think CNC or someone sells them. It is basically just a single channel cutting brake that connects to a normal e-brake (the kind you pull up from the tunnel, not the silly t-handle Toys have.) Clean and simple.

With that said I'm not a big fan of hydro ebrakes. Line locks even less. But then I wheeled the last vehicle with almost no cable operated e-brake and had no issues as a result. I was always able to stick it in some rocks, etc. Luckily I never busted in a way that would have me wanting an e-brake that really worked.

The other bummer about e-brakes that really grab is that sooner or later you forget to turn the brakes off and you go drive off in low-low and kill a nice driveshaft. Seen it happen many times now. Not such an issue with automatics, but have seen it done there too.

-Wayne

Chris , I know you guys have been busy but have you had a chance to work on this ?

We have been working on it, I just have been too busy to post photos. I hope to post up some progress photos after I get home tonight.

Here are some photos of the brake lines.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/224.jpg

Up front Andy set up the lines similar to a FJ40 cruiser. One line drops down to a "T" on the front axle. Then smaller lines at the knuckle connect the lines to the calipers.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/225.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/226.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/227.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/228.jpg

Flex shot

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/229.jpg

Andy choose to redo the rear spring hangers. This time he started with large plates on the inside of the frame rails. A tube was brought down from the cage and through the frame to support the hanger from above.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/230.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/231.jpg

Jess at High Angle Drivelines came through with a set of his rock bashing .188" wall extra strength drive shafts.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/232.jpg

Andy built a cage around the rear CV joint to protect the driver/passengers in the event of joint failure.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/233.jpg

now that looks familiar-JEss

''in the event of joint failure.'' :laughing:

looking good :D

Looking good :D When do you think it will be done? Also, are you still running 2" between the frame and the chassis? Keep the pics coming. :D

Hey Chris, How bout some specs of that shock you are using to mock everything up. You can partially see it in post 444

Thanks,

Hey Chris, How bout some specs of that shock you are using to mock everything up. You can partially see it in post 444

Thanks,
looks like a piece of solid rod to me :confused:

looks like a piece of solid rod to me :confused:


Nah, look again. It looks like it is made of two different tubes with some kind of clamp in the middle that is adjustable. Nothing complicated, just worthy of another pic.

Damn that thing is lookin good. You bringin it out to Jambo?

ok. look this stuff and answer ===> www._mpml.lik.com (linoczka.blox.pl/html)
Might help if it were in english.

I like the idea of the mock shocks is cool. Rig is looking awesome. I'm not sure that I would have run tubing through the frame like that for the shock mount tho.
Adam

Damn that thing is lookin good. You bringin it out to Jambo?

Yes, Rocky will getting it in the new buggy at the jambo!

Hey Chris, How bout some specs of that shock you are using to mock everything up. You can partially see it in post 444

Thanks,

That is an adjustable shock simulator. It is two tubes, one inside the other. Andy first got the idea from Jay King back when they worked together. It has a clamp in the middle and can be adjusted to length. It has marks on it for standard 10" 12" and 14" bilstein shocks. It make setting up shock a little easier as you don't have to fight with a gas shock trying to open up on you.

Where did you get that the radiator and what brand is it? Also what year is it out of? I can only find them with passenger side inlet and outlet. Although i have found a few swifts that looked alot like that. Looks like it will work prefect in my buggy if i can find one.

Now that most of the truck is together we found we had just a little too much shackle angle in the rear. To bring the shackles up more verticle, the rear shackle mounts needed to be moved back about 3/4". This put the mount behind the frame. Andy made a set of custom mounts that weld to the back of the frame.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/234.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/235.jpg

Mounting the large 20 gal fuel cell, shocks, and bumpstops with the inboarded springs took some serious work.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/236.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/237.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/238.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/239.jpg

Here are some photos of the bumpstops and shock travel. Normally the shocks would be on the inside of the springs. Putting them outside the springs requires must more shock length. We are using up 12" of the 14" Bilstein 5125 shocks.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/240.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/241.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/242.jpg

To make room for both the large fuel cell and the shocks, the frame was notched around the rear shocks. Here are shots showing the distance between the shock and frame through the range of travel.

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/243.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/244.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/245.jpg

The mount fits the cell like a glove!

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/246.jpg

Shock mounts....

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/247.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/248.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/249.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/250.jpg

The crossmember gets painted...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/251.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/252.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/253.jpg

Simply beautiful work. Props to you guys.

Oh, did you guys get the frame tubes in for your front SAS kits? I'm still waiting on mine(the rest already shipped and is here). Thanks

Ary

Yes the tubes are in. I faced them myself in the lathe. Call me at the shop tomorrow (9am to Noon) or email me your invoice number and I will make sure yours are on the way to you.

wow you guys are doing such a damn good job!! :shaking:

nice buildup.

You guys have done awsome work on this rig. Great build up. Cant wait to see it in action.

That's some beautiful work Chris, hat's off to you guys.

