I see you did well at the event this weekend. Congrats!!!

What is the breakage report?

One inner axle short side, all the studs that hold the hub body sheared off, and a cut tire on the road back to swap the inner.

The inner axle let go on the second day, on Hardcore, which we walk right up the hardest part of like it was a driveway. Got off the obstacle in 3 wheel drive, with minimal penalty. I got one more experiment before I give in to the bigger is better theory.

I have no idea why the studs sheared off. Maybe repeated dissasembly? Got thru the last obstacle on Saturday with only the outer clip holding the hub in place. So I ask around for drill bits and easy outs to fix it, and I come across a local guy, a truck driver that has to work on his own stuff cause they are so far away from civilization. He knows this old guy with a bucnh of old Toy trucks (I have mini hubs) we get in his truck and take a 5 minute ride outside town. This guy has at least a dozen mini's and a fj60. He thinks for a bit, and says I think I got an axle out besides the barn. We go rummage thru the overgrowth of weeds and what do we find, a mini axle housing minus the rotors and calipers. $47 and we load it up and off we go. An hour later I'm all back together and ready to go on Sunday.

Sunday after breaking the inner axle, I have to skirt some rocks along the graded road to get by the rigs lined up for the course and cut a new MTR's sidewall. This is one the way to the trailer to fix the axle!

25 minutes later we have dismounted the cut tire from the beadlock and mounted and aired up the new one, and the inneraxle is repaired. 3 Guys, 2 of them spending most of the time on the tire. Best part, no breakdown time since they weren't ready to start when we got back! Gotta love on - board air!

I posted elsewhere, but I rushed from that point on, never settling back into the groove we had going on Saturday, which ended with us at least 50 points out front. I gave away first place on Sunday, that's all there is to it.

I did do a cool flop on the last obstacle after a short but heavy rain turned all the dirt to mud. Backing up to get a better line to attempt a blast up and out of a nasty hole called Grady's Gap, I flopped onto my passenger side. Couldn't get enough traction with the sidewalls to drive out of it or right it. We pulled cable to the exit, and stood it back up and made a clean escape. It was a crowd pleaser!

I hope the Cruiser guys are contemplating the trip to Farmington for the Supercrawl, I plan to be there and would love your support!

Hey Mike, was the inner that let go one of your new custom ones?

Originally posted by SpaceGhost
$47 and we load it up and off we go

That is an odd number? Was it all the cash you had :laughing:


I hope the Cruiser guys are contemplating the trip to Farmington for the Supercrawl, I plan to be there and would love your support!

I am planning on being there!!!

Mike -

Did you shear the hardened pins on the rotor where it locates the hub? Check and see if the holes have been oblonged. BTW - if the dowel pin is sheared off in there, they can be a real PITA to get out.

Jim

Yes Nolan, he asked for $50, I meekly reported I only had $47. That was all the pocket change I had at the time!

TLC,
yes I sheared one of them, and wallered out the hub side of the other one. I just used the hub body from the parts axle, along with the hub assembly. It was actually a good thing the rotors were gone since I had to swap mine on it anyway, they are vented.

I will be completely rebuilding it soon, the grease and gunk was a scary site but what do you do when that's all you got? I have decided I will be pulling off the knuckles and remaing hub, and lockouts for spares.

Originally posted by Mustard Dog
Hey Mike, was the inner that let go one of your new custom ones?

Yeah it was. Costly experiment. I hope I don't regret pursuing a stout toy axle set up! I am gonna hold out on a D60 swap as long as possible, at least till I finish with this 35" tire class of competition.

Does anyone know if you can swap the axle drivers of an ARB with some 35 spline D60 parts. That is the only way the F450 outers on a LC axle makes sense, otherwise the axles are still the weak spot.

Space Ghost; good job dude! can we get a pic of the rig

I'm sure there will pics posted soon. We had a group of 14-18 peeps together from this board for dinner Friday night at Buckners. I know other lurkers like the "birthday boy" that didn't sit with us. Many of them took pics, and when I flopped on the last obstacle, I heard them on top of the hill prompting for the Pirate Salute :flipoff2:

I'll post a link over here when the event pics start showing up.

Originally posted by SpaceGhost


Yeah it was. Costly experiment.

Were they the new stronger axles from CV Unlimited?

Does anyone know if you can swap the axle drivers of an ARB with some 35 spline D60 parts. That is the only way the F450 outers on a LC axle makes sense, otherwise the axles are still the weak spot.

Think about it, you would have to neck down the D60 axle to 35 splines and then they would be puny Cruiser sized 35 spline axles. You would still have weak links where the axles neck down, but this time they would be in the ARB...bad idea.

