Finally, I went and borrowed a digital camera so I could get some pics up for you guys (spent so much time on the truck Saturday with Rick I didn't have time to get film developed)

Okay, here we go....

Here's the drop x-member stitch welded in. No, those aren't "Go-Fast Holes" in the front, they are there so I can plug weld the angle to the tube behind it for maximum strength. I have two 1" holes that I will plug weld in the bottom of the angle also. this thing ain't coming off ever. Notice that I also trimmed the fender flush with the bottom of the headlight bezel area. We're going to build a tube bumper and wrap it around right about there. Not to mention I now have buku tire clearance. The drop member moved the spring eye forward 3/4" of stock and about 1.5 inches lower than stock. The springs are stock 7 leaf Waggoneer and will sit pretty close to flat with the weight of the truck on them. The shackle anlge will lay back at a nice, but not extreme angle. These springs are soooooooo soft! I am looking forward to a nice ride after having to endure the last 3 years or so on those un-believeably stiff 3 leaf lift springs from Tuff-country.

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Front.JPG

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Front02.JPG

This top shot allows you to see the tube I had to weld in behind the angle to give me something to weld the angle to. The first gen trucks had the frame stick out 1" past the crossmember so I had to weld in a tube to make up the difference + some. The end result moved my spring eyes forward 3/4"


http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Top01.jpg

Good rear shot of the crossmember where you can also see the gussetts that I added to the receiver. The receiver is fully welded around the top of the tube along with a 1" plug weld through the bottom of the angle, but I figured that the gussets would eliminate any chance of a problem. Notice that the spring eye "buckets" will fit a 3" spring eye with no problems. (3" is larger than the waggy fat end spring eye which is the end that is running forward.)

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Rear01.jpg

Why spend money on new shackles. The Toyota shackle pins are pressed into the shackle plate so just stick them in a vice and hit the pin, it pops right out like a wheel stud. Then weld some 3/8" plate to the outer side of the shackle plates, plug weld the 18mm hole where the bottom pin was, then drill a bigger hole for you new pin (in my case I still have to drill the 9/16 hole for the waggy spring bolt, what you see in the picture is my pilot hole.) Attn Critics of welded shackles: If you think this will break you are smokin' some strong crack! That plug weld makes the piece 1/2" thick! Shackles are now 5" center to center.


http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Shackle01.jpg

Shot of the droop and shackle angle at droop.


http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Side01.jpg

Power steering bracing to mount the new IFS power steering box. notice how we had to bend the inner plate to match the factory jog in the '81 frame. Both plates are 1/4" thick with the top bolt being sleeved as it is above the frame. No need to sleeve the other two bolts cause' there's 1/2" of steel on the outside and 3/8" on the inside (including frame thickness) that box ain't going anywhere.

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/PS01.jpg


http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/PS02.jpg

This is the single best sawzall blade for metal I have ever used. For this whole project I have only used up one of these blades. that includes cutting off the bracketry, cutting the 3/8 for the shackles, cutting the 1/4 plate for the PS box, and lots of other stuff.

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/uploads/Pete/x-over/Torch.JPG

Well, so far so good. I probably have a few more weeks to go on it. I'm going to clean and paint everything after I do the finish welding. I want to add a gusset to the outside edges of the angle. I still have to figure out the placement of the extended shock towers and shocks. The big stuff is pretty much taken care of now though. MANY MANY thanks to Rick for the hours he put in with me on Saturday getting the steering box and crossmember stuff all lined up. (We test fit the entire steering system under the truck to get optimal box placement. I still have room to move my axle forward a little if needed. We mounted the PS box higher and farther forward than most people do for clearance. We had to nibble some sheet metal to get it to work, but it's sweet. You'll see it in later pictures when I get them scanned.)

What's really funny is most of the time we were working on this we were discussing how we could get our hands on a cheap early toy to buggy. Would probably be more cost effective to just go and roll this one then we'd have an excuse. :D

Your welcome!! :emb:

Pictures look good but it looks better in person!

the only thing i see that might make the spring hanger a little better would be to add a gusset from the bottom of the frame to the back side of the spring hanger that would help. although it isn't needed it would help if you were to make a lower bumper/winch mount that went onto the hanger if you want i could send you a couple of 3x3 3/16 gussets in the mail if you want to pay for the shipping???