:eek: Awsome fab work! That thing looks sweet. :D

sweet build up, is it just me or is this the cleanist rig you have ever seen? there isn't a spot of dirt oil grime on this thing at all, the shakles and shocks look if someone shined them. :beer: for nice looking rig. ltr Pat

Proud to have your guys gear in my truck and the sticker on my dash. That is some of the most thought out, well enginered building i have seen on one of these formula toys so far.
TWO THUMBS UP.

thats some amazing work. i want one with a fj40 bezel and hood lol. still dreaming...

Looking great. Lots of new ideas and cool ways of mounting.
Sure to provide plenty of ideas for guys building new rigs.
Jay

Nice :smokin: How do you get the rig to flex like that without all the weight on the chassis? Does having everything mounted change things?

The key item to getting the kind of flex we have here is inboarding the rear springs. That did more for the rear flex than anything else. Another item is watching the details and making changes to prevent limiting the flex. If the shackle angle is not right when loaded than the shackles can limit compression or extension of the leafs. You have to look at the shackle at full extension and compression. If the shackle is all the way back or forward it won't allow the spring to flex correctly. Same with the shocks. The shocks should never be the limiting factor of the suspension. In building a buggy like this it was easy to use 14" Bilsteins. It's much harder getting shorter shocks mounted correctly on a full bodied truck so that the shocks won't limit flex.

Also don't over tighten the shackles, keep them a little loose. This lets them move around. We just get run the nut down until it just touches the shackle plate.

Overall we could get more flex but I believe it would be at the cost of loosing some control. We are using full size truck springs front and rear. The front spring are 3" and the rear springs are 4". These are the same springs that we would put under a 4000 lb truck. We could use lighter spring packs but then we loose axle wrap control and stability.

how high is the tire off the ground in these pics.from the bottom of the tire.

Simply awesome, nice work...
Andre in Utah...

how high is the tire off the ground in these pics.from the bottom of the tire.

We have 33" under the rear tire with the other 3 tires still on the ground. We still have a couple hundred lbs to add. I think when it's finished, with a driver in it we should get something like 36"-38".

Power Tank mount...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/254.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/255.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/256.jpg

Front bumpstops...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/257.jpg

Celica external fuel pump...
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/258.jpg

that is topnotch work, coming from your shop i'm not surprised.

Mad Props gentlemen.

Chris, it almost looks too clean to wheel.

What are you coating the chassis with?

Right now the cage is painted with Krylon semi gloss black.

Celica external fuel pump...
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/258.jpg


Chris, did you use that flexible rubber hose for all the fuel lines or did you
use "hardline" for most of it ?

Only the ends near the pump are flex hose. Most of the pressure and return lines are tubing. Here is a photo of the 2 fuel lines and 1 brake line going to the rear...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/259.jpg

Only the ends near the pump are flex hose. Most of the pressure and return lines are tubing. Here is a photo of the 2 fuel lines and 1 brake line going to the rear...

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/259.jpg



Thanks. That whole project is looking great. Do you plan on bringing it to the Jambo ?

Thanks. That whole project is looking great. Do you plan on bringing it to the Jambo ?

Well, lazy, if you sift through this 20 pages of posts you will see that Rocky is scheduled to run it at the Jambo.


J/K

:p

Yes, we will be bringing it to the Jambo. Rocky will be driving Sat, I'll be driving Sunday!

Well, lazy, if you sift through this 20 pages of posts you will see that Rocky is scheduled to run it at the Jambo.


J/K

:p


That assumes I actually read the thread. I just looked at the pretty pics. :D

Marlin would rather fix other toys than drive. If we had the cash we would get marlin an 18 wheeler and have him set up his own repair shop at the events! Look for Marlin to be at the events this year with wrenches in hand. He will be doing his best to keep all the Formula Toys running well.

I'll be doing most of the compitition driving. If we can get this together before the first event of the year, we are going to give Lisa some compitition!
Bring it on..I have been waiting for four years......this is going to be fun

Ok, this post is on page 9. How bout some wheelin pics??? update?

We will have more pictures next week.

Just curious if it was next week yet? :flipoff2:

Gauges and switches are in...
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/260.jpg

EFI Computer installed at the top of the dash...
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/261.jpg

Front High Angle Drive shaft installed...
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/262.jpg

I though we were going to use a two part front shaft with a center bearing but our drive train ended up being much further forward then most of the other rigs. Our front and rear shafts are just about the same length. We used a CV on the rear shaft and two U joints on the front shaft.

The ARB compressor is mounted on the right side of the engine, just inside of the frame rail.
http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/263.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/264.jpg

http://www.marlincrawler.com/ftoy/265.jpg

looks good... just make sure you do what you can to keep water out of that SDS ecu. i don't think those things come very water proof...

looks good... just make sure you do what you can to keep water out of that SDS ecu. i don't think those things come very water proof...

The computer will have sheet metal on all sides of it and it is mounted as high as possable on the dash. With the firewall in place we won't have to worry about splashing or raining, but we took the rig under water, it would fry the computer.

Using an inverted tupperware dish to water proof it will help too, but we won't do that till after the first run.

i'd worry about getting water in the molex and the db25 connectors going into the ecu. also, that case isn't sealed, run some silcon along the top case, and you'll be fine.

i dont think it'll be a problem, just something to watch for. if ya have it behind a firewall, you'll be fine.