No the way to go is a 35 spline, 9" center like I have or a shaved D60.

After I had my rear D60 shaved, I have the same clearance front and rear. Nice!!

Originally posted by wngrog


Were they the new stronger axles from CV Unlimited?



Think about it, you would have to neck down the D60 axle to 35 splines and then they would be puny Cruiser sized 35 spline axles. You would still have weak links where the axles neck down, but this time they would be in the ARB...bad idea.

No the way to go is a 35 spline, 9" center like I have or a shaved D60.

After I had my rear D60 shaved, I have the same clearance front and rear. Nice!!

They were from Dutchman, couldn't get George on the phone before I needed them, but there's a sponsorship idea! Should I tell him I'm running Longfields :D

I thought 60's were 35 spline, cruisers 30 inners and 27 outers, regardless the problem with using the outers is what you said. The inner at the arb has to be turned down to fit and the weak end is where you can't get to it.

Hence the reason for my question, can new parts be had from ARB to accomodate 35 spline axles, in my cruiser 3rd member? The outers would be also be 35 and then no strength issues.

With 35" tires the shaved housing is still a penalty. The guy with the built legends rig has terra 50's and gets hung on everything. Now when you get to 37" or in your case huge meats, strength is a bigger issue than clearance.

Now here is a confession or a weakness, I want to stay "more" cruiser than is probably smart. I intend to be competetive without replacing my entire drivetrain. This is not a jab at anyone, just my choice. I am not expecting to find an indestrucable solution just give me another 25%, and I'll be fine in this class of competition.

A big Viagra decal would look good on my hood, hint, hint.

I am with you Mike...if I were to compete, it would be in Legends Calss and it would be in a Cruiser. Period.

I don't know how to make it more durable, maybe FZJ-80 axles?

They are pretty bad ass......

i really like what you are doing in the Cruiser.

Is there any way you can make it lighter?

Originally posted by wngrog
I am with you Mike...if I were to compete, it would be in Legends Calss and it would be in a Cruiser. Period.

I don't know how to make it more durable, maybe FZJ-80 axles?

They are pretty bad ass......

i really like what you are doing in the Cruiser.

Is there any way you can make it lighter?

If I had a set of 80 axles around and affordable I would find a way to make them work. High pinion and all. Funny, Brian Williams and I were hashing this around this afternoon.

It is going under the sawzall this week. Unfortunately it will loose part of the 'Cruiser" when I remove the enitre tub from the cowl back. Something along the lines of what Metalmender is doing, with weight and driver safety as the primary goals. I studied Brian Hamiltons rig this weekend, and with the exception of his custom frame and narrowed cowl and hood, that is what I'm hoping to accomplish.

Next will be the relocation of everything to the rear that can be moved, battery, fuel cell, and whatever I can move. Followed by the gutting of the stock harness and uneccessary controls, switches and cables. Think I can loose 500 lbs.?

If anyone is following this that needs a kick ass cage that is a bolt in, let me know. It'll be posted in the FS sections soon. I just can't justify cutting it up during the transformation.

Thanks Nolan for the ongoing interest, support and suggestions. How's my buddy (David) doing?

Originally posted by SpaceGhost
How's my buddy (David) doing?

He's doing great, he went with us to Katemcy this weekend and wheeled his stocker.

He is dying to go big now :D

One comment on the buggy transformation, don't get carried away with the tubing.

It is easy to do......make a safe 2 person cockpit and be done with it.

Less is better, run a small fuel cell....

One way to keep it "Cruiser" is to model your cage after the Cruiser design with the single hoop and the bars coming off to the rear. Nothing short of the offset spare tire screams Cruiser like that bar!


One thought is to make it into a FJ-45 ish cockpit........that would look cool!

Sounds like you Kicked ass again, Mike. If you run a big viagra logo on the hood that means you have to wear a purple helmet:flipoff2:
Mike, try Lilly, they have a new hard-on drug that is better than the Pfizer hard-on pill, hell, stay local with the sponsorship. ( I am giving you shit Nolan, I am a scientist for Lilly, I have to give you Pfizer guys shit, corporate competition and all :D )

Originally posted by Zog
I am giving you shit Nolan, I am a scientist for Lilly, I have to give you Pfizer guys shit, corporate competition and all :D

I am actually a Zoloft manager.......we kicked your ass there, what makes you think we are worried about your ED drug?

:flipoff2:

Yeah, You shouldnt worry about our hard-on drug, our fucking manufacturing is run by some lazy ass turds that cant get shit fixed to pass FDA inspections. I guess us Lilly guys will just have to keep dangling for a while.:D

Ricko.