Cliff

I would not be concerned with the spot you welded breaking but right beside the weld on the bent piece of metal. That will be the weak link on the shackle. why do the welded route?

Everything else looks good.

nice work:) . its amazing what can be acomplished when you live in a place with 270 days of rain a year:D :eek: :D .

Originally posted by Chet
I would not be concerned with the spot you welded breaking but right beside the weld on the bent piece of metal. That will be the weak link on the shackle. why do the welded route?

Everything else looks good.

I ran another bead to take up the gap later. They are only 5" center to center so twist isn't that huge an issue. As long as the bolts don't come loose, the two plates are reinforcing each other. There is also rubber bushings top and bottom and the ones in the spring eye are way, way, flexible The spring eye also has a metal sleeve in it.

Why do the welded route:

#1 Cheap
#2 Fast
#3 So I didn't have to drill out the upper toyota bushings to fit 3/4 correctly. (The factory 18mm top pin is retained)
#4 I trust the welder (me)
#5 Rick welded his in a year or so ago and they've worked fine thorugh a LOT of abuse.


e cliff, my spring hanger buckets are out-boarded from the frame. I was probably going to add some small traiangular gussets from the rear edge of the bucket to the angle iron under the frame (same idea as the big front triangle gussets but smaller) I'm also going to run a gusset on the outer edge of the angle to kind of cap it off. We're also planning on building in an angled "ramp" or something to the front of the spring buckets so that nothing can hit it head on, kind of like a slider for the spring bucket. Might be part of the bumper? Haven't gotten that far yet...

Thanks for the offer on the gussets, but I have a waist deep pile of scrap plate/tubing/etc on the other side of the truck. I can make gussets all day long. :D

It doesn't rain that much here :rolleyes: I just bought the garage er... I mean house a month or two ago. Hell, I haven't even unpacked my stuff yet. My wife just threw it all in the extra bedroom. I have a path through my junk just wide enough to get to the computer. I told her I'd clean it up after the front end project. Summer's a wastin' gotta get the rig finished up. :D

I ran flat/drop hangers a # of years back, and JUST HATED THEM, man, i bashed the hell out of them since there is no slope to them(how i came about on my new design bucket). Glad to see you gusseted them, because they WILL take a # of hard hits if you like to play on any rock that is tall at all(even been denied shit before due to them)..

Also, do you plan on doing any HARD pulls on that reciever? If so, you might want to add some gussets to that, I can see a rotaional affect happening on hard pulls(ever see a stock toy hook where it bolts to the frame thats been pulled on REALLY hard, fame bends and there is less rotaional forces there due to how close it is to the frame) due to how far it is from the front x-member...

We are planning on making a winch bumper for Petes truck once the front end is back together so he can actually slide up stuff rather than just bashing into the hangers. Can't design it until we get the approach angle figured out and Pete still needs to buy a wench! I mean Winch. ;)

Ahh, ok i can see that, so basically, back side of the winch plate mounted on the front x-member of the frame, with stringers from the front outer edge of the winch plate down to lets say the buckets, and suggest 2 more on the frame x-member more near center, but to get little less angle from the front edge of the winch plate down to the x-member, will probably have to raise the winch plate a couple inches from the frame x-member..

Yep, Thats what we are thinking. Just want to get everything put back together so we don't screw up the approach angle

Also, do you plan on doing any HARD pulls on that reciever? If so, you might want to add some gussets to that, I can see a rotaional affect happening on hard pulls(ever see a stock toy hook where it bolts to the frame thats been pulled on REALLY hard, fame bends and there is less rotaional forces there due to how close it is to the frame) due to how far it is from the front x-member...

I've got two gussets behind the hitch pin hole, but I think I'm going to add two more to the front edge. I can still get the hitch pin in there just have to run it straight up, it fits, I checked. Yeah, I know all about the factory hooks bending up the front end of the frame. Had to use the BFH to straighten the end of the frame after I took off the tow hook. I did use 7018 rod with a bunch of amps to weld the receiver on (made sure I got a good burn.) It's on good, but more gussets couldn't hurt!

hurry up and get more pics :flipoff2:

yeah more pics:D

I see red X's? :confused:

hmmm... me too

Maybe you don't see the pictures because the thread is three months old. :rasta:

Originally posted by Dirty Harry
Maybe you don't see the pictures because the thread is three months old. :rasta:

Yeah, because all internet pictures expire after 2 months and 29 days, right? :rolleyes:

Originally posted by DRM
Yeah, because all internet pictures expire after 2 months and 29 days, right? :rolleyes:

So THAT'S why my avatar keeps disappearing! :flipoff2:

Originally posted by DRM


Yeah, because all internet pictures expire after 2 months and 29 days, right? :rolleyes:


:laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Originally posted by Dirty Harry


David, do you think that the people who responded to this post in June could see the pictures, or they just have active imaginations? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, it is possible that the pictures have been moved/removed since that time?


Well golly gee - I never thunk of that :rolleyes:

Thanks ((gufaw)) for making me get that there ideer into my little noggin...


In case you are too stupid to understand - obviously the pictures are not there NOW, so my post was a VALID one - unlike your sad attempt to be funny/witty/whatever.


So unless you bought the license to re-new the pictures for another 2 months 29 days - go away and bother someone else :p

Originally posted by Dirty Harry
You mean the post where you wrote "I see red X's? :confused: " If it is so obvious, why did you have to post that?


I will explain it to you since you seem to have ridden the short bus and maybe not even done that too well.

Red X's could mean a variety of things... it could mean that the pictures are no longer hosted there. It could ALSO mean that there is a problem with my broswer or PC, and the pics are just not showing up for ME.

And, considering the post before me - made today, asking for other pics - it was possible HE could see them, and therefore the problem might be on my end. So I mentioned the red X's to verify if I was the only one who could not see them. Lat time I checked - that would be the logical procedure to rule out an error on my end.

Seems simple enough to me - but I guess you just feel like being a :crybaby2: and posting useless replies of your own drivel.

As for hurting my feelings - doubt it. You are only making yourself look like a baby by replying here at all.

It is obvious I could not see the pictures, and posted here because I would LIKE TO SEE THEM.

Now maybe you think somehow the desire to see these pictures makes me "wrong" - and if that is the case, I can do little to help your mental condition besides suggest medication.

Or, maybe it is that you came to this thread with exactly ZERO to add, you are interfering with, and ridiculing MY desire to actualy see TECHNICAL INFORMATION in this thread, and continuing to post your rambling idiotic blurbs.


To re-cap for you (since you are slow and all):

1. I came here looking for technical related pictures - questioning why they were not here when I looked
2. You came here to whine, bitch, and moan about me.


At this point - I think it is glaringly clear who is is in the wrong here.


So take my advice - stop replying this this thread and you *might* come away not looking like too much of a jackass...

Remember: I came to this thread looking for tech, and then YOU replied and look where we are now :rolleyes:

Hey, Pete...will you repost those pix?
All I see are red X's as well......other posts have pix that I can see, but not this one.....


Maybe DRM ate them?:flipoff2:

I want to see them too,

:confused:

Sorry guys, the website that was hosting those pics changed servers/software/something??? Any way I have some finished pics running around.

Before you go jumping on me about the approach angle, realize that in 2 weeks there will be 37x12.5's on there (those are 33's in the pics) and the axle will be 1" farther forward. That triangle thing off the front is the start of my winch bumper. There's another thread on that somewhere...

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/wheelie_pete/Winch%20Bumper/Side01.JPG

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/wheelie_pete/Winch%20Bumper/Gusset01.JPG

Working a ditch up at Tillamook

http://www.cascadecrawlers.com/yabbse/attachments/Dcp01431.jpg

THANKS,

for you taking the time to post them pixs,

Thanks for bringing them back